Because I hate waiting in lines when I'm hungry, I've found the quick fix for this: Indian food (New Bombay, Glorietta). Filipinos have a knack for displaying patience especially when queueing for buffets and oily food joints, thus leaving exotic restaurants bare and welcoming to the impatient wanderer such as myself! Aside from 2 other guests, New Bombay was ours to enjoy with ample space to stretch our legs and even request for warm water. Thank Shiva!
Of course space isn't the only draw for New Bombay. While the restaurant raised prices (and reduced serving size) since my last visit, the menu is filled with amazing Indian delicacies and entrees fit for vegetarians and those I'm-trying-not-to-eat-meat-this-Christmas-season dieters. Don't expect waitresses to force their beef specialties or Chef's-pork-dish-of-the-day on you - nope, just healthy eating at its curriest.
[caption id="attachment_1133" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Palak Paneer"]
[/caption]Palak Paneer (P225)
Our staple order may not be the prettiest sight, but the homemade cottage cheese in spicy spinach sauce was so good and comforting, it warranted seconds. The spicy creamy spinach sauce was really flavorsome, and if I could just cook this at home, I sure am eating this everyday. Oh wait, did I just say cook? Oh well, at least New Bombay has branches at The Columns and Podium. That should address the cooking deficiency.
[caption id="attachment_1132" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Chicken Tikka Masala"]
[/caption]Chicken Tikka Masala (P225)
Chicken in tomato-masala sauce makes the best partner to palak paneer, not to mention that they unintentionally scream Merry Christmas on our table. Together though, they do make this unbeatable spicy duo when spread on naan. Better than just plain curry or tandoori, the chicken tikka masala is bathed in this amazing red sauce that makes other saucy dishes blush in bland shame.
[caption id="attachment_1136" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Cottage Cheese Pakora"]
[/caption]Cottage Cheese Pakora (P165)
These cottage cheese cubes fried in this yellow batter are filling and tasty, but a bit of a letdown for their price. It was a redundant order as well, having selected the palak paneer as a main dish. For those who like fried cheese though, this should make the cut. Next time though, I might consider the samosas or vegetable cutlets.
[caption id="attachment_1134" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="(L) Naan, (R) Masala Kulcha"]
[/caption]Garlic Naan (P75) and Masala Kulcha (P145)
Perfectly baked naan can either make or break the meal. Good thing New Bombay is already an expert at this and managed to serve them chewy and right. The Masala Kulcha is like the high-end cousin of the naan, more grand and stuffed with mashed potatoes and onions. For almost twice the price of the naan though, I'd rather go for economy, since all that masala flavor dissipated once the palak paneer's spinach sauce splashed all over the kulcha.
[caption id="attachment_1135" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Lunch is served!"]
[/caption]With my plate containing a hodge podge of colors and spice levels, it was impossible not to enjoy this commotion. A mega masala meal can really knock off all that holiday stress and bring us closer to a mundane sense of nirvana - which ultimately disappeared once we faced the Makati traffic.
Doesn't matter, at least even for a few minutes, we got a sense of "Aum" even away from home.
Namaste!
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