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Please The Palate Pick of the Week: The Bombay Frankie Company

Eating the food inside a gas station sounds rather unappealing. Hot dogs that have been under a heat lamp for who knows how long. Nachos made with something called cheese but who knows what it really is. The idea of eating the food from a gas station is nowhere on my list of desirable. That was until I ate at The Bombay Frankie Company, located inside a Chevron Station. Serving authentic and very tasty Indian food, The Bombay Frankie Company is the Please The Palate pick of the week.

Exiting the 405 Freeway at Santa Monica Blvd, a Chevron station sits on the corner. For a few months, every time I drive by, I would note a sign that says The Bombay Frankie Company. I did not see any restaurant entrance or food stands. I only saw the gas station and could not figure out what the sign was referring to.

30 March, 2019

Sambar: Indian Food with a California Flair

The first Indian dish Akasha Richmond, owner and chef at Akasha in Culver City, ever tried was Sambar, a lentil-based vegetable stew with tamarind, spices, onions and toor dal, popular in South Indian and Sri Lankan Tamil cuisines. The dish stuck with her and her love for Indian food developed over the years as this self-taught chef worked as a personal chef for Michael Jackson and other celebrities and opened Akasha seven years ago. So, when she opened her newest restaurant in Culver City, it was only natural to call it Sambar.

The space is open, modern and bright with white walls and a multi-color glass light fixture hanging in the center, adding lots of color. The open kitchen, which has a counter for patrons in front of it, has a large wood-fire burning oven.

24 August, 2015

Bombay Cafe – 25 Years and Counting

With so many new restaurants opening up in Los Angeles at record speed, it's hard to keep up. While the list of new restaurants to try gets longer and longer, it's also good to remember restaurants that have stood the test of time and have been open for more than 3, 4 or 5 years. One of these restaurants is Bombay Cafe in West Los Angeles which is celebrating it's 25th anniversary.

Bombay Cafe, owned by Kamal Git Singh, has been serving traditional Indian cuisine for more than two decades. Perhaps it is because Indian food is very natural, using spices like cumin, coriander, cardamom, tumeric and saffron to add color and flavor to the food. And, with most food cooked in the tandoor oven where fats cook off naturally, the meats are lean and healthy. Some highlights on the menu are: Aloo-Ki-Tikki - Indian potato pancakes, topped with chopped onions and tamarind chutney.

27 December, 2014