Bombay Duck Co. Visited 10/15/2013 4 Forks

Bombay Duck Co.  190 Bleecker St. (between Avenue Of The Americas & Downing St), New York, NY 10012

When Mabel said that she had a craving for Indian food, we both kind of thought of options in Curry Hill or East Village.  But I had read about this place on one of my favorite food blogs, Serious Eats, and thought that it was worth a try outside of the traditional Indian neighborhoods.  It's a very small unassuming place in the heart of NYU town.  It's pretty casual but there are a few sit down tables.  The menu here claims to be Mumbai home cooking and although I haven't been to Mumbai, if this is what their food is like, I'm totally down for a visit soon.  They have a variety of appetizers and curry entrees.  I was having a total indecision moment on what to order but opted for the lamb curry ($13.95), Mabel got the Lipti Shrimp ($13.95) and we split the spinach cutlets ($5.95).  

The spinach cutlet was a delicious pan fried spinach and potato patty which was marinated in ginger, garlic, onions, and spices.  I loved this dish and although it was pan fried, it was not very greasy or oily.  The spices really came through but not in an overwhelming way.  The potato did make it kind of heavy, so be aware of that if you plan on eating both of them.  Next came the curries.  The lamb curry was served with a fluffy brown basmati rice, LOTS of red onion and a cucumber salad.  I really enjoyed my curry and it was chock full of Indian spices, including a pretty big dash of spicy heat.  But that was easily cooled off with the rice and cucumber salad.  The lamb was tender and not tough or gamey and the actual curry, while very filling,  didn't have that heavy cream texture to it, which was nice.  I didn't try Mabel's shrimp but it also looked delicious.  Even though I was totally full, I couldn't stop by myself from finishing the entire dish.  The only thing that I didn't love about my meal was the garlic naan.  It was a bit too crispy and dry for my taste.  My one concern about the presentation of food was that it was served in this picnic paper bowl.  While I don't care that it's casual, serving wet curry in a paper vessel doesn't seem like the best idea.  I was definitely afraid that the bowl might just give out at some point, but luckily it never did. 

All in all, I enjoyed having a nice casual Indian meal here.  It was great to get some quality Indian food without having to trek to Murry Hill.  Although the menu here isn't as expansive as some of those typical Curry Hill places (you can't get a chicken tiki masala, tandoori chicken, or dishes like that), if you're looking for some filling, spicy and extremely flavorful curries, Bombay Duck Co. is a great option.  Total bill:  $22/pp with tax and tip

Photo Credit:  Yelp