Eat Local: Bombay Curry Company

Bombay Curry Company sits tucked away beside the Calvert Building at 3110 Mount Vernon Avenue in the Del Ray neighborhood.

After years of honing their skills in hotels and restaurants in India, London and the United States, owners Balraj Bhasin and his wife Nicky launched the restaurant in June 1995. The couple, Del Ray residents then and now, felt the neighborhood was lacking quality Indian food and, happily for their neighbors, filled the void. Fifteen years later, area patrons can confirm that Bombay Curry Company offers consistently good Indian food at affordable prices.

The Calvert building is undergoing renovations and Balraj said the restaurant will continue to operate "as long as possible" and probably through December 2011.

The owners may return to the redeveloped building but it's in the middle of talks with the landlord.

"I encourage all our patrons to get onto our mailing list by sending  a short email to bombaycurrycompany@gmail.com," Balraj said. He plans to keep patrons updated that way. The restaurant is also going to offer a drawing for two airline tickets to Mumbai.

In the meantime, here's what's on the menu:

Lunch/Dinner: Balraj says his menu offers an assortment of dishes you would find in most Northern Indian restaurants, plus a variety of "hard to find" specialty dishes. Such rare treats include the pathar kebab–pounded marinated lamb, flash grilled, the chooza kebabs–marinated chicken breast skewered with onions and tomatoes and topped with a curry sauce, and the fish curry–a south Indian recipe–cod served with a creamy sauce flavored with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and coconut.

Classics include the starter, tandoori chicken wings and the very popular butter chicken entree. The menu also reveals a large selection of vegetarian options, from charcoal roasted eggplant to black lentils to a spicy chickpea dish.

Be sure to save room for the house-made kulfi, creamy and chewy ice cream with ground cashew. Lunch entrees range from $6 to $9 and dinner entrees fall between $10 and $14. Lunch is served daily from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m and dinner hours are Sunday through Thursday 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. 

The restaurant is small but cozy, decorated in warm colors, courtesy of Nicky. The walls are filled with treasures brought back from the couple's various trips to India. BCC also offers a Sunday buffet, from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. for $9.95.

Phone: 703-836-6363. Reservations are accepted and the entire menu is available for take-out.