The Bombay on Walton Street is yet another Oxford Indian restaurant, of which there are plenty; but as with most Indians in Oxford, it has its own charms, and therefore serves its purpose on the right occasion.

Two friends and I went to the Bombay late on a Friday evening, without having booked. Despite it being a fair hike up Walton Street, away from most pubs and bars, the restaurant was still packed to capacity and we weren't the only group made to wait for a table.  This said, the wait was only a matter of 5 minutes or so, and we were led to our seats.  The restaurant looks more 'upmarket' than most Indian restaurants on Walton street, with a smart interior of white cotton tablecloths, napkins and silver cutlery and wine glasses already out on the tables.  The walls are all painted white, with a smart monotone carpet, and the whole atmosphere is one suited to a slightly more 'formal' occasion than many other Indian restaurants I have eaten in in Oxford, making it ideal for a cosy meal for two.  This said, there were at least 2 large tables holding approxmately 10 people each, proving that this is also a restaurant to bring friends for a more party-like occasion.

The one thing that drew us to the Bombay was its Bring-Your-Own policy, with no corkage charge, which instantly cuts the cost of the meal dramatically.  With Co-op and Threshers on the way when walking from town, this was absolutely ideal for us poor student types!  The restaurant doesn't have a licence, so taking your own alcohol is compulsory, assuming you want to drink with your meal.

Once seated, we were attended to straight away, with our wine opened and glasses brought across for the beers.  We ordered popadoms and then turned to the menu. The popadoms were served swiftly; I was slightly disappointed with the small dishes of relishes that accompanied them, but otherwise the popadoms were of reasonable size and filled the holes in our stomachs until our food arrived!

We didn't order starters on this occasion, but for main we ordered a vegetable biriani, a Chicken Tikka Masala and a Chicken Balti, with pilau rice and a peshwari naan to accompany.  The rest of the menu was fairly typical; the House Specialities were unusual in places, and definitely the option to go for if you are trying to eat in a cost-efficient manner, being in the range of £6.50-£8.50 for a main course, while items from the rest of the menu (eg: Tikka dishes, Balti dishes, Seafood dishes) are generally from £8 upward. 

The food took a little longer than average to arrive, but not painfully so - the restaurant was absolutely heaving, and people were popping in to order take-away at the same time, so considering, I felt the service was very good.  The food, when it arrived, was piping hot, though not the most generous of portions.  Everyone enjoyed their curries - the vegetable biriani was cooked perfectly, with a creamy vegetable curry on the side.  One thing that had impressed me was that I was given a choice for the spiciness of my vegetable curry side dish; I asked for medium though could probably have taken it a little hotter than it came.  However, it was delicious all the same, and both my friends also said that their dishes were very good; the only complaint beng the portion size.

We didn't fancy any of the sweets on offer at the end of our main courses, and so asked for the bill straight away.  However, those wanting a dessert at the end had the usual choice of Indian sweets: kulfi (Indian ice cream), fruit salad and fritters for average prices of £3-4.  For what we had actually eaten, we felt the prices were rather steep - we paid £10 a head for a popadom and one main course each; the mains were from £6.50 upward, some as high as £10, with rice and naans each at approxomately £2 - £2.50.   

I think that I probably wouldn't return to the Bombay Restaurant myself, simply because although the food was nice, I have eaten equally as nice elsewhere, and probably with larger portion sizes at less cost.  However, if atmosphere is important to you, then I think that this has to be the smartest BYO Indian I have come across in Oxford, and so if both the interior looks, and the option of a BYO are important to you, I would still recommend that you give the Bombay a try.

Alison Hook