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Salam Bombay
Categories: Restaurants Indian Restaurants Pakistani Indian, Pakistani [Edit]
755 Burrard StSte 217
Vancouver, BC V6Z 1X6
Neighbourhood: Downtown
(604) 681-6300
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 10:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
38 reviews for Salam Bombay
Review Highlights
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"...even had fresh fruit and rice pudding for dessert but I was..." In 4 reviews -
"There is free naan bread too." In 4 reviews -
"The tandoori chicken was flawless." In 3 reviews
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38 reviews in English
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Review from Orin M.
Surrey, BC
2/26/2012
Went here for lunch with a friend from out of town.
He had looked it up prior to coming over and said that this was where he wanted to have lunch. We had the buffet.
The veg choices were good and everything was fresh and fancy but not too fancy for my casual attire.
The thing that got me was the naan. It was the lightest naan I have ever had. There was a bit of a crunch but it was still soft and delicious. Much better than the super heavy naan I am used to.
If I am downtown craving Indian food again I will def be back! -
Review from Carol L.
Vancouver, BC
4/22/2012
First of, I grew up with Indian food. So, there's no fooling me.
Point 1: They try to charge you for EVERYTHING! Rice was $3.50/bowl even though some of us insisted on NO RICE! They still brought out the rice so we thought it came with the curry (the way it should be). The manager (or someone in similar position) said he'd offer us some Naan as we were a big group, so naturally we thought "Oh, because we're placing such a huge order, he's giving us some Naan on-the-house!". Sadly, no. He charged us for every half piece as a full piece!
Point 2: Curry was average. Not bad, but not great. Definitely though, not worth the prices! You're looking to spend quite a lot dining here. Did I mention they serve you curry in a tiny side-salad size bowl? But the prices say otherwise, I'm afraid. You'd think you're paying for at least an average sized bowl of curry. No.
Point 3: The liquor prices slit you at the throat. My friend and I decided to get a glass of wine. Bad idea! They charged $11 for the white we ordered. The label, I promise you, was no fancy label either. We were told that the liquor was a flat rate there. Everything was $10. Was that supposed to make it better?! I think not.
Quality Indian food can be acquired elsewhere at a much lower, more affordable rate. Do not bother trying here. -
Review from Jeffrey W.
2/25/2012
I compare all Indian restaurants to the local that I frequented for 22 years in Guildford, UK. When you have grown so used to something, most alternatives don't measure up.
I was pleasantly surprised by Salam Bombay. I went late on a Friday evening in February. There were plenty of tables. Service was prompt, but by no means overbearing. Be sure to get a table as far from the door as possible; every time someone entered or left, a bitter wind swept through the place.
I had what I consider a classic Indian dinner: papadums, Kingfisher lager, onion bajia, chicken dansak, pullau rice and garlic naan. Initially, I had ordered vegetable samosas, but the waiter recommended that onion bajia as being lighter, and a better starter one person. Interestingly, the onion bits were not gathered as expected into a ball or patty, but presented a shards of crisp, breaded onion. The dansak was well-flavored, with a lemony edge, but not particularly hot. The accompanying naan and rice were as expected.
Although the servings weren't huge, I left over-full, so there must have been enough.
Like most meals downtown, it was too expensive. I don't expect to spend $48 on an Indian, but that's Vancouver.
I will certainly eat at Salam Bombay again, which is more than I can say for the Indian restaurants I've tried at home in Los Angeles. -
Review from Greg J.
5/9/2012
Good but a little expensive, then again it is Vancouver. I had the great fortune that a colleague pad for the dinner that night. Some of the best Indian food I have had since living in Guildford, England. Out of the places I ate while visiting, it was one of the best I ate at during the trip. Worth at least one visit if you like this type of cuisine.
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Review from Shoppa H.
Vancouver, BC
3/24/2012
We always come here in large groups for lunch. Mmm good food. I've never had rice pudding in my life and I had my very first bowl of rice pudding here. So good!
I am all about butter chicken so I clear the tray when I arrive. I think the other items taste pretty good too. For a buffet style, it's pretty good food with excellent service. We sat in a private room and there was always someone there with water or Naan. -
Review from Dawn W.
