Locals told us that the Bombay Club, located at 830 Conti Street, was a great place for after-work or after-theatre drinks and cocktails. These same locals mentioned that the Bombay Club had a vast array of designer martini and a fun piano-bar atmosphere. They did not mention the food. And when we were going out to dinner at the Bombay Club, we did so with some trepidation.

We were greeted warmly at the door by owner and Matre'd, Richard Fiske, who escorted us to our table. He explained that The Bombay Club has a new menu with a new chef and that he had just completed a major upscale renovation of the restaurant.

Our appetizer course allayed our anxieties about the food. We realized that we were in a fine-dining establishment. "The New Orleans Shrimp Cocktail" had super-premium jumbo shrimp with a light pungent Creole-spiced Remoulade sauce ($9.50). The shrimp were dramatically presented in a large wide-lipped martini glass and were perfectly cooked and delicious. Our next appetizer was "Hand-Diced Fresh Tuna Tartar," which was subtly blended in a spicy-sweet soy "Kapsup Sauce" with caramelized ginger garnish and freshly fried won-tons ($8.50). This Asian-inspired dish reminded us more of the Asian-fusion food we find in California than New Orleans fare. In this dish Chef Brian Fisher had achieved a fresh and balanced blending of the Creole with the Asian.

For our entrée we could not resist Chef Brian Fisher's interpretation of "Bar-B-Q Shrimp" ( $21). Here the Chef created an intense reduction of lobster stock, crushed lobster shell with bourbon, honey, ground tomatoes, ground ginger root, to produce a startlingly pungent bouillabaisse - style sauce to accompany the flame-seared shrimp--really a winner-dish. "The Gulf of Mexico Pan-Seared Pompano" was another entree. It was served with garlic mashed potatoes and was also delicious ($19).

For desert we finished the meal with a luxurious, creamy-textured "double-torched" creme brule. One could plunge through the outstanding crunchy crust into the delicious semisweet custard below. "The Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce" was made "sugarless" following the principles of the "Sugar-Buster" book and lacked the panache of the creme brule. What followed after the meal was a great surprise and delight. The Bombay Club has a vast and varied selection of after dinner drinks, cordials, cognacs, ports, brandies, sherries, single malt Scotches, and designer martinis.

We tried one "signature martini" of the Bombay Club called "Breathless" ($10). It is made with Ketel One and White Creme de Cocoa along with a splash of Godiva Liqueur in a chocolate rimmed glass. This drink alone is worth a trip to the Bombay Club. Not overly sweet, this drink highlighted the chocolate in the liqueur. We counted 70 other original and classic martinis on the "Grand Martini List," including "Kurant Affair" - Absolut Kurant with a splash of Chambord garnished with raspberries ($10), and "Blue Skyy, " Shyy Vodka with a splash of Blue Curacao and a lemon twist ($8.50), not to mention the ever-popular "Classic Cosmopolitan" - Absolut Citron with a splash of cranberry juice, Rose's lime juice and triple sec served up with a twist ($8.50). Owner Richard Fiske was especially proud of his selection of single malt Scotches and fine French cognacs. All in all The Bombay Club is a delightful fine-dinning experience, highlighted by a lively piano-bar atmosphere, and an outstanding selection of aperitifs and after-dinner drinks. Try The Bombay Club. You won't be disappointed.

The Bombay Club
830 Conti Street
New Orleans, LA
(504) 586-0972

Food ****
Atmosphere ***1/2
Service ***1/2
Value Scale ***
Bar Offerings *****

Scale:
***** Outstanding
****Excellent
*** Good
** Fair
* Poor