Bay Leaf Indian Cuisine And Desi Foods

Bay Leaf offers a typical menu for Indian lunch and dinner, while Desi Foods specializes in South Asian cuisine and operates as a deli. Before the pandemic, they had a popular $5 vegetarian box lunch, serving up to a hundred meals a day, with no meat options available. Since reopening, they have introduced some meat dishes that align with their sister restaurant's style. Nevertheless, both locations still feature an impressive selection of vegetarian and some vegan offerings. My usual favorites include Manchurian Gobi/Gobi 65 (cauliflower), chana curry (chickpeas), bhindi masala (okra), vegetable biryani (vegan rice with veggies), paratha, palak (spinach), and dal makhani (lentils).

I have tried Indian cuisine before, and since this place was close to my hotel, I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a miss. I was really looking forward to it, so I called to ask if they could make a vegan version of the Aloo Saag. The girl on the phone seemed confused by the term "vegan." In the end, they either couldn't make it vegan or simply wouldn't. That was quite disappointing. I opted for the Gobi Manchurian instead, but it wasn't as crispy as I prefer, and the flavor was off in a way I couldn't quite pinpoint. To make matters worse, the dish was only lukewarm, not hot as I expected. I wouldn't order that dish again, nor would I go out of my way to return to this restaurant.