Vancouver, BC
3/5/2012
In the downtown business centre, it is difficult to find a polished restaurant for work meeting lunches that, instead of being steak and seafood joints, are also vegetarian friendly. This is the place.
the food is great. i especially love the dahl and bartha.
The reason I give only 3 stars is that the lunch service is always slow /understaffed. the wait staff is very pleasant but i have been with companions who were quite put out by the slowness. Also, there have been a few times that a smudge of food was on the menu handed to me or on the table cloth. As a former server, i know that these are basic aspects that are simple to take care of. I do not know why they would hand out a menu that had not been wiped down first or why they can't get speedier service in place for the lunch rush or how they can not notice a food smudge on a white tablecloth.
But that is all that keeps them from receiving a full 5 stars. I really am glad this place is downtown. -
Review from Joshua Y.
Vancouver, BC
9/29/2011
I don't need to go to India. I've had the best food from there already!
This restaurant has it all! When I first walked in, I was a bit nervous. It was quite fancy, right across the street from Tiffany and Co., and I was paying for my friend and I. Ever been in that situation? lol.
But she deserved it. We both had some great career successes and it was time to celebrate with a great Indian Lunch.
The Staff seated us near a wall because the tables beside the beautiful windows overlooking the streets were being cleaned. I asked them if I could get a window instead and they said no problem. They sat us down in a temporary seating area and got a table ready for us.
After that, they told us they have a Buffet. They didn't give us any other options so that's why there is one star missing. Even though I didn't need another option, I think they should still have had a menu.
BUT the food was the best Indian food I have EVER had. I've been to quite a few Indian restaurants in my days but this one takes the cake.
When preparing food there is a difference when it comes to how you inject the taste into it. Especially meat. You can do the easy, less time consuming way which is pouring a ton of flavor over it and cooking for a short period of time. Or you can cook it for longer periods and put less flavor but let the food soak it up better. They have obviously put a lot of love and care into their food cause you can taste it.
There was not one dish I didn't love. The Chick Peas even tasted different than normal and were better than I've ever had them.
The Rice Pudding was the only thing that was different than how I had it. It still tasted really good but was a bit "soupy". I still enjoyed it however.
The Staff were fantastic! There was only a minute of a wait if my glass of water was ever empty. The person would be over to fill it in no time.
All in all, I'm a fan and will go back. And for $15 a person, this is more than reasonable for the quality and amount of food you get. I will be back. -
Review from Vishnu V.
9/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
I can go with rating this a 4 star for the different dishes they serve from other restaurants. It has a touch of mallu food.( the taste of food at kerala,a place in india). The lunch buffet was $15 without tax.
Place was pretty big , comfortable and spacious. Good for crowds too. The service was pretty quick and good. The place was well maintained.
The buffet had flavors from all parts of india. Dessert options were very less.
The total items in buffet were not more than 12-15. They serve here mint chutney which is good to taste with tandoori chicken,and one other pickle too was served with buffet. The view from this restaurant is very good if u get a seat beside the glass window. -
Review from L I.
Vancouver, BC
2/24/2012
They have the best butter chicken ever, I have to go twise a month just to have this dish, however, I wonder y did they stop servenig the complimentary appetizer that they use to serve like most of the indian resturants!
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Review from Stephanie M.
Vancouver, BC
8/14/2011
I walk by this place every day on my way to/from work, and there is always someone outside carrying a sign advertising this restaurant, so when we were in the neighbourhood and my friend wanted Indian food, I suggested that we give this place a try.
The service was over-bearing in some ways, but underwhelming in others. On the one hand, it took a while to get a table and then no one came to take our order until we finally grabbed a server's attention. On the other hand, there was constantly someone filling our water glasses, to the point that, at the end of the meal, after we told our server that we no longer wanted additional water, we had to stop a server at least four times (in fact the same server several times) from swooping in and re-filling. Then we were brought a dessert menu a second time after looking over a first dessert menu and telling one server that we were too full for dessert. So I think the problem is their system of table service is too collaborative, ie. there didn't really seem to be one person responsible for our table so messages from us did not get communicated.
