Restaurant Review: Bombay Courtyard Indian Cuisine

The Bombay Courtyard is a delectable restaurant located just off Route 11. A short ten-minute drive transports you to the savory smells and soothing sounds of the Far East.

While the outside of the building is very plain, and the parking lot seems a bit rough, the inside decor is well themed. The walls feature Indian themed paintings as well as hanging potted plastic flowers. The table layout includes several four-person booths along the walls, with sizes ranging from four to eight people in the center of the room.

The overall atmosphere was very subtle and relaxing. The dining room was fairly empty during my visit from 5-6pm, with only one other group being present. Bombay Courtyard would make an excellent date location, provided that the price and food type do not discourage you. The music is fairly soft and does not interfere with conversation. My date commented, "The food and atmosphere added up to a great place to get a good meal and relax in a romantic atmosphere."

The food is where the Courtyard really shines. Being one of two restaurants in Harrisonburg to offer Indian food, this is not your average college student cuisine. That being said, if you dislike Asian or International foods, or are afraid to try new things, the Courtyard will probably not leave you smiling or satisfied. Dishes range from several types of chicken or beef curry to a host of vegetarian options. Each dish can be ordered with your preferred level of spiciness, which include mild, spicy, hot, and Indian hot. I decided on the hot option and while my food had a bit of a zing, it was not quite as hot as I was expecting. Each dish also comes with a serving of rice.

Aside from the range of entrees, there are also several bread options to supplement your meal. These include various types of naan, a traditional, flat Indian bread, ranging from cheese naan to garlic naan. The drink options include the usual array of sodas, as well as traditional Indian lassis. Lassi, smoothie type drinks, are made with yogurt and fruit and served in a glass topped with whipped cream. They are fairly thick and very sweet, and thus better serve as a dessert than a primary drink. The Courtyard also features an array of beers and other alcoholic drinks for those who have come of age.

The service was very friendly and helpful, refilling drinks at a consistent speed that was neither too slow nor annoying and interruptive. The waitress was happy to explain questions about the composition or taste of the various dishes.

Of course, no meal would be complete without dessert. This is where the options become a bit daunting, even for someone who enjoys Indian foods. The desserts range from Firni, a custard type of pudding with pistachios and almonds, to regular vanilla ice cream. The dessert I sampled, Gulab Jamun, was a bit disappointing. It consisted of two fairly bland, tasteless dough balls served in a bowl of extremely sweet cinnamon syrup.

Overall, the Bombay Courtyard is a good place to go for a night with that special someone ,provided you have the money to cover it. An average meal will easily run to $10-15 a person, so you might want to wait until a wedding anniversary or the last day of finals. The food was overall fairly decent; though it doesn't quite seem to justify the price tag, just steer clear of the Gulab Jamun. The Bombay Courtyard earns a 90/100, good, but not great on my completely arbitrary ranking system.