Another good thing about my job is that I get to interact with different people of diverse cultures and nationalities. In fact, I do have some Indian students and, out of curiosity, I've asked a few of them about the best Indian restaurants they know. Queens at Bollywood was one of the common answers I've gotten from them, so I went and tried this place out since it's more accessible and, well, a bit cheaper compared with their prime recommendation, Kashmir.

I went to Queens at Bollywood with a friend on a rather hot afternoon, and I was glad to see no other people in the restaurant. 

We had the place to ourselves so that gave us plenty of opportunities to take photos everywhere.

The interior, although small, is very nice. They have a lot of Indian ornaments around the store and I was pretty happy that the place exuded that exquisitely vibrant Indian vibe. They even loop Indian MTVs on a wide television screen to complete the Indian dining experience.

Another interesting thing is that they have an extensive menu that is Bollywood-inspired. The problem is: I don't have the slightest clue about any of those Indian dishes, let alone the Bollywood stars featured on their menu. Hence, we ended up not knowing what to order here, so we had to ask the very friendly waiter, Michelle, what' she'd recommend. Thankfully, she gave us excellent recommendations.

Papadum (Complimentary)

Before Michelle served our orders, we helped ourselves to this wonderfully crispy, and not to mention complimentary, Papadum with some totally addicting dips!

The dips were just so delicious. I can't get enough of them! I think the one on the left is the mint and coriander chutney, the middle dip is the sweet tamarind sauce, and the other one is the totally washed out yogurt dip (sorry for the bad photo). My favorite's the yogurt dip as it neutralizes the spicy flavor of the Papadum.

Cheese Naan (P 145.00)

Our first order came right after, the Cheese Naan. It was a flat bread that's really soft and delicious with a creamy cheese filling that's absolutely heavenly. This is one of the non-spicy dishes we had for the day and I absolutely loved it. 

Chicken Tandoori (1/2 P 350, 1/4 P 220)

Up next is the Chicken Tandoori. We only had a quarter serving as we were afraid that it might to be too spicy. However, to our surprise, it was not. Yes, it was one hot and spicy dish, but it was also very flavorful and pleasant. The spiciness is tolerable.The meat of the chicken was also super tender and every part of the meat was filled with so much flavor. We demolished this entire plate in less than 10 minutes, and we're not yet starving at that!

Rogan Josh (P 350.00)

We had the Rogan Josh next. According to the menu, this one's a Kashmiri specialty composed mainly of mutton cooked in traditional Kashmir masala, some saffron, and yogurt. 

Hands down, this one's definitely my favorite among all the dishes we've devoured tasted because, apart from the meat being so tender and flavorful, it was unlike anything I've tasted anywhere. The dish just had the right blend of spices and it brought out the flavor of the meat without being overpowering.

Now, for dessert, we had some Kulfi.

Pistachio Kulfi (P 95.00) 
      
I went with what Michelle recommended, which is the Pistachio Kulfi. It was not really extraordinary but it was a bit more delicious than the mango-flavored one. The ice cream wasn't also that creamy and it had a slightly grainy texture, but it looked charming nonetheless (being diced and all) and I think it's, to some extent, a good way to end an uber spicy meal.
      

Mango Kulfi (P 95.00)

The Mango Kulfi, on the other hand, was just plain sweet. I would rather eat Selecta's Premium Mango Ice Cream in place of this one. 

Paan (Complimentary)

And, to wrap up the meal, Michelle offered us some Paan, which is some sort of local mouthwash, to wash down our palates a bit. Of course, we don't want our breaths to smell like we've eaten an entire basket of onions, so we tried it out. It had a weird flavor and it's somehow close to the traditional Filipino mouthwash, Nganga, but this one can be swallowed. Notwithstanding the taste, it was surprisingly refreshing. It felt like we've just brushed our teeth.

Overall, we enjoyed our experience here and though we would still want to try out Kashmir before giving this place a return visit, this is one of those few places I could consider as a favorite, at least in my book. The service was just stellar, the food is great, and the Indian-inspired interior is a definitely a plus.

FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 5/5

Service - 5/5

Value - 5/5

TOTAL - 4.75/5  

Queens at Bollywood

(02) 757 3536

3/F Greenbelt 3, Esperanza St., Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila

Posted in: Hot,Indian,Indian Food,Kashmiri,Makati,Mutton,Queens at Bollywood,restaurant review,Spicy