Bombay Club

My first taste of India's cuisine was a revelation, experienced in my early 20s when some Indian friends staved off homesickness by cooking lamb curry, yellow daal (lentils), puffs of poori (deep-fried bread) and other dishes. The evocative spices, the heady scent of cardamom and curry, the pungent bite of pickles comforted them. To me, it was all new, all exciting.

Only later, after many a restaurant meal, did the thrill wear off. Oh, the spices, the scents, the bite of mustard seeds and chutney were still pleasant, but why, especially in Boston Indian restaurants, did the dishes all seem to taste the same? Why so much creamy tomato gravy?

As Americans have gotten more sophisticated about food, ethnic restaurants have begun to specialize a bit more. There are not only many different regional Chinese restaurants, but now a diner can explore the many styles of the vast country of India. The owners of Bombay Club, which has been in Harvard Square since '91, recognized this growing interest and starting in February began broadening their menu to include specialties from the diverse regions of India.

Like many of the other Indian restaurant owners in the area, Shikha and Vinod Kapoor are from northern Indian, and previously the restaurant concentrated on the rich, creamy sauces and subtle spicing of that region. Now the menu, with recipes researched and developed by Shikha Kapoor, features the crepe-like dosas of southern Indian, mustard-flavored potatoes from central India, a lamb dish with apricots from Bombay. The tandoor-baked foods of northern India are also still prominent on the menu.

Bombay Club's breads are exceptional. The simple chapati, cooked on a griddle, was obviously just made, warm, tender, and tasting earthily of wheat. Rogini naan, touched with butter but otherwise plain, crisped on the ends. Papadum, sun-dried lentil crisps that had been roasted in the tandoori oven, crackled in the mouth, the sprinkling of black pepper giving a little zing.

Other foods done in the tandoori were also appealing. Shrimp, tangy from its marinade and blushed bright red from the tandoor, was nonetheless moist inside. Trout, Vinod Kapoor said, baked in the coolest of the three tandoor ovens, tasted quite wonderful, as thought it had been smoked. The spicing on this Kashmiri dish was subtle, just a hint of curry, possibly of cardamom, and the slightly crisped flesh tender.

Our waiter raised his eyebrows when I ordered chicken vindaloo and insisted that we wanted it hot. He demurred a little, voicing the fear that Americans couldn't handle the spicing, but then reluctantly acquiesced. The dish came as advertised, a dark brick red from the roasted chilies and very hot. Indian hot is fascinating, not hitting the top of the palate quite as directly as, say, Mexican heat, but sneaking in somehow on the oil in the dish. You take a bite and another, and then suddenly the heat rolls in, causing a grab for the water glass. I liked Bombay Club's version, the heat off-set by the potatoes in the sauce and by an accompaniment of cool mint yogurt raita.

South Indian dosas, as addictive as crepes were in the '70s, were expertly made, the long cylinder light and delicate. A filling of potatoes, peas, and cashews, fragrant with spices, was especially good. The plain dosa seemed too plain, and a bit greasy in comparison.

Achari aloo, from central India, showed the Indian passion for potatoes. Bright with tumeric and black mustard seed and the bite of chilies, the potatoes delighted the palate. An unusual Parsee dish from Bombay, lamb sali boti, was flavored with apricots as well as ginger and a potpourri of spices. A few potato straws floated across the top. The combination was intriguing, the savory lamb against the slight piquancy of the apricots.

Luckily, the chilled rice pudding, as soothing as a baby's dessert and flavored with lots of cardamom, restored the spirit. Many Indian desserts are too sweet for me, but this was just right, with a rich creamy taste and texture.

Bombay Club, a large restaurant with 126 seats, concentrates on service and its wait staff is quick and responsive and generally helpful about explaining the food. As well as educating people about the regional foods of India, something Kapoor sees as his mission, the restaurant also offers other glimpses into its culture, from maharaja dinners where henna artists decorate the hands of guests and dinner is served from special silver platters, to dosas made in the center of the dining room on weekends.

Bombay Club's plunge into regional cuisines is obviously an evolving project, but a heartening one, offering a chance to discover more about the excitement of Indian cuisine. Excerpt from the Calender Section of the Boston Globe, June 11, 1998. Written by Alison Arnett 57 JFK Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge 617-661-8100