Anyway, as for the food, we tried the matar paneer, chana masala and prawn vindaloo. Although the matar paneer could have had more actual pieces of cheese, in my opinion, it was very tasty. The chana masala and prawn vindaloo were both very tasty. In particular, the spicy sauce for the prawn vindaloo was great.
Definitely a decent option for Indian food in the downtown core. There are more authentic and better value places in other neighbourhoods, but I did enjoy the food here. Plus the atmosphere is light and airy and tables along the window make for great people watching downtown. -
Review from Donna A.
New Westminster, BC
1/7/2012
Excellent muttar paneer, chicken vindalo and please, please, please get the keema naan, it's totally fab!
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Review from Maria W.
2/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Absolutely delightful.
Fantastic friendly service, delectable dishes, efficient staff, subdued decor and soft bollywood/Indian techno playing in the background. We ordered from the menu since buffets are generally middle of the road.
Not that the buffet was out, we dine late when on holiday.
We dined here our first night in Vancouver and our last night as well. It was really quite excellent, so much so I wanted to be certain we returned while on the same trip.
Be sure to end your meal with their home made Kulfi. Saffron, ground cardamom, pistacho nuts made into ice cream- the most delicious thing on the planet. -
Review from Lakhbir L.
12/25/2011
Great naan and Parantha!
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Review from Shirish D.
7/24/2011
They gave us a table next to the main door. Location was drafty when folks came in and out. The owner took our order but was not writing it down. When the food finally was served my entree Bhindi Masala was missing and we had another entree twice. The naan were getting cold when my order finally arrived.
. -
Review from Rich B.
11/22/2010
My dinner here was one of those experiences that was only poor in comparison to what it might have been. The meal was fine and pretty tasty - great rice, good poppadoms, tasty keema naan and pleasant curries. However, I had the sense all along that it could have been a truly excellent experience if only they were willing to stick their necks out a bit. It feels a bit like they've hit on a good, middle-of-the-road formula that keeps the tourists and the odd local coming in, but that if they could just cut loose they would be able to deliver something memorable.
The one dish that summed this up for me was the chicken sag. Whenever I've had this dish at restaurants in the UK, it's a dry, intensely flavoured dish. Frying all the water out of the spinach turns it almost into a thick sauce by itself. The dish here was a pureed, creamy sauce of spinach and, I suspect, a couple of other green herbs along with a slight kick of green chilli that was very tasty but felt a little too comfortable and luxuriant. -
Review from Michael S.
4/11/2011
Went at dinner time. Off to a bumpy start, as it was late (around 9pm); we'd had a late lunch and didn't feel like a giant dinner - but our server was a bit agressive in terms of "that's not enough rice" "that's not enough naan"
Ultimately the food made up for it. Very tasty - it hit the spot. And service was attentive. A bit pricey, but it's an expensive downtown. -
Review from Joshua N.
1/9/2011
My experience with Indian buffets (and Indian restaurants in general) is that they are either unapologetically bad or unbelievably good. So it's unusual to find one in the middle, like this one.
The restaurant's interior looks nice, and the food tastes good, I guess. The naan is the thin toasty kind rather than the fluffy doughy kind (I like the doughy one better, but maybe I'm alone on that one). The food had all the right tastes but the sauces were way too liquid and most of them were clearly separating from the oil. I prefer thicker, more gravy-like sauces.
There was a very reasonable selection for a buffet, about 7-8 dishes plus one kind of rice (standard basmati), a regular western-style baby greens salad, and one kind of dessert. There was not much of a variety of Indian chutneys or side-sauces and there were no appetizers at the buffet.
Also, the buffet was set up in a bizarre location in the middle of the dining area, meaning that at a crowded lunch service (like the one I was at), a long line develops that forces people to stand in awkward places -- hovering over people eating at their tables, blocking the kitchen, etc. It felt like the buffet table at a wedding.
The service was friendly but they didn't seem to understand that I didn't want to eat until the rest of my table arrived (I was there early). I'm not sure why that was an issue but it was quickly resolved.
