I expect to be dining there on a very regular basis, and would take any guest to eat there - including my friends from Delhi, Kerala, or Tamil Nadu. I give this restaurant an A+, and could not be more thrilled that it has finally come to town and opened its doors. The balance of spices and heat was superb perceptible without being obtrusive. The dosa had just the right balance of lightness, crispiness, and tenderness, and the filling was substantial but not overwhelming. The naan was light and chewy, exactly as it ought to be, and loaded with fresh chopped garlic, and had clearly been cooked right then in the tandoor or on a grill rather than a microwave or simply heated in an oven. The balance between meat and sauce for the curry, and between cheese and spinach for the paneer, was perfect - neither overwhelmed the other. The goat curry was beautifully spiced, and it was immediately obvious that the spices had been roasted and freshly ground, rather than having been pre-made and stored, or (worse) served up out of a commercial jar of ground spices.
The paneer was incredibly fresh, not frozen, and had a clean flavor and the slightly squeaky texture you get when it's really fresh. We ordered the palak (saag) paneer and the goat curry, an assortment of South Indian appetizers, and some garlic naan. The service is attentive without being fussy, prompt without being rushed, but where this restaurant really blasts into the stratosphere is in the execution of the food. Paneer dishes, vindaloos, some tandoori dishes, goat curries, a broad assortment of fish dishes, a good list of naan - pretty standard range of fare for a restaurant like this, one that is not specializing in a particular regional cuisine. Other than the South Indian specialties, the scope of the menu is extensive, but not freakishly so, and was exactly what I would expect and desire from this type of dining experience. The menu includes a good number of South Indian specialties - the vada I had were perfectly done, as were the traditional chutneys that one typically finds served with vada, idli, and dosas. This is the place that you find yourself going a couple of times a month for a delicious, reasonably priced meal in a relaxed atmosphere. This is not a haute-cuisine, fine-dining experience. There's no point in even comparing them to the other local offerings. It's better than Jackson Diner in Queens, it's better than Thali in New Haven, and it casts every other Indian restaurant in the Pioneer Valley quite into the shade. This is, without a doubt, the best Indian restaurant I have visited since I left home. I have had Indian food in this region that I regarded as adequate and decent, but I have had to travel to the City to get Indian food I regarded as good.and nowhere else but Bombay Royale have I had Indian food that is excellent. I cook Indian food at home, and make all of my own masalas and spice mixes, and paneer, and sauces, entirely from scratch. I grew up in a community with a large Indian population, and am extremely particular about Indian food as a result.
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