Bamba's Indian Food Opens in TD; Camas Couple living the American Dream
Neetu and Deepak Bamba opened Bamba’s Indian Restaurant bar on Monday, Jan. 30, at 312 Court Street, The Dalles. Their mix of East Indian cuisine brought a rush of customers in their first two days of business. They are open 7 days a week for the next 3 months. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
By Tom Peterson
Deepak and Neetu Bamba said they have been overwhelmed with kindness and customers as they sat during a midafternoon break at The Dalles newest restaurant, Bamba’s Indian Restaurant bar, at 312 Court Street on Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Turns out, locals are thirsty for spicy East Indian food.
Bamba’s opened Monday, Jan. 30.
It was Deepak’s birthday.
The Bomba and Pataria families cut celebration/birthday cake a the new Indian restaurant in The Dalles. From right to left, Neetu Bamba, Kripakshi Bamba, Deepak Bomba, and godparents Darshan and Manju Pataria.
“It was a present from my wife,” he said of the restaurant. “She thought it was a great date to open.”
“The people are so friendly,” Neetu added. “All very nice and patient on our first day.”
On Tuesday, the Bambas and their kitchen crew of four were working overtime to keep up with demand.
That’s the Bamba! Curry to the rescue. Butter Chicken and Palak Paneer provided some deep satisfaction on Tuesday night.
They immediately had a run as locals are uber curious about their cuisine, filled with curries, spinach gravies, Indian cheeses, Tandoori chicken and Naan flatbread to name a few. A strong vegetarian selection balances out the mix.
The place was packed on Tuesday night as a dinner crowd ushered out of the cold and into the warmth of savory, spicy aromas to either sit at a table in the brightly adorned dining area in shades of bright blue and yellow. Others came in for pick-up.
The place was buzzing on Tuesday, Jan. 31 as locals finished out the month with a taste of India within the brightly colored and open restaurant.
Deepak pinned his first dollar of a tip to the wall on Monday.
“Most things are new,” Deepak, 41, said earlier in the day. He was referring to the clean commercial kitchen appliances, booths, tables, bar, cheery paint, and even the electric fireplace against the north wall.
The couple has invested more than $50,000 to get the eatery into shape.
The couple had been searching for the right spot for more than two years when the former Pho Saigon restaurant space in The Dalles came up for rent.
“We saw a few locations in Camas,” Deepak said. “But we did not like the way they looked. It did not fit our vision.”
“We saw this location through social media,” he said. The restaurant is centrally located in town and has excellent visibility in the business core in the retail level of the Commodore II apartments. The building is inviting with easy pedestrian access. “We very much liked it, right away.”
The site has been the location of two restaurants previously, Pho Saigon and Romul’s Italian Restaurant.
A fair amount of study went into the decision to open the restaurant, and the Bambas discovered they would have a niche, as there were no brick-and-mortar East Indian restaurants in either The Dalles or Hood River.
The couple currently lives in Camas, Wash. They intend to move to The Dalles with their three children when they can find the right place - within walking distance from the restaurant. Their commute, now, is about 3 hours a day roundtrip.
Commute or no commute, the new restaurant is nothing but a blessing, they said.
The American Dream
It is the culmination of the Bamba’s dream that had its seminal roots reaching back more than a decade and stretching 7,000 miles.
Jalandhar, India
In 2014, the couple was living in the “small town” of Jalandhar, India. It is a city of more than a million people in a country of more than 1.4 billion. They were running a gift store. They had a 5-year-old daughter, Kripakshi, and they were different from most in one way.
They are of the Christian faith, which was not well received in the mostly Hindu and Muslim country.
“We follow the Bible,” he said. “We go to church on Sundays.”
“I got into trouble over there, honestly,” he said of being a Christian in India.
Sometimes cake is better with a little help from your godfather ;)
Deepak said the quest for religious freedom for the family was the push to immigrate to Camas where they were helped immensely by their godfather, Darshan Pataria, 58.
Pataria also happens to be a pretty gifted cook.
He has taken on cooking duties at the Guru Ramdas Gurdwara Sahib Temple in Vancouver, Wash., which served some 300 on Sundays.
“He taught us,” Deepak said, noting he handed down his knowledge and recipes and they eventually parlayed it into a catering business that led to the restaurant in The Dalles.
“He has helped us through every hard situation,” Deepak said. “He has been a light for us in the darkness.”
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Indian cuisine dates back over 5000 years, according to culinaryschools.org. “Each region has its own traditions, religions and culture that influence its food. Hindus tend to be vegetarian and Muslims tend to have meat dishes, although pork is forbidden. Indian food has been influenced by Mongolian, Persian and Chinese cuisine, among others. The common thread throughout the centuries remains the distinct mixing of spices that invariably give Indian cuisine its flavor and aroma.
To learn more about Indian Food try this site Indian Food 101.