The bill came to about $20 per person for the buffet and naan (incl. tax and tip), which I believe is a little on the expensive side for a middle-of-the-road lunch buffet. But I guess the rent is higher downtown. -
Review from Chelsea S.
West Vancouver, BC
6/6/2011
Came here after game 2 since everything else was crowded and we were starving. The curry here was delicious, we had Chicken Goa, Lamb Korma, and some Saag Panir. The three of us only wanted to share two curries, three naan, and one rice, but the male server was VERY pushy and aggressive, saying it would not be enough, so we added an additional rice, Samosas and the Saag. The samosas were very bland, and we didn't come close to finishing the food. Which was annoying. Since we weren't going to be carrying stinky curry around Vancouver to celebrate the win with.
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Review from Gina I.
9/9/2009 ROTD 6/16/2010
I went here for a work function & we were all given appetizers (pakora's, chicken tikka, stuffed naan, and some chickpea salad with yogurt)..
It was so good. We had a buffet set up for us as well. Shrimp curry stew, spinach with paneer, lentils, lamb curry.. Everything was wonderful!! I'll be back. -
Review from rosquete b.
2/7/2011
Nice, classy Indian restaurant on the second floor
Fresh and tasty flavored food
Lentil soup was okay
Green salad was beautifully cut and arranged w/very pungent red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots over mixed greens
Tasty Peshwar nan (w/coconut, cashews, and raisins)
Excellent chicken hariyahi w/mint & cilantro
Sumptuous, spicy lamb tikka
Rice is a la carte
Clean bathrooms
Efficient food service e.g., water glass filled every 3 1/2 minutes -
Review from Nicole F.
8/13/2010
I went here for lunch today! I wouldn't have known about it if it weren't for Yelp!
They had a pretty decent selection of dishes. There were enough vegetarian curries that I didn't feel limited in the least.
The Palak Paneer was pretty good, but I felt it could have used a little more spice. I suppose they were just playing it safe for the business crowd. I'm not really sure, but it was definitely tasty.
The lentil dish was probably my favourite. I was hesitant to try it on my first trip through the buffet (Lentils are hit and miss with me) and regretted that as soon as I went back for seconds. So tasty!!! I wish I hadn't stuffed my face so much and then I could have had more. There's always next time!
There were also some mixed veggies that were okay, they were good to dip in the sauce from the other curries.
Normally I don't really care for the flavour of mustard, but there was a yellow coloured Veggie Yogurt dish that tasted pretty tangy and strongly of mustard. I was thrown off with the first bite, but the more I ate of it, the more I liked it.
There is free naan bread too! Yeah carbs!
I'll definitely be back next time I feel like stuffing myself so full of food that I have to literally waddle back to work.Listed in: Veggie Spots
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Review from Evilyn T.
2/5/2010 3 Check-ins Here
Another outing for the ladies who lunch. A crew of us made a reservation at Salam Bombay for a Thursday lunch outing. This place is upstairs to your left, on Burrard Street.
When we first arrived it wasn't too busy, but as we ate and went around for seconds it did get quite a bit busier, so the reservations were probably necessary.
The buffet was set up on nice white tablecloths, next to a gramophone! A GRAMOPHONE!
Everything I tried was awesome! The curries had just the right amount of spice in them, and were a good consistency. The waitress brought us over some fresh naan, which I over-indluged in. I am a bit of a starch-whore, so eating rice with spice and bread is pretty much heaven for me, and I was definitely in nirvana here.
I am not a fan of rice pudding so I didn't try it, but one of the ladies I was with ate almost 3 bowls! I had no idea such a small lady could pack away so much rice!
The buffet was $15.00/each, which was a little pricey for a lunch, that's usually how much I would pay for a dinner buffet, but it was all really good, so I can't really complain about it being a few dollars more than I prefer to spend.
All of us left fat and happy and I guarantee I will be dragging them back for a lunch when my birthday rolls around this year. I love curry! -
Review from Amy E.
BC
8/25/2010
Had dinner over the weekend at this place. It was really nice! Great service! That was what stood out.
