Desi brunch at Bombay Deli: “Flavoursome, authentic, nourishing” — food review
The menu goes back to the restaurant's roots
With its modern feel and bold flavours, Bombay Deli is one of the best places for Indian food in Nottingham – and it’s just mixed up its menu with its all-day desi brunch.
We were kindly invited to try this, and were gifted our two meals and drinks. However, we have given our honest opinion on the menu, the food, and the value for money it offers.
Whether you’re looking for breakfast in Nottingham or just a super restaurant, Bombay Deli is well worth visiting. For more reviews and guides, subscribe to The Notts Edit to receive our articles in your inbox for free.
Desi brunch at Bombay Deli food review
Words and photos by Eve Smallman
Bombay Deli is where I first fell in love with Nottingham’s food scene. As a student, I discovered its original Hyson Green shop (still there!) while living in Radford, and its onion bhajis became a regular treat after a big ASDA shop. Before this, I ordered its samosa chaat while operating on Uber Eats vouchers in my first year, and it genuinely changed my life. It showed me how exciting Nottingham’s food scene was – and has become even more so within the 10 years I have been here.
I’m also a big brunch girl, as I don’t normally have an appetite in the morning. So, I was super excited to try its desi brunch (bombay-deli.com). This goes back to the restaurant’s roots, with recipes from three generations of the family that owns it. After sitting down in the beautiful interior, director Rahul Passan explained to me about his mother passing on his grandmother’s recipes to the kitchen team, which I thought was really beautiful.
The menu is very much traditional desi – none of the restaurant’s viral loaded croissants or French toasts here. There’s aloo puri (£7.50) – crisp puris with potato curry and pickle – which I wish I had started with. From here, you’ve got a host of parathas – aloo (spiced potato), gobi (cauliflower), paneer (cheese), dahl (lentils and spinach), and methi (fenugreek). These range from £5-£6, so just a little above what a meal deal costs nowadays.
We tried the paneer paratha (£6) and the chole bhature (£9), which were both hearty and indulgent. With the first dish, we did think that the spiced cheese would be layered on top of the paratha in a wrap style situation – but instead, it is folded into the cheese with an oozy, buttery layer on top. The bread married together with the pickle and yoghurt on the side. This was well-cooked, and the whole combination was delicious.
Meanwhile, if you have an appetite, the chole bhature (£9) is an actual curry option, with spiced chickpeas alongside fluffy fried dumpling bread. I had never had the bread before, and found it to be like a mixture of roti, poppadom, and (naturally) fried bread. Two of these were quite filling, but I did really enjoy them.
They were the perfect vehicle for the curry – I folded this in my hand and sort of pinched it in (I think I was taught to do that once). I did take some of the yoghurt from the paneer paratha to break up the richness of this, and perhaps think this should be on the side anyway, considering it is a hotter curry. I also thought it was a little oversalted, and just needed this reining in slightly. That being said, it had the right balance of spice and the chickpeas were firm and not soggy.
I also recommend adding onto a lassi (£4) to wash it all down with, which is a fruity drink with yoghurt. Mango is a wonderful all-rounder – sweet with a little bite of yoghurt – but it does also have strawberry and pistachio, which I very nearly went for too. I found this to be just the right level of sweetness, creamy, and not too thick, so easy to get through a straw (which some lassis elsewhere aren’t).
The menu is undeniably budget-friendly. To be able to get a good full brunch and a drink if you’d like it for around £10 is really excellent. I do also think that for the wider menu – I went home with a bread pakora (£3) and an onion bhaji (£2, with two Great Taste stars, by the way). I did a comparison of it against Kayal (kayalrestaurant.com), which is well-known for its budget-friendly business lunch. This has three smaller curries, rice, sauces, and a crisp bread for £6.95 – so slightly more on the plate than you get at Bombay Deli for the £5 or £6 options, but not massively so and it is slightly more.
If you’re looking to mix up your brunch game in Nottingham, I highly recommend trying it. It’s a flavoursome, authentic, nourishing meal that won’t break the bank, and there are meat, veggie, and vegan options available. Bombay Deli is serving this at all three of its locations – Carrington Street, West Bridgford, and my beloved Hyson Green, so you can get your fix wherever you’re located.
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