Indian Food on Franklin (fka Franklin Ave stand up!)

wow, i hope they don't close, i love their food! we always order from them when we feel like Indian food. I have only been at the actual restaurant once, and the owner seemed very nice.
I patronize Franklin restaurants as much as my wallet can afford it (not much these days)...

Part of the problem is that I think that a lot of folks in the neighborhood that want Indian have grown so used to having to go elsewhere, they don't even think about patronizing new local businesses. It's hard to break people out of those habits.

I am surprised that they don't get a lot of business being around the corner from the Jewish hospital. I'd have thought that the new folks in that building alone would have been enough to keep them afloat.

OT: BK, your avatar just rang a bell..Mordred's helmet?

LOVED that flick growing up.

(and btw, one could play the "Bob" Newhart drinking game with as many times as Arthur says "Merlin?!?!?!")

Oh, and back on-topic: Guess I'll have to get over to try Bombay. Any fave dishes there?

/me disappears riding across the Dragon's breath...

alafairnadia wrote: thanks for posting this.

I was actually at franklin park on wednesday night and a bunch of folks had ordered from bombay palace - the food looked/smelled awesome and my friend, who lives in PS, was very excited to know that joy had the same menu/owner. it's unfortunate that restaurants don't feel like they're getting business. as a frequenter of many of the bullet-proof chinese joints in PH, though, I can attest to the fact that I'm generally the only person ordering something like "roast pork with chinese vegetable"; most orders are fried chicken wings and french fries. so. that doesn't mean the chinese food places are shutting down, it just means that they're filling a need that isn't traditionally a food request from a chinese food restaurant. maybe bombay palace needs to figure something similar out?

Do you suggest they serve Tandori hamburgers or maybe chicken Tikka with french fries?

TheBurgerking wrote:

Do you suggest they serve Tandori hamburgers or maybe chicken Tikka with french fries?

That actually sounds really freakin' good. :shock:
I want some :bounce:

Bombay Place is totally yummy. We no longer order from Joy since we try to frequent the local places to support them. Please, let's support them!!! I hate traveling outside the hood to get food/drinks, etc., so let's keep them here!!

jeffrey -

yep, mordred's helmet - coolest helmet ever.

the vindaloo's good )lamb or chicken) and the usual standby chicken or lamb tikka masala. their paratha I love - but I gotta cut back on the yummy breads before i get even huger than I already am.

I'm a complete indian food snob (having lived in India).

Bombay Palace is actually, really, really good. ate in-house last nite and it was fantastic. Were they to stage a corporate buyout of the uniformly-terrible amin's around brooklyn, it'd be a coup.

support 'em!

I believe the awesome cook from Joy went to Bombay when they opened. I haven't ordered from Joy in awhile but did order from Bombay and loved it. the food was exactly the same as the awesome Joy food I recalled so ... dunno, but speculate?

I just moved to Franklin and Pacific and soon headed to Bombay, everything was delish. I am sharing the info with all my Brooklyn friends; good Indian in the borough is actually not that easy to find. I'm also looking forward to checking out Homage, Franklin Park and other businesses in the area.

It's sad that they're considering closing, the restaurant business is never easy especially in economic hard times. I second the idea about flyering and will mention it to the owners when I go back to the restaurant.

wheatstraw, could you make the subject of this thread indicate that it's about an Indian restaurant on Franklin?

We ordered from Bombay Masala last night, and we are very, very happy. We plan to order again ... frequently.

First the bad news. The omnivore among us said the chicken tandoori was too wet, and one nan bread had a spot where it wasn't cooked through. There was a question as to whether a couple of the dishes were oily, but the consensus was that they were fine.

Now the good news. The guy who answered the phone and the delivery guy were very nice. Prices are not super cheap, but not expensive either. Portions are fine. Delivery (around Kingston and Atlantic) was fast. Their menu is huge, with lots of vegetarian options and plenty of meat choices.