The only thing that I didn't like was that nothing was spicy. The thing I love about Indian food is leaving with my mouth burning, but everything was just very mild. The food was good, but didn't have a lot of flavour. Their prices were quite reasonable and sitting by the window made for great people watching.
I would likely not go back again, unless I know they have picked up the food a bit. Maybe a little more Naan in an order as well considering a lot of places offer it for free.
The reason I did like it is all the servers were so amazingly nice! -
Review from Angela L.
11/2/2009
With the first taste of the interestingly textured alu chaat (minted potato) appetizer, we knew that our taste buds were in for a treat. All of the following mains shared family style were delightful as well: chicken tikka, halibut coconut curry, lamb shish kababs, saag paneer, butter paneer, and lamb vindaloo. Naan in both garlic and spinach cheese were served warm and stretchy. Icy cold Cobra beers washed everything down nicely.
The service was courteous and efficient. If we weren't so stuffed from dinner, the dessert menu would have made for more tough decisions. I've already got my eye on the pistachio kulfi for next time!
Menu options such as the wild boar curry and halibut coconut curry (which was interesting, but not something I would ever order again) are non-conventional choices. Pairing a wine list that has a high end priced at over $2000 with most mains lower than $20 is certainly different as well.
Salam Bombay's claim to be "contemporary" is most evident in its decor. The large open dining room with views of the bustling Burrard and Alberni corner would make an ideal space for functions. On a Friday night with only a few tables sat sparsely though, the ambiance was quite different. Also, the fact that the lunch buffet was being set up right there beside us while we were dining made it feel a little like a banquet hall. -
Review from stacie M.
6/18/2010
I would've given this place a better rating, but the service was QUITE below average. We were rarely visited by our server. We finally had to ask to get a PITCHER of water so we could serve ourselves refills.
We were trying to decide what to order when we were told there would be a buffet starting in 5-10 minutes. We talked about it and decided this would probably be a good idea even though it was $30pp and there were 8 of us. While discussing, we ordered samosas and naan and wine. These seemed to NEVER come! When we finally flagged the server down, we said we would all like to do the buffet. He said Fine... and that it would be available in 10-15 MORE minutes! *sigh*
The buffet was good. However for $30, it was pretty meager. Maybe 10 dishes. Going down the short table with the food, there was a small child at a cold dish I did not recognize with crispy noodles all over the top. She was - with her hands - picking off all the noodles from the top of the dish and putting them on her plate. Her parents were watching from their table and no one from the restaurant were stopping her - a little strange :)
The dishes were flavorful, fresh, and some were spicy. The fresh fruit for dessert was GREAT quality. I wish they had had some other dessert options (I am always a fan of the rice "pudding" and the pureed carrots).
They seated our party near another large family and they were NOT pleased to be near us. We are were having a family reunion of sorts (sans kids) and were fairly loud with laughter and joking. (Only 2 of us were drinking and only a couple glasses, so although we were loud, we were not drunk or out of control.) This other party (a large Indian family, it looked like) were quite rude to us and so we wrapped up quickly and left.
So the food was good but the experience - all around - not very pleasant. -
Review from Joanne L.
Richmond, BC
4/1/2010
I've heard of this place and walked by many times, I finally went for dinner there last night. We were greeted by the owner (I think...since his photo was on the placemat) and he brought us to our table right by the window.
We opened the menu and saw the typical dishes, being an Indian Food fan, I wanted to try something authentic and different here. We ordered the Chicken Korma Chicken Cooked in a Cashew Curry Sauce and the Lamb Methi Lamb Cooked with lots of Garlic and Fenugreek in a Tomato Creamy Sauce. These two dishes didn't come with rice or sides, so we ordered a $3.95 bowl of rice and a naan bread.
The food arrived in reasonable time and was very hot. The rice was rather small for the price and the naan bread was cut up nicely. The server didn't ask us how spicy we wanted the dishes, which was rare, but the chicken was just right and the lamb was not spicy at all. The meat was tender and good, unlike most of the other Indian restauarants we've been to.
