The aroma of warm spices meets warm hospitality at Bombay Station 734, where owners Ninder Josan and Kuldeep Singh are serving up something different. The brothers, who also helm Apna Indian Kitchen just down the block on State Street, here offer vibrant Bombay street food and traditional Indian dishes for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and a newly added early dinner, along with specialty coffees and house-made chai.
The restaurant’s concept draws on the cafés and grand railway clubs of old Bombay (the city was renamed Mumbai in 1995). The inviting space, which was occupied by Bibi Ji until June 2024, lends itself to the theme with its exposed brick, dark woods, and crystal chandeliers, somehow creating a feeling of expectation that something interesting is about to happen. Let the culinary journey begin.
“The idea is we’ll change the menu every month or so,” says Josan, as we spoke at the restaurant’s September 19th ribbon-cutting. “It’s like a train going through India with stops in different regions. You’ll get to try food from many areas.” While Indian lunch has long been available in Santa Barbara, breakfast is a staple at restaurants in a slew of large American cities like New York and Chicago but it’s rare in a burg of our size. Bombay Station, which opens at 9 a.m., makes an alluring spot to start the day with a little zing. And the morning meal may soon hold the possibility of turning into a leisurely and slightly boozy brunch as the owners recently received their beer and wine license. “We plan to offer dosas and mimosas,” says Josan.
Passionate and enthusiastic ambassadors of Indian cuisine, Josan and Singh grew up watching and cooking alongside their parents. When the family moved to America from Punjab, they opened a restaurant in downtown Los Angeles. The brothers, who helped out in the restaurant after doing their homework, clearly learned one lesson exceptionally well: how to share authentic flavors from their heritage while creating a place where everyone feels at home. (Their parents now own Saffron Indian Cuisine & Bar in Newbury Park.)
Most dishes on the extensive menu are easily shareable and work well with a family-style approach. A good way to go is to grab a friend — or five — and start with an order of dosas while you contemplate your next move. The thin, crisp, savory rice-and-lentil crepes come with a trio of house-made chutneys — fresh coconut, tomato, and peanut — along with a snappy sambar, tangy lentil, and vegetable stew that gets its distinctive flavor from spices that include tamarind and curry leaves. As with everything at Bombay Station, it’s freshly made in-house…