REVIEW: Badmaash brings a classic Indian vibe to brunch

Sunday brunch. It’s the perfect culmination to a long week, serving as a time to both celebrate and drown sorrows in an abundance of food. Breaking away from the classic eggs, waffles and bottomless mimosas, innovative Indian gastropub Badmaash launched its new brunch menu last weekend, packed with interesting and original dishes.

Badmaash opened in 2013 with the goal to put a modern spin on Indian food. Its lunch and dinner menus reflect this, with all kinds of inventive items from butter chicken samosas to masala fries.

This contemporary style permeates not only in the branding, but also throughout the decor and menu of the restaurant. One of the walls is covered from floor to ceiling in an array of colorful stripes. Old Bollywood movies are projected on the wall for visitors to enjoy as they read from menus covered in cute illustrations and funny comics.

Though Badmaash started off as a hidden gem, it’s been rising in popularity within Los Angeles’ culinary scene. The past few weeks have seen celebrities such as rock band Linkin Park and singer Zayn Malik enjoying the delicacies that the restaurant has to offer. This increasing fame may partially be a reason for its menu expansion and new brunch offerings.

Similar to the original menu, the new brunch menu also consists of unique options to choose from. While the quality of options is certainly excellent, the quantity is rather small. There are only several options to pick from, such as bacon biryani, railway masala omelet, pork belly hash and punjabi channa bathura.

Visitors can sustain themselves while waiting for their food by sipping on Badmaash’s popular, mouth-watering Bombay cutting chai, a chai tea made with water, milk, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and pepper. The beverage is served in little glass cups carried in green caddies, resembling the chai-wallas, or tea sellers, that are prominent throughout India.

The actual food dishes come arranged quite beautifully on a plate, alongside a vibrant purple flower that intensifies the aesthetic. The food is pleasing not only to the eye, but also to the taste buds. With a perfect balance of cheddar, serrano, onions and cilantro, the Bombay grilled cheese melts in one’s mouth. The same could be said for the railway masala omelet that transforms an average omelet into completely new dish complete with the vegetables, turmeric and chiles.

Making sure to still incorporate some classics of brunch, the menu has items like mango mimosas and pork belly hash. However, usual brunch-goers are still certain to have never tried anything like it.

While Badmaash is a restaurant filled with great food, friendly staff and contemporary vibes, no eating establishment is perfect. The prices, for one, do fall on the more expensive end of the spectrum. Also, another downfall of Badmaash is the restaurant’s size. While there are two floors, both areas are quite compact and unable to hold a large capacity. It’s easy to see how it could get packed, quickly going from cozy to claustrophobic.

Overall, Badmaash definitely pleased as both a restaurant as a whole and as a new brunch spot. It is fresh and fun and leaves your stomach — and viewers of your Snapchat story — extremely satisfied.