With sauce, the rice disappears fast, so we were out of rice and the owner popped by to check on us. He actually gave us another serving of rice after we said we didn't know it was so small. That was rather nice of him.
Next time we would definitely go back for buffet, which would seem to be a much better deal. This place is good, but there are better places around town :) -
Review from Suzanne D.
2/1/2012
Polite service. We ordered paneer jalfriz and Lamb curry. I liked my paneer but didn't like my husband's curry. He says there was nothing wrong with it, it just wasn't *really* good either. Naan was fresh and tasty.
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Review from Eric B.
Vancouver, BC
6/12/2010
A five stars. Why? Because it's as good as it's ever gonna get.
We were on our way for a new place to go eat, and we decided to go to a Korean restaurant on Robson for a change. For some reason, we turned back before getting to the entrance, the "I don't feel like it anymore" day. We changed our minds and wanted to go to Shabusen.... Got to Shabusen and saw many people were already waiting, "30 minutes" the girl said... I'm not too good when it gets to wait in line and wait for a seat. Soooo we changed our minds yet again. I guess it's now REALLY the "I don't feel like it anymore" day.
I remembered walking in front one day and looking at this guy outside holding a sign "Salam Bombay". It got my attention and I thought the menu looked pretty good. I must admit I love Indian food. Can't say I really love the concept of the guy standing outside dressed up with a robe and holding a sign with the restaurant's name on it, but hey, it got my attention.
First of all, I have to say, there's a lot of employees, and they all have a specific job, one take your order, one fills your water, one brings the food etc etc. I really liked the concept. And all of them, I repeat, all of them were courteous, polite and very, very nice. The service was just amazing. And I miss that a lot in other restaurants.
Second, the food. We ordered appetizers, the Vegetable Samosa and the Mogo, and it was delicious. For the main course we had Butter Chicken and Coconut prawn, oh yeah, delicious. Not too spicy, flavorful (and i must put an emphasis on flavorful) and perfectly cooked. We asked for two sides of rice because it's a must. The place is a little expensive (like every other Indian restaurants) but man... is it worth it!! We went back again in August and I ordered Prawn Masala and it was just so delicious. For this time, we ordered 2 plates, 2 side rice and 1 mango ice cream. It was priced at 45$ and we were full.
For you that are afraid of not having water if it feels a little too spicy, no worries, service there is as great as the food, you won't ever be waiting for water. -
Review from Tabatha Anne Y.
Richmond, BC
8/13/2010 2 photos
I went here for lunch today with my friend. We read good things, so we thought we'd try something new. We were very happy with our decision!
They have a buffet available from 11:30 to 3:00 PM for $15. This even comes with naan bread, which we assumed you'd have to pay extra for.
The selection of food was quite good, a nice mix of vegetarian and meat dishes. I had palak paneer, mixed vegetables and yoghurt vegetable curry. I liked all the dishes except for the yoghurt curry, it tasted too strongly of mustard for my liking. It's one of those times that you can tell they did a good job preparing it, but it just wasn't my taste. The food was refilled often and was really fresh. The place was busy so the food was always being eaten, so it was being turned over often. Sometimes buffets are hit or miss, but this place was a hit.
They even had fresh fruit and rice pudding for dessert but I was too full to try it.
The staff was friendly, attentive and always floating around making sure everyone's water was full and cold.
I liked the décor of the place. It seemed so fancy! The table cloths were stark white and clean, and the hardwood floors were polished and pretty. I was really impressed. -
Review from Leon F.
Vancouver, BC
12/30/2009
We ordered Lamb Vendaloo, which was not spicy at all. The description made it sound good...with potato, but I only found two small lame potato pieces. My partner ordered Chicken Tandoori, which he really liked. Four chunky pieces of chicken. I never like ordering plate of rice separately but the dishes, while reasonably priced, does not come with sides. Rice was nothing special and the tandoori roti didn't look like it was baked in a tandoori oven. I've tasted better ones elsewhere before. I also ordered mango chutney, but it looked and tasted like cheap orange marmalade. Chai tea was OK. It would have been nicer if they offered refill.
