Over at Bombay Bar and Restaurant you can have your drink and enjoy it with a full-fledged meal served South Indian style on a banana leaf – no kidding!
It’s a hive of activity inside – with bartenders pouring beers and mixing cocktails at one end, and customers enjoying banana leaf meals one the other.
The brainchild of husband-and-wife team Surendran Kumaran and Monisha Kanason, this bar cum restaurant is the first of its kind in Seremban.
“We couldn’t find a banana leaf restaurant or a ‘happening’ bar in Seremban that had all the flavoursome dishes. So, we decided to start one ourselves. And we had the idea of a family bar so that families could enjoy the music and food at one place,” Monisha told FMT.
Excited about their joint business venture, Surendran’s mother came on board, and being the kitchen wizard that she is, introduced her home-cooked signature dishes on the menu.
While Monisha and her mother-in-law manage the food side of the business, the bar is Surendran’s forte. He named the bar Bombay, saying he was inspired by the warmth and generosity of the people there. And he should know, having worked in India for two years once.
He also suggested that one dessert he enjoyed immensely in Bombay be incorporated into the banana leaf meal – carrot halwa, a favourite in Bombay made with grated carrots, milk, sugar and cardamom.
On a recent visit to Bombay Bar and Restaurant, FMT sampled some of their dishes including their signature fried masala fish.
The chili red fish was a feast for the eyes as well as the belly as it was extremely delicious. Well marinated and pan-fried, the flesh was succulent and went swimmingly well with the raita, fried spinach, sambal tofu, deep-fried bitter gourd and carrot halwa that was served as the dessert.
Curries – you name it, they have it. From fish curry, to chicken curry to sambar and thani saar, a dish of sweet leaf lentil soup. Needless to say, it was everything a banana leaf meal should be and more.
You can also opt for a plate of mutton varuval or chicken varuval, with the former winning hands down in terms of taste, spiciness and tenderness of the meat.
Since this is essentially a bar within a restaurant, drinks, both alcoholic and otherwise are offered. So if you’re not gulping down a beer, order a hot coffee or tea, or a chilled sweet lassi instead.
While the lunch crowd is made up mostly of families dropping by to enjoy a hearty banana leaf meal, the bar comes alive at night with customers ready to have a good time with friends, dancing, snacking on popcorn chicken, calamari rings or French fries and listening to the live band playing.
Interestingly, this bar has three happy hour sessions for draught beers – 4.00pm-6.00pm; 6.00pm-8.00pm and 8.00pm-2.00am.
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Bombay Bar
150 Sendayan
Merchant Square
Jalan Pusat Dagangan Sendayan 3/1
Pusat Dagangan Sendayan
71950 Bandar Sri Sendayan
Sendayan Village
Seremban
Business hours: 11.30am till 2.00am (Closed on Tuesdays)
Contact number: 016 – 8181654