Bombay Street Food: Toronto, Ontario

 

Name: Bombay Street Food
Address: 828 Bay St, Toronto, ON M5S 1Z7, Canada
Website: Website
Phone: (647) 344-7862
Wifi: No
Tender: Debit, Credit, Cash
Neighbourhood: Yonge & College, Toronto
Type: Indian

Bombay Street Food is located just west of Yonge & College on Bay Street. Serving up traditional Mumbai street food the space is modeled after the old world elegance of the Irani cafes of Bombay from the 1960s. Seating anywhere from 40-50 people the interior is spacious and elegant. Patterned mosaic tiles in blue and white and sepia toned family photos from owner’s own family album hang from the walls.

 

 

 

First I start out with a cup of Cutting Chai, $3.95 CDN + tax. This is referred to by Mumbai locals as “cutting chai” because the amount of tea used to make this type of tea is cut in half. It is then brewed with milk and cardamom. It’s definitely creamy and the spices are much lighter than your typical cup of chai, presumably because the amount of tea is cut in half. If you prefer your tea on the milky side like in a tea latte then this is for you.

Next I try their Mumbai Veggie Pav, $10.95 CDN + tax. A mix of vegetables are crushed and sautéed in a spice sauce and served with buttered pav buns.

Each meal comes with a choice of one side and for this I get the Gunpowder Fries. The vegetables have a creamy spreadable texture which I happily apply to the buttered pav buns. The blend of spices is nice, but this dish ends up being too spicy for me to eat. If you’re not a complete wuss like I am and can handle heat then you’d probably enjoy this dish. Even though it was too spicy for me I still enjoyed the few bites that I did have. I wish I could have eaten more. A chilli sauce is also served with the meal but that of course was also way too spicy for me being that it was even spicier than the vegetables.

Then there was the Gunpowder Fries. Fried perfectly they are seasoned with a blend of spices and chopped parsley. These are dangerously addictive and the spice blend makes it impossible for me to stop eating them. As if French Fries weren’t hard enough to resist already.

Next I try the Salli Chicken Bowl ($11.95 CDN + tax)  and the Beef Kheema Pav ($11.95 CDN + tax).

The Salli Chicken Bowl is a Parsi style chicken curry topped with crispy potato chip sticks, chopped coriander, and is served with a piece of roti. For the side I choose the Daal Chawal Rice which is served with a red lentil stew, chopped parsley, and caramelized onions on top of a bed of basmati rice. This dish ends up being both my favorite  main as well as my favorite side dish. The lentil stew add creaminess to the fragrant basmati rice and the caramelized onions give the perfect touch of sweetness. The chicken in the Salli Chicken Bowl is tender and the curry is flavorful and smooth. While the crispy potato sticks are reminiscent of Hickory Sticks, they’re not and actually add some nice texture to the dish.

Then I try the Beef Kheema Pav which consists of ground beef that is spiced with chopped ginger, crispy onions, coriander, and yogurt sauce that is sandwiched in between two buttered pav buns. On the side I get their BSF Mixed Salad which has a variety of seasonal greens tossed in their signature dressing. The Beef Khama Pav is tasty, although I find the flavors a bit muted in comparison to the other dishes I’ve tried. It would be perfect if the spices were just a little bit bolder.

Lastly I finish off the meal with one of their newly added soft serve sundaes. I try the Kesar ($4.95 CDN + tax), which is a saffron spiced soft serve topped with crushed pistachios and a chocolate cream biscuit. The soft serve is creamy and tastes good but not much saffron flavor comes through. A stronger saffron flavor would make this a perfect Indian spiced soft serve. The crushed pistachio and chocolate biscuit go well with the ice cream though and add a nice texture and crunch to the sundae.

Overall I was really impressed with my experience at Bombay Street Foods. The space is elegant, yet still feels casual and approachable. What I enjoyed the most is the uniqueness of the space as well as the style of food. I found both the menu and the atmosphere to be modern, yet classic which helps to set it apart from most Indian restaurants in the city.

 

Disclaimer: This post was not sponsored, however the meal/items were complimentary. All opinions expressed are my own. All menu offerings and prices are accurate as of time of posting. Please refer to restaurant/shop for most up to date information.

*All images are copyrighted Allons.Y Styling & Photography. Please do not use or re-post without written consent and provide credit where applicable