Another Girl, Another Planet Bombay

This video is of a hit song called "Another Girl, Another Planet" by the British band The Only Ones (BTW, John Perry is my penpal BFF. No, really.) More importantly, it's an appropriate segue into my new blog entry, the first in almost two weeks. I haven't posted in a minute because things have been a little crazy, and then I got THE COLD that apparently everyone in the metro Atlanta area either had, has, or is about to have, so I kind of feel like I've been on another planet. I'm a little less crazy-sick now and am in the functional-but-hacking-till-I-cry-stage. But that did not stop me from eating Indian food at Planet Bombay with my friend Cristen today.

Since I'm sick, I wanted to eat something spicy, so that I could actually taste it and so that hopefully it would clear my sinuses or somehow make my throat feel better...by...I don't know...irritating it...anyway, I wanted spicy Indian food, which really hasn't been on my list of foods I want to write about, so I didn't go into this experience expecting to get a blog out of it, just a burning nasal cavity and a numbed throat. My experience in the past with Indian food has been really good, but not exactly inspiring. Planet Bombay was another beast altogether, a friendly, delicious beast. It's a place I've driven by hundreds of times over the years, across from Junk Man's Daughter in Little Five Points, but never been inside.

Today we ventured beyond the facade and it was lovely inside. A very beautiful young Indian woman politely took our tame appetizer order of samosas and soon brought out the lovely fried triangles filled with vegetables and a ridiculously good cilantro chutney (likely cilantro, mint, garlic, chili, and ginger) that came in a much too small cup. They should really up that to a soup bowl size. It looked slightly frothy, meaning freshly pureed. I usually prefer some kind of mango dipping sauce but this is my new favorite.

We noshed and read the dinner menu, which is full of delicious sounding descriptions, like Pasanda curry ("North Indian mild curry marinated with yogurt, garlic, ginger and chef special spices. Also cooked with almond, cream, and slice of pineaples [sic]." (I love menu misspellings. It's endearing.)

All entrees can be made with chicken, beef, shrimp, lamb, OXTAIL (how I love thee), and my favorite, goat. Yes, goat. I love goat. It's fatty and tender like oxtail, but with a flavor that can only be described as...goat-y. If you like goat cheese, then you know what I'm talking about and I bet you'd love the meat. You'd never look at a goat--or smell a goat--and think it would be so tasty. Boney, but tasty. Seriously, chew carefully. I've bruised a molar on a little bone I missed before. Don't let this deter you though, it's delicious.

We ordered the Bhuna Curry ("East Indian’s favorite brown & thick curry sauce cooked with fresh garlic, ginger, tomatoes, onions and green pepper") with goat meat. I wasn't sure what to expect but it sounded good. I ordered it at a level 3 hotness, which I think was "Fairly Hot." 3 was good, but next time I'll try 4 (it goes up to 6).

In short (and in caps), BHANA CURRY IS AMAZING. It was the best Indian food I have ever eaten, and completely a surprise from what I was expecting, which was the traditional curry I've had before, with that overpowering yellow blend of turmeric and cumin. It was redder and sweeter than I expected, and now that I look up the ingredients of Bhuna curry, I know that what I was tasting was an incredible mix of tamarind, coriander, chili, paprika, cardamom, ginger, cumin, turmeric, tomato, onion, and green pepper.

I'm craving more of it right now and likely will all the time until I return. It was served with great basmati rice and some perfectly grilled garlic naan we ordered on the side. We requested more of the amazing green chutney and were given that plus a yogurt-mango sauce free of charge.

We were so stuffed when we left, and we still had enough to bring a to-go taste for Jane. The price of the 2 waters, 2 samosas, garlic naan, and Goat a la Bhuna? $20 (+ tip) and worth every damn penny. I even forgot about my cold for awhile.

So Planet Bombay, this song's for you--in the words of The Only Ones:

I think I'm on another world with you
I'm on another planet with you

You always get under my skin
I don't find it irritating
You always play to win
I don't need rehabilitating...

Planet Bombay
451 Moreland Ave NE,
Atlanta, GA 30307
Phone: (404) 688-0005