Bollywood Theater — Restaurant in Portland

I don't generally write reviews unless something is particularly standout awesome or particularly standout not. But I felt I should write this review because of how completely "meh" the food is here.

Though I'm sure the night scene with drinks and films make this place more worthwhile overall (and the service is fine) the food here is decidedly less than spectacular. While the ingredients are fresh, the curries and mahkani in particular do not have the intricate and complex flavor profiles you expect from good Indian food. Though they appear to have tried to compensate for that with salt (and I mean SALT...in everything), the resulting flatness leaves you wanting to go out for some actual Indian food the moment you leave. Even I can haphazardly toss some store bought curry powder into some coconut milk and make some jasmine rice at home - but I don't want to pay $15 for someone else to do exactly the same thing for me.

Oh, and don't ask about the price point. You should be getting 2-3 times the quantity for the price of the dishes.

I sort of liken it to perhaps the Chipotle of Indian food - while they may be utilizing quality ingredients in a decent setting and getting it served to you rather quickly, it's still not the real thing. Or even vaguely close to the real thing.

Come for the drinks and to take in some film with friends, but don't come if you're actually craving the complex and enticing flavors of actual...

I walked into the restaurant and waited patiently at the door for somebody to see me. And the waiter came over and asked if he could help me. I told him a table for one. He said oh sorry I need to explain to you how it's worked. There was a cart off to the side that had menus. He handed them to me. And told me I could sit wherever I want it. And then told me that I had to come up to the counter and order what I was ready. Might have to say that the waiter was very pleasant and polite.

I then went up to the counter and placed my order. And then I was asked to pre-pay for my meal and selected option from the screen that was presented to me. I'm not a big fan of a restaurant that asked you to print it before you get your service. How do you know how well to tip?

My food arrived within a reasonable amount of time. Once again, the waiter was very nice and polite. I ordered the Paneer Makhani. As you can see from my photo, the portion was probably half the size of any other Indian restaurant or maybe even less. It is about as tasty as an Indian microwave dinner you would get at Safeway. At no point did anybody ever come to check on me and asked me if I needed anything else or how my meal was.

I will say that the atmosphere and the decorating were top-notch. Even though they didn't look anything like an Indian food restaurant. Except for maybe the restroom. I'm curious why there was a TV in the restroom. But...

Update: the food is wonderful again. I’m happy to update my rating.

“I normally love the makhani sauce and any version of it at this restaurant. They are notorious for "fall off the bone" chicken and beautiful, bright yogurt sauce to accompany it, especially in the Thali meal. However, this week was the first time I had a poor dish here, at the Alberta location in Portland. The chicken was unfortunately thoroughly rubbery. A knife barely cut it. And there wasn't any cilantro on top. That's normally one of my favorite parts, all the little details of flavor. Also, the makhani gravy was thick, poorly mixed, and inconsistent with not much flavor in some spots, and just peppery in others. It was not at all a delicious meal. The yogurt sauce was still nice but I used to cover the rest, which isn't typical. I also found the bread to be much greasier than usual.

I know a lot of places probably have all new staff after lockdown so I haven't written them off yet, but these recipes are a treat I invest in with my small spare income as a grad student. I hope you guys can bring it back to beautiful. I used to look forward to this at least once a...