Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
We were looking for a good Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, the best one so far being the reasonably priced Baluchi's (their crab curry is the best). We stumble upon Saalam Bombay, a more upscale place.
Dining room at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
The dining room is fairly large, with a traditional decor, overlooking the section of the kitchen where the tandoor oven is. Menu wise, you will find the classic, with of course a large selection of dishes cooked in that oven.
Kitchen with tandoor oven at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
They started off by bringing us papadum with mint sauce (a bit spicy) and tamarind sauce (sweet).
Papadam at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
I drank at the same time a mango lassi that, although a bit too sweet, was pretty good.
Mango lassi at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
We decided to share an appetizer that is in fact street food: samosa chaat, that is samosa and chana masala with tamarind chutney and yogurt, a very nice combination, the yogurt adding some freshness to the dish.
Samosa chaat at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
Samosa chaat at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
Then, we got the tandoori mixed vegetables where the star was the paneer or Indian cottage cheese. Not as good as the one I tried at Bukhara in Delhi, but still better than the usual paneer that is a bit rubbery and less tasty.
Tandoori vegetables at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
The rest of the vegetables were good, but some were on the spicy side, especially the broccoli.
The second dish was butter chicken, that is sometimes mistaken with chicken tikka masala.
Butter chicken at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
That was a fantastic dish: the sauce was creamy and rich, smothering large pieces of chicken. I definitely recommend this.
We also ordered dal makhni, this lentil dish cooked for hours in cream and butter. That was also fantastic and one of the best I had in the city. Another recommendation for sure.
Dal Makhani at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
We are the dishes with rice pulao that, surprisingly, was not included with the chicken dish, and naan.
Pulao rice at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
Naan at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
We finished our meal with my favorite dessert, gulab jamun (cheese balls fried and then smothered in honey syrup), as well as ras malai (sort of cheese patties poached in condensed milk).
Ras Malai at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
Gulab jamun at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
Ras Malai at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
Gulab jamun at Saalam Bombay, Indian restaurant in TriBeCa, NYC, New York
These desserts were the perfect ending to a great meal. Salam Bombay is definitely a place to know and I highly recommend it. I would also mention the good service we got there: efficient and courteous. So, yes, I would go back!
Enjoy (I did)!
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