Bombay Cricket Club & Rstrnt

10/25/09

Just by the looks of the menu, can tell it's not authentic

by mwhip

As a person of Indian descent, I've tried Indian food not only from my native country but also in Australia, England, and 5 states. I've passed by Bombay Cricket Club many times and have never even been tempted to go inside, even on days when my craving for spices reached an exponential height.

First of all, I may be overreacting, but I have a major problem with them calling their menu "the exotic and delicious recipes of India AND THE MIDDLE EAST." The Middle East and India are completely different areas of the world, with different types of foods. Now, if this were a fusion restaurant or the type that would serve both kinds of food, I wouldn't have such a problem but if you browse the entire menu, you can see that there isn't a single Middle Eastern food item on it except for the salads.

To me, everything from the menu and the lack of any Indian staff tipped me off that the food wouldn't be authentic, but maybe more suitable for the American palate (hence the mixed reviews about the food.) If you notice, for those well-accustomed to Indian dining the food was horrible whereas others that may prefer a more toned-down taste may have found it 5-star. But all-in-all, it probably isn't real Indian food. Real Indian food would mostly likely be found at some hole-in-the-wall in Beaverton, if anywhere in Oregon, at half the price and twice the flavor.

• Pros: Probably nothing
• Cons: Everything

10/06/09

Don't Believe The HYPE...

by hawaii71

I usually do not take the time to write reviews because I frankly do not have the time, and I have worked in the biz for years so I understand it is not easy. Unfortunately, I had a less than stellar experience upon my first visit to BCC, and it continued once I left the restaurant and made a call to the female owner.

The taste of the food was fine...had no issues. We ordered the lamb shank, which was one of the most expensive entrees on the menu. When my spouse went to take her first bite, she discovered that it was refrigerator cold. I informed a lady, who I later found out was the owner. It appears that they reheated the same lamb and brought it out to the table some ~10 minutes later. By that time we had eaten our eggplant and rice, and were too full to take more than a couple of bites of the reheated lamb.

To close out our meal we ordered a Chai tea and coffee. Shortly after we were given our bill. Do you suppose that either the server or the owner came back over to apologize for the cold food, or offered to take at least a coffee off of the bill, or offered dessert? Let me answer that for you...Hell No!

Since they were busy upon our departure, I decided to call back to express my concerns with the owner...wrong move! To simply put it, I truly think she is presumptive enough to think that her establishment can serve me cold food and I am supposed to be fine with it. Her response was as cold as the lamb and condescending. I actually left the conversation thinking I should have paid them double for my cold lamb. "We have been here for 15 years" blah blah blah..."We can not please everybody" blah blah blah...

Looking at the overall review scores (34 - 5 stars and 35 - 1 star, and a bunch in the average range) it appears that this owner has been reading too many of her own headlines. No matter how long you have been around, you need to remember that you and your restaurant are only as good as your last day. Unfortunately, today was my first and last day of ever visiting your place, or giving you the benefit of the doubt when talking to others. Just think, a $2.5 cup of Chai and a little fake remorse could have gone a long way.

• Pros: Server was personable
• Cons: OWNER

07/17/09

Owner has issues

by pierre137

All these reviews about feeling rushed all stem from the owner being overly-compulsive about turn-over. I once overheard the owner saying he "turned on the fan" over a table, so to make it uncomftorable so they would leave. He has been charged with drinking at work and seems to take out his frustrations on the staff. The food is decent, depending on what you order, but they use a lot of food coloring, and it is extremely overpriced. Also, I've noticed there are hundreds of fruit flies that are all around the kitchen and bathroom, making me come to the conclusion that the kitchen leaves a lot of food out. The only time I come here is when the food carts downtown are closed, and I always get it to go.

• Pros: filling food
• Cons: food coloring, rude owner, dirty atmosphere, rushed.