The team behind The Bombay in Orpington have brought an exciting concept to Swanley
The location of The Bombay in Swanley, Kent is fairly unassuming; it’s just off the M25, on a high street with a couple of neighbouring restaurants and takeaways. But it stands out from the other frontages with its name in gold letters on a blue backdrop, and the moment you step into the restaurant, there’s a different atmosphere altogether.
There’s an extensive bar area with stools, colourful neon signs at the restaurant’s far end, painted screens and a stunning water wall surrounded by greenery. Together with a decor that is primarily black and gold – and not a single tablecloth in sight, the restaurant certainly impresses with its modern, sleek look.
Staff are attentive and friendly from the off, and we were quickly shown to our table, located just next to the bar area. Even on a Tuesday evening at around 7pm, the restaurant was buzzing, with large groups, smaller tables of two and four people and takeaway orders all jostling for attention. At the time of our visit, the restaurant had only been open for around six weeks but it’s clearly made its mark among locals and diners from further afield.
Raising the bar
Of course, The Bombay has the established curry house of its namesake – The Bombay in Orpington, to trade on. It’s been a family business for more than 40 years, managed by brothers Shahjahan Miah, MJ Miah and Kobir Hussain. But it also means it has a reputation to uphold. The Bombay Orpington’s emphasis on high quality standards and superlative customer service is second to none and testament to its long-standing reputation within Orpington and the surrounding areas. As you would expect, the new restaurant has a similar commitment to high standards while also daring to be different.
“There’s nothing in Swanley that is similar to what we are offering – our vision from the start was to create something of a new vibe with an Indian restaurant and attract people from far and wide by building a destination restaurant,” explains Kobir. “We wanted to present a modern concept – put a twist on what people expect from an Indian restaurant and also get the customers to think ‘wow’ when they come here, and make them feel like they are visiting somewhere completely different. We also want them to feel relaxed. The feedback we’ve already got from customers is that they feel as if they are on holiday.”
The decor certainly fulfils this vision and more. The stunning water wall by the bar, immediately visible once you enter the restaurant, is unsurprisingly a real draw for the diners, many of whom were taking photos on the night we visited. Surrounded by greenery, the wall feels and looks like a tranquil oasis within a busy restaurant. The restaurant is divided in two by colourful side screens, with the second area featuring neon lights. A sign at the back by the kitchen states ‘This is exactly where you need to be’, while other lights feature the words ‘smile’, ‘love ‘, ‘dream’, ‘talk ‘,’ drink’.
A journey for customers
As Kobir outlines, The Bombay in Swanley wants its customers to feel like they are somewhere glamorous and special – that’s the idea behind the lights, the colours and the water wall, and it means that diners can enjoy the decor wherever they are seated. The brothers have thought about every inch of the restaurant – even down to the toilets, which have the same look and feel as the dining area.
“We’ve really thought hard about the customer journey when it comes to dining,” says Kobir.
“We’ve got our cocktail bar where diners can have a drink before sitting down at the table if they want to or they can be seated straight away. We don’t rush our customers, even on our busiests Friday and Saturday nights. We want them to enjoy the food, the experience and the ambience and take their time over it.”
And that’s exactly the charm of the place – it’s a restaurant that does take you on a journey, visually and through its food. With the screens separating one part of the restaurant from the other, you feel like you are in a busy place but without being overwhelmed by all the noise around. The restaurant seats up to 110 but the decor and layout makes it feel more intimate rather than cavernous.
“Having only been open for a few weeks, we’re figuring out what customers like, what their reaction is to certain dishes and what they think of the menu.” adds Kobir. “Our Orpington restaurant is more traditional in terms of what we serve and it’s been the same for many years. With The Bombay in Swanley, we are experimenting a bit more, with dishes that are a bit creamier and a little more spicy. We’ve also had the challenge of putting a new team together and seeing how that dynamic works so it’s been a busy few weeks.”
A new twist
The menu is the same as the one at the original Bombay, with one big difference: the addition of eight chef’s signature dishes. These include chicken or lamb rumjhum-style (with baby spinach in a hot sauce), goan-style featuring a hot coconut-flavoured sauce, hyderabadi-style with a creamy sauce with mushrooms and aubergines, a swarma dish with garlic, ginger and crushed chilli in a cream-based sauce and the yoghurt-based najakat sauce. There’s also the chenna chicken or lamb, featuring onion, sliced ginger, red pepper and green chillies, the medium-spiced satkara dish with Bangladesh lemons and akbari lamb shank. These dishes have all proved to be popular with new customers and those who have also visited the Orpington restaurant.
“Those dishes have been flying and we’ve received amazing feedback,” says Kobir. “Keeping the same menu but adding new dishes means that if customers have visited the Orpington restaurant, they can come here and enjoy the same food but with a few added twists. We also have a different dessert menu.”
We opted for one of the classic dishes – a chicken jalfrezi and one of the new signature ones, the goan lamb, both of which were delicious and packed full of flavour, with the lamb being particularly tender. The restaurant has already racked up close to 600 reviews on Google, with many diners praising the ‘warm and welcoming atmosphere’, the decor, the service and of course the food.
The latest restaurant in the Bombay family might only be a couple of months old but the brothers have already begun thinking about opening a third, if they can find the right location. One thing for sure is that if they give it the same consideration as The Bombay in Swanley, it’s likely to be a hit with customers.
The Bombay Swanley
23-25 High St, Swanley BR8 8AE
