Restaurant: Bombay Exotic Cuisine of India Location: 3975 5th Ave. #100 San Diego, CA Phone: (619) 298-3155 Price Range: Lunch buffet $8.98, meals from the menu $9.95-$16.99

Number of visits: many
Last visit before review: September 11, 2001 (Yes, September 11. We still had to eat.)

We've both had: Malagatwany soup (menu), chicken curry soup (menu), lentil soup (buffet), spicy carrot soup (buffet), lamb tikka masala (menu), lamb ginger masala (menu), tandoori chicken (buffet), chicken tikka masala (buffet), assorted pakoras (buffet), various curried vegetables (buffet), rice (buffet), garlic naan (buffet), plain naan (buffet), poppy naan (menu), sesame naan (menu), mango mousse (buffet), rice pudding (buffet), iced tea (menu).

Rating 11 (of 12) Excellent

Jeff says: I find the lentil soup alluringly spicy. Sometimes when I eat the lentil soup I am tempted to wash it down with iced tea, but instead I keep going and finish my bowl before putting out the fire. It's just more efficient that way. The lentil soup has lots of plump beans in it and is really good. My favorite soup is the malagatwany. The chicken, the stock, and even the cilantro they float on top all combine to make a satisfying and flavorful soup (although I eat around the larger sprigs of cilantro). The chicken curry soup is very good too, but my favorite is the malagatwany. The spicy carrot soup I do not care for. Its flavors are too bold. To carroty and too spicy.

Randy says: The lamb tikka masala has a nice flavor but its creamy sauce is a tad rich for my taste. The lamb ginger masala is exquisite. It has just the right mix of spices, and the ginger isn't overpowering.

Jeff says: I like the lamb tikka masala. The lamb dishes are good and do not have that muttony taste. I like creamy sauces so the tikka masala sauce with its creamy tomatoey texture and particular seasonings is my favorite. The ginger masala, though not as creamy is also very flavorful and delicious.

Randy says: The tandoori chicken is generally good, but at the buffet if it has been out too long it can get dried out. The chicken tikka masala at the buffet tends not to be as good as off the menu. Maybe the people who have gone before have fished out all the best bits and left the dregs.

Jeff says: I agree that the tandoori chicken at the buffet is generally good. I have always enjoyed the chicken tikka masala, again because I so enjoy the masala sauce. I haven't found it difficult to spoon out onto my plate some choice chicken from the pan.

Randy says: The vegetable pakoras are good but a little doughy. The banana ones are a little surprising because they are sweet. They're really more of a dessert vegetable. The rice is moist and tasty.

Jeff says: The vegetable pakoras are like the proverbial box of chocolates; you really don't know what you're going to get until you bite into one. They are a little greasy, as would be expected with anything battered and fried, but I like them. The rice is very flavorful and not at all dry. I'm sure it's oiled, but I think that's what gives it its texture and flavor.

Randy says: The naans are really good, although like most naans they're better hot and fresh than after they've cooled off. The seasoned naans are intensely flavored. The poppy naan is very poppy; the garlic naan is very garlicky.

Jeff says: At the buffet naan is brought to the table, but only garlic or plain, the default being garlic. We always ask for plain because we don't want to walk around the rest of the day with so much garlic, and also it comes out freshly made. It takes a few minutes longer since it's not immediately on hand, but we think it's worth it. When we splurge at dinner and order naan, I am especially fond of the sesame.

Randy says: The rice pudding is milky, a bit sweet, and delightfully flavored with pistachio and a little cinnamon. The mango mousse is sinfully rich and creamy and has an intense mango flavor.

Jeff says: The mango mousse is superb. At the buffet they have little dessert bowls, but I use a soup bowl for the mango mousse. It's garnished with strawberries which along with the mango make a nice combination of flavors. Something about the mango mousse affects me on a deeper level than most food. It reminds me of something happy from my childhood that I can't quite bring back to consciousness, and so I experience the mango mousse rather than simply tasting it. Rice pudding is not my favorite dessert because it is too liquidy. If it were thicker I think I would enjoy it more.

Bombay is located in Village Hillcrest, a multi-purpose business plaza with shops, restaurants, a movie theater, medical offices, and business offices. The inside of Bombay is a long narrow space with an aisle in the middle and one column of tables on either side of the aisle. The decor includes an interesting rock waterfall with various artificial reptiles placed on it appearing to enjoy their surrounds. The chairs are metal and are surprisingly heavy to move when getting up for another trip to the buffet.

The every day lunch buffet, at $8.98, never fails to disappoint us with its variety of high quality, tasty fare. The items available at the buffet change from time to time, but we have always found plenty that suits us. The buffet area is not very large, but it includes salad, soup, rice, vegetables, meat and vegetarian dishes, and a dessert or two. It's easy to eat too much by trying everything. Our dentist is close by, and any time either of us sees the dentist we meet at Bombay for the lunch buffet afterwards. We also like to stop in for dinner and try different things on the menu, especially when we're seeing a film upstairs or we're in the neighborhood for some other reason.

The only problem about Bombay is that parking can be scarce and expensive. The rarely-vacant parking spaces in the neighborhood are attended by parking meters. The Village has an underground parking lot, and Bombay used to validate to park there, but the parking company raised their rates outrageously which lead to both Bombay having to discontinue validating and customers not wanting to pay the inflated rates. We think the inflated parking prices are likely to drive away business from the Village. But despite the parking situation we look forward to more great meals at Bombay, our favorite Indian restaurant in San Diego.