Abu Dhabi: Salam Bombay is a quaint eatery that has all the trappings of a vegetarian’s haunt. Whether you are looking for your idli and sambar fix for breakfast, gratify the pani puri or vada pav craving in the evening, or simply feast on a sumptuous north Indian thali, this small restaurant has it all.
Carnivores beware! This is the kind of place that can turn you into a vegetarian for life. I almost became one.
Their menu is almost like the word puzzle you will find on the paper mat they spread on your table. Finding your favourite dishes is as difficult as spotting them from the jumbled cluster of alphabets.
The puzzle can wait but not my hunger pangs. The mushroom tikka is one of the yummiest I have had in a long time. The giant mushrooms stuffed with Indian cottage cheese and char grilled are a meal in themselves.
For paneer lovers, there are more than 15 varieties on the menu. This is in addition to the vast selection of other vegetables – both as starters, kebabs and curries.
I decided to go for the Kaju curry – a first time for me. The mildly spiced creamy gravy has an abundance of cashew kernals floating in it. With the soft lacha paratha, it was indeed a treat.
Meanwhile, the Chinese vegetarian varieties were vying for my attention. I would recommend you try the paneer ginger garlic dish with hakka noodles. I am always fancied by this culinary invention as it takes some amount of chutzpah to toss the Indian cottage cheese in Chinese sauces, and make it really palatable.
There were quite a lot of dishes that I would have liked to try but our waistlines were already bursting at the seams. But I guess that is the best thing about eating at Salam Bombay. You will want to come back again.
All in all, the restaurant is a true salute to the ‘Mumbaiya’ taste, for those who have experienced it in the crowded restaurants of India’s business capital.
Details:
Meal for two: Dh30 to Dh100
Location: Al Danah, Behind Electra street, Abu Dhabi
Timing 8am-11pm
Bookings: 02-677 7076
We recommennd: Paneer ginger garlic, mushroom tikka, Kaju curry
