Bombay Beat Restaurant, Burnaby

Even though the Willingdon Heights area in Burnaby has been traditionally quite Italian, the restaurants and shops in the area are increasingly diverse. You might remember when Dot Com Pho paid a visit to Hakkaku Ramen, for example.

Well, next door to the well-known Anton’s Pasta Bar is an East Indian restaurant called Bombay Beat. It came under new management earlier this year, scrapping the old Bombay Bhel name, but retaining its menu and decor. Having never been there while it was still Bombay Bhel, I can’t say whether it has improved or degraded as a result of the new management.

Mango Lassi: Refreshing yogurt smoothie with mango

You can definitely taste the yogurt in this drink. It had a nice thickness to it and it wasn’t overly sweet. I wouldn’t say this mango lassi was particularly special in any way, but I can’t fault it either.

Fish Tikka: Exotically spiced cod cooked in the tandoor, served with masala fries and garlic naan

For my entree, I ordered the fish tikka. The old menu on the website calls for “boston blue fish,” but the revised menu uses cod. The plate wasn’t very large, but the quantity of fish and fries was quite good. The fish was seasoned well and had that nice smoky flavor of the tandoor oven. It is served with masala fries, which are really just regular French fries with some seasoning on top. They seemed quite similar to the fries I get at the Costco food court… which isn’t a bad thing. Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside.

The fish tikka normally comes with regular naan bread, but I upgraded to the garlic naan for an extra 50 cents. This is quite a generous serving of naan, especially since it comes with the meal. It was fine, but I really couldn’t taste the garlic at all.

Goan Coconut Curry (Lamb): Delicious coconut & tomato curry cooked with fresh curry leaves, mustard seeds, red chilies and spices

It’s easy to go to an Indian restaurant and order butter chicken, just like going to a Southeast Asian restaurant and ordering the pad thai. Susanne went slightly off the beaten path to get the Goan curry.

While the pieces of lamb (you can opt for chicken, beef, or goat instead too) were succulent, the curry didn’t have much of a coconut flavor to it at all. The dish itself is deceptive; it looks small, but there’s actually quite a bit in there. They put in just the right amount of heat too, which is good.

Bhatura: Deep fried to a golden brown

Instead of the usual naan, Susanne substituted her bread option for bhatura. This is the same naan bread, but it is deep fried and puffed up without being brushed with butter. This results in a lighter, more subtle taste and texture.

Overall, service was friendly and attentive, but we were only one of about three tables in the restaurant at the time. It’s nice to see that the naan (or other bread option) is included with the entree, as many other restaurants usually charge extra for this necessity.

Using the coupon from the Entertainment Book, the total bill including tax and tip came to around $24. They also have a lunch buffet for around $10. I’ll be back for that.