Alex R.
Yelp
An experience that made me reconsider why we eat out. But, not in the best way. Like our experience, the reveal comes at the end.
Ambiance is A+. We walked in & the mood was set! Transportive.
Service is A++. Our server, Kedar, was patient & charming. He anticipated questions about the menu, spice level, portions,etc. He made gentle suggestions. Explained dishes that are prepared differently here. Repeated our orders for verification. Couldn't have been better!
Food is also an A.
For you cocktail enthusiasts, they have a riff on the Old Fashioned called something like "Adarak Fashion". And it is phenomenal! A testament to their grasp of flavor & balance. Ginger in an old fashioned? Genius!
The appetizers, entrees, & desserts were all good. The lamb chop masala was good - but the star of the dish is much more the masala than the chop. Their chana masala was way better than anticipated - made me wish I had tried more of their vegetable entrees because the flavor was so dialed in.
They have an onion naan that tastes like the best version of a no-sauce, non-pizza pizza that I've ever had. Just baked to perfection.
The desserts were delicious. A mango sorbet with an intensity of mango flavor that it tasted more like a mango than any mango I had this summer. I also had a rice pudding that was reminiscent of my Cuban grandmother's arroz con leche, but still distinctly different enough that I sat there thinking - how does something so similar appear in both the Caribbean & the Indian subcontinent.
The galub jhamun is one of my favorites & a must try for me whenever it's on a menu.
Overall, a great experience to this point. And, then it went from an "evening out" to a "check out line". As soon as we finished desserts, our bill was brought to the table. And it was GO time!
Servers & bussers began consistently asking us if we needed anything else. If they could place our to-go containers in the plastic bags. If we were done with our drinks, then our water. If they could clear the table. If we were ok.
The passive-aggressive courteous service culminated in the host coming to our table & straight up asking us to leave. Stood there, stoned-faced with a "ok guys, we need the table".
So, here we are. Over $300 spent for a party of 4.
3 appetizers. 4 entrees. 3 desserts. 5 drinks. In less than 2 hours (reservation was at
6pm, receipt stamped was closing out the bill at 7:56 PM).
I understand some restaurants have 2 hour limits. But my experience has always been that it is made abundantly clear. We made the reservation over the phone. And we were seated by the same host who later asked us to leave. And, nowhere in the process did they tell us there was a two hour limit.
The restaurant didn't have a line of people waiting. They have loud music, TVs streaming music videos, empty chairs at the bar - it's a design that invites. If it were a minimalist, fine dining vibe (like several Indian restaurants in South Florida are), I think I'd get it a bit more. But, I just couldn't rationalize the urgency.
So, it begs the question - why do we go out to eat? We live in So Broward; we have options for Indian food. Bombay Darbar was good - but not soooo good that it's worth a trek to Las Olas & being rushed out on top of that. We go to restaurants for an experience, for distraction, & for an opportunity to connect with out friends & our community (by visiting local restaurants that are run by & employ locals). If we went out solely for the food, we could either order take-out OR go to any of the great places in the area that work more like diners or grab-&-go.
So, the end experience is a feeling like Bombay Darbar is purely transactional. Money for food & bye. And I get it - at its core, that's what the restaurant business is. But, experience should count for something. And ultimately, repeat business by locals should matter.
There are ripple effects to how you treat people. We were meeting with a long-time friend who grew up in Broward, is of partial Indian descent, & was visiting from another state. She couldn't figure out why we were asked to leave. Other people were at their tables. Maybe they were asked to leave too - we wouldn't know. But, our friend wondered if maybe we were asked to leave because of how we look (referring to skin color & ethnicity here). There was no indication skin color played a role - but that's the pernicious thing about certain behaviors...if it's unexplained, people fill in the gaps with their own experiences.
Needless to say, we won't be visiting again. We wish them luck. We'd ask that maybe they implement clear messaging that the tables have a 2 hour time limit.