Most importantly, the food was delicious. Nothing was very spicy (we didn't order vindaloo or anything meant to be really hot), but everything was tasty and flavorful, and there was some spice lingering in the background, where appropriate. The shaag ponir (spinach with cheese) was a favorite, and the baigan bhurta (eggplant) was delicious, and everything in the vegetarian thali (combination plate) was great (although the alu motor gobi--cauliflower, potato, and peas--was heavy on potatoes for my taste), including the condiments and the rice. We got an order of lemon pillaw (rice), which was fragrant and delicious. The nan was good, and I think we got poori (described as light fluffy bread, but was really more a rich, thin, oily pancake), which was not fluffy, but wonderful nonetheless. Everything was just full of flavor and luscious. The non-vegetarian thali was also a hit (except the tandoori chicken), and the shaag (spinach) curry with chicken was ... I can't think of another word to use except delicious! The rice pudding dessert (rose-water flavored) was delicate and nice, and the other desserts (they gave us some for free) were also good. Honestly, we got so many different things, it was a little overwhelming, but everyone was so happy with the food.

I'm sure there are better dishes and not so good dishes, in large part measured by personal preference. I look forward to trying everything, and finding my favorites. I'm starting to drool just thinking about it. It wasn't perfect, but I will definitely order again, and I'm looking forward to it. In fact, I wish I'd taken the leftovers for lunch. I like Bombay Masala, and I really hope they succeed. I am going to do my part to see that they prosper, and I don't mind doing it. Not at all. They have a website (which is where we found the menu--I agree they should put out menus far and wide, but some people hate to have menus left at their door): http://bombaybrooklyn.com/

As for Udom, I agree their pad Thai is not so good. And we tried the Udon combo fried rice, which wasn't so good either. But try the pad see yue or the spicy basil noodles. And I hear the green mussels are delicious. In fact, they have several dishes that we really enjoy, like the dried curry (most of the curry dishes). Give them another chance, just order something else. For a bright, refreshing dish, we like the vegetarian fresh ginger. And when we asked for a spicy curry--really spicy--they did give it to us. Talk to them, tell them what you want.

Sadly I'm not around the neighborhood much except for odd hours but hopefully I'll be able to at least order some takeout from them, maybe this weekend. Does anyone know their hours?

Subject: Bombay Masala: Cost Is the Issue

I like Bombay Masala just fine (for whatever cred it lends me, I am Indian).

I no longer do dine-in or delivery there, however, because the prices are way too high for the 'hood. The prices might have been just fine for the high-rollers who dined at Joy on Flatbush, but they are not appropriate for Franklin Ave.

Why would I patronize Bombay Masala when I could have an equally delicious meal, for 25% less, from India Place on Vanderbilt?

B. Masala's owners need to know that their prices are too high.

I agree that their prices are high, but when I order, I order enough to JUSTIFY delivery (delivery is very rare for me and have only specifically ordered from BP twice), so usually a meat entree plus the option of a veg entree as a "side" portion plus naan. With tip I think it's $21 or $22, can't remember for sure, and ends up being 4 meals. I overeat excessively on the first day because I finish the bread, but the entrees surprise me by being enough for 3 more dinners. I figure $5.50 for each meal isn't too shabby, and I like this style of food for leftovers because it stays relatively true to form when re-heated in a pan, unlike other foods that need oven re-heating and dry out a bit.

On a side note, poori should be a gloriously puffed ball of goodness! Disappointing that it sounds like Bombay Masala's is just...bread. Maybe it just suffers from delivery?

I have to agree about the prices. I think they're just a bit too high for me -- and it makes it difficult for me to frequent them. It's frustrating because I want them to do well.

As a poori fanatic, I'll say that it usually should be a bit fluffy. Poori is definitely best straight from the pan -- otherwise it starts to settle. It therefore absolutely suffers from delivery. Also, BM's poori seems to suffer if you're the only one ordering it, because I think the pan is too hot (or maybe not hot enough?).

I echo, however, the comments about about the food.