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The Bombay Club’s offerings seem simple, but are delectable
If you give the delightful head chef Kumaran Balaji free reign over your dish selection, go with a keen appetite and an empty stomach
- PUBLISHED: Fri 19 Sept 2025, 2:12 PM
I’m going to start this review a little bit differently. I often visit the restaurants I review with my partner and he has become well accustomed to luxury dining, incredible flavours and general culinary excellence — however, on this occasion he audibly gasped and giggled at the mirage of senses he was subjected to at The Bombay Club.
As of all venues in Marsa Al Arab, we were greeted at The Bombay Club with warm welcomes and a thoughtfully designed restaurant. The vibes were cosy and comfortable yet still steeped in luxury. Upon reviewing the menu, we simply could not choose from the series of mouth-wateringly described dishes, so we spoke with the head chef and asked him to bring us a surprise series of his personal favourites. We were simply not prepared for what was to come.
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We kicked off with poppadoms and their thali plate of various chutneys. Seemingly simple, but incredibly unique and delectable. These varied from the classics: mint sauce, mango chutney, and lime pickle to the lesser known, my favourite being the beetroot pickle.
As our journey continued, we explored more flavours and textures we had never previously tried, the first being what I could only put into words as an Indian take on a falafel. This consisted of a blend of cashew paste and mint chutney formed into almost the shape on an Italian cannoli and pressed into finely chopped cashew nuts. This was a wow moment.
From there each course continued to excite, surprise and indulge the palette, with an array of traditional flavours, all carefully executed and perfectly balanced to create stand-out dishes. These included the Goan prawn balchao, keema pav (an absolute must order), house made chestnut paneer tikka, tandoori beef cheek, konkani lamb chop, and smoked butter chicken, each more special than the last.
I rarely would deem a restaurant a 10/10 but in this case it would feel wrong to do anything but. I could not recommend this spot enough, but fair warning: if you give the delightful head chef Kumaran Balaji free reign over your dish selection, go with a keen appetite and an empty stomach!
Hero dish: It’s honest hard to choose, but I would say the keema pav — 10/10
Senses: Totally at ease yet insanely engaged, the way you should feel in a truly special restaurant — 10/10
Menu curation: I cannot recommend letting chef Kumaran Balaji choose enough — 10/10
Service: Gorgeous service, we felt incredibly welcome — 10/10
Overall score: 10/10