Interior decor is beautiful, but it was a bit cold. I noticed some patrons wearing their coats inside. The food was painfully slow to come, even though the restaurant was almost empty! At one point we were the only customer. Then the music was shut off....bad for ambiance. I don't think I'll go here again. -
Review from Helen P.
11/10/2010
Went here for dinner while visiting Vancouver with a coworker who wanted nice Indian food. It did not disappoint. Great variety on the menu and everything we tried was spiced just right. The vegetable samosas were the biggest I've ever had. Other apps we sampled were prawn pakoras and potato patties with lentils and mint (sorry I don't remember the Indian name). The tandoori chicken had a nice subtle flavor and was nice and tender. The decor is modern contemporary, although the full length mirrors in the bathroom stalls may have gone a touch too far. All in all, a great choice for upscale Indian cuisine.
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Review from Anita T.
Toronto, ON
2/5/2010 1 photo
The problem is when you're an Indian person going to an Indian restaurant, you have high expectations. I mean, let's be honest, we know what the food should taste like, so when you order something and it doesn't taste like how your mom used to make it at home, it's a little disappointing.
That being said, Salam Bombay is a great place for Indian food if that's usually not your daily cuisine. I especially like the Aloo Gobi (Potatoes and Cauliflower) with Naan bread. Yum! -
Review from Dora t.
Vancouver, BC
1/23/2011
The food here is good and service is usually good. The view is nice (2nd floor location allows for people-watching)
They advertise as Traditional Indian, but as someone who eats a lot of South Asian cuisine, I would classify this as more of a modern Indian style with British influence and hints of fusion.
The food is not greasy like many restaurants can be, but you do have to pay a bit extra in comparison. I think it's still worth it, but be aware that you have to order rice, bread, chutney etc. as extras.
I always specify that I want"Indian medium" instead of "medium" level of spiciness and usually find that the kitchen does a good job at what I want, although a couple of times it's been a bit mild. It makes sense seeing as the many times I've been there I've seen more non-South Asians than South Asians.
Nice but nothing special. -
Review from Chris C.
3/21/2011
Visiting from out of town. Stayed Downtown, so ate here for dinner, as it's w/in walking distance. The food was very delicious. We had chicken chettinad, chicken yadimali(sp?) rice and naan. I would order both those again. Somewhat pricey compared to other places I've eaten at before.
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Review from Patrick Z.
12/3/2010
At at yet another amazing restaurant in Vancouver. This place was located right at the corner of a busy intersection. It is on the 2nd floor. I was seated next to a window and got to people watch while I was waiting and eating my dinner. Thats a big plus when you are eating alone.
I ordered the Vegetable Samosa's as an appetizer. These were very good. This was prepared unique to me. The potatoes and vegetables seemed to be mashed up. It was great. For the the main dish I ordered Butter Chicken, Basmati Rice, and Spinach and Cheese Naan. This came to the table fast and hot. It was not disappointing to my taste buds. I could only eat half. I got the rest in a to go box.
I was waited on by no less than five people. Everyone seemed to be attentive. I even received two bills. I laughed when one of the waitresses brought the second bill. I told her that I was only paying once. We had a good laugh about that.
Next time in Vancouver, I'd definitely come back. -
Review from Cube B.
10/28/2010
Great place to go for food in the heart of Down Town. The food is very good. It's not too expensice either. Hard to find but worth looking for.
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Review from Young H.
12/28/2009
Ok, after talking with my wife, this restaurant deserves 4.5 stars! We really wanted some good Indian cuisine and thought it was going to be easy to find in Vancouver, BC. Thanks to our hotel concierge, we found this place and it was exactly as she described. It feels upscale. It looks upscale. The food is fresh, good, and upscale. But, the price is not upscale. PLUS, this restaurant completely disproved our theory behind Indian restaurants.....just because the restaurant serves a lunch buffet does not make it a bad restaurant. The tandoori chicken was flawless. The curries were great, so was the garlic naan. Give this second floor restaurant a try.
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Review from Nitin M.
3/31/2010
Nice ambiance. had vegetable biryani there. it was awesome. the buffet offered is pretty good with a lot of variety for veggies as well.
