Bombay Street Kitchen — Restaurant in Oak Ridge

I've always loved street food and have often felt that the often spectacular food is not given due credit by foodies and food reviewers alike. Indian cuisine being my absolute favorite, I was beyond intrigued when, a while ago, I learned that a new restaurant was opening that offered street food from my favorite cuisine and this excitement increased quantifiably upon learning that said restaurant earned a coveted Michilin star! Being in a particularly good mood last night after a successful grad school interview, I decided it was time to reward myself with a trip to this supposedly great restaurant. My first impression of the restaurant was that it was small, nondescript, and wasn't what I expected a Michilin starred restaurant to look like, though I quickly reminded myself to put my judgment in check, keep an open mind, and enjoy the experience I've so been looking forward to. Though the restaurant was quite busy and we were told that the wait would be 25 minutes, we were seated in less than ten minutes. Upon being seated and reviewing the menu, my first thought was that I would GLADLY order virtually everything on the entire menu, except one dish in which the primary ingredient was kale (yes kale, a kale appetizer). Admittedly, I'm the biggest fan of vegetables in general, by no means am I fan of kale as my personal belief is that kale is a garnish, not something to be actually consumed by anything not considered a small animal. Nick, the same kind person who seated us, informed us that he would be our server. I quickly informed Nick of my excitement to try his restaurant, that the entire menu looked fantastic, but I had no idea what to order. He politely inquired what my favorite Indian dishes are, graciously offered to order for us, and that we would be starting with the kale appetizer; admittedly I couldn't hide my scowl at his suggestion. Nick smiled as if he fully expected my reaction to his kale suggestion, assured me that the kale was truly spectacular, and offered to take it back if I didn't absolutely LOVE the it. The kale arrived quickly and we dove right into the plate of kale and, without an ounce of exaggeration, it was truly one of the most spectacular things I've ever tasted!! At this moment I knew that we were in for an extraordinary culinary experience as I thought to myself, "if they can make kale this absolutely beyond delicious, I can't even imagine what they will do with foods not typically suited for rabbits or placed neatly on the side of an entre at Denny's." Each small plate brought to our table surpassed the greatness of the previous, though, admittedly, I kept constantly returning to the curiously addictive kale. In short, it was, without a doubt, one of the best meals I've ever had in my entire life! Though it's possible that Nick held a higher position at the restaurant, perhaps the manager or owner, his service was absolutely superb as was the rest of the staff who helped us throughout the entirety of the meal. To say that Bombay Street Kitchen is the absolute best Indian restaurant in Central Florida would be true, but yet also an injustice to the restaurant; it is simply one of the BEST restaurants in Central Florida. Period. I will be returning to the restaurant as soon I have the opportunity to do so and I recommend everyone else do the same, it's an experience that won't ever be forgotten... And don't forget to...

I think Indian food is my current favorite cuisine. I've been slowly but surely exploring the different Indian restaurants around town, and I do try to get new, different things everywhere I go, and I have loved absolutely everything I have tried. It's like, the cuisine can do no wrong. It's all delicious. It's all so flavorful.

So, it was time to finally visit the Bombay Street Kitchen. I grab four other people and show up and get to work. We want to try some things that are not just what the gringos eat, so we tell our server to surprise us. He goes on to be like, get one from this category, and we chose a meat. We choose from a few categories and then prepare for impact.

Of course I started off with a Mango Lassi. Delicious. If you like mangoes and fruit smoothies, you'll love a good mango lassi.

Classic app, the Vegetable Samosa (Pastry with seasoned potatoes and peas). Super crispy with well-seasoned, steaming hot potatoes in side. You got the green, earthy kind of sauce and the sweet, chutney sauce to choose from for dipping. Great dish.

Street Special Dosa (Our take on the famous dosa from the streets of India). Never had a dosa before! This was like a crepe, but filled with deliciousness. Don't remember exactly what was inside, but it was good, and there were again, two sauces to choose from for dipping.

Pro-tip, when you finish any dish here, keep the sauce for the future dishes. You can never do too much sauce mix-n-matching.

I got a dish with a giant puri bread on top, forgot what it's called, but it was fun! It was basically some stewed chick peas in a dish with a giant, puffy bread on top that you rip apart and use to eat the chick peas. Lots of fun!

Dille ke Tandoori Chicken (Chicken leg quarters, tandoori masala). Oooh. Spicy, spicy. Very good, barbecued chicken legs that are absolutely coated with seasoning and surrounded by veggies and sauces on the side. Grab a naan, make a little taco, my goodness. So good.

Of course, had to have a Vegetable Biryani (Vegetables, basmati rice, spices). From what I can tell, this is the main Indian rice dish, and the combination of the basmati rice with the saffron and spices is just addictive. You get white rice with most of the things you order, but this is just like, a nice upgrade. Get it.

And we got one or two curries, I think. I know one of them was the Chicken Kadai (Thick gravy with onion, tomato and pepper). Very thick sauce with some big, soft hunks of veggies, and the chicken is always cooked so perfectly. Very good. Do recommend.

We got all this, and then three or so butter and garlic naan. It was just so good. Every bit of it was mouth-watering, and I want to come back so soon. Five stars,...

Update: Visited again on 8/20/24 - still love it! We had the street dosa, fish xacuti, and special chicken tikka, a long with garlic naan. Everything was fantastic. Amishita was super helpful, thank you!

Original review: Wow. I have to say, I haven't enjoyed a meal out this much in a very very long time. The service, cleanliness and food and drinks were all spectacular.

Now for the details:

When we arrived, we were told it'll be a half hour wait for our party of 2. We waited by the bar and grabbed a couple of stools when they became available. I didn't check the timing, but they told us when the table was ready and added our drinks to our tab.

Masala mule - I would've never, in a million years, thought of adding masala to my vodka... Lol. But they did a fantastic job of crafting a unique drink, that was perfectly balanced.

Old fashioned - seemed pretty standard.

Gunpowder dosa - Highly recommend! I like the ghee on the dosa, and the fact the potatoes were served on the side. In this way, the dosa remains crispy. In fact, I reheated the leftovers in a nonstick pan and it crisped up beautifully. The coconut chutney and sambar were also tasty.

Fish Xacuti - never even heard of this dish, and when I heard it was made with sea bass, I was apprehensive. But the staff assured me I'd love it, and they were right. The curry was spiced to perfection and the fish tasted so fresh. I would order it again in a heartbeat.

gulab jamune - pretty standard... Yummy, but a bit too sweet for my taste, as is the norm for this dessert. But I was delighted that there was no rose water in it, as I find it distracts from the taste of the dish itself.

We had our dishes 'medium' spicy, but could still use some more heat so asked for some hot sauce on the side. The hot sauce had a kick, but was so delicious. I would buy the hot sauce, that's how yummy it was.

There was Indian music playing in the background at a nice volume - loud enough so you can hear it, but not so loud that you have to shout to have a conversation. Personally, I would love to see the accompanying music video on one of the screens, but that's just me :)

The service was extremely attentive, without being overbearing, which is rare for an Indian restaurant in my opinion. Although their food is usually tasty, I find the customer service is usually lacking at Indian restaurants, or robotic at best. But Bombay Street Kitchen managed to provide excellent service with delicious food and drinks.

Do yourself a favor and try...