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The vegan, gluten-free Aloo Need Is Love, a potato and cauliflower dish at The Bombay Company
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An empanada sampler
Jazz Singh opened The Bombay Company last year at 4821 Old Main St. in Rocketts Landing, a property she later heard some customers describe as “The Bermuda Triangle.”
Over the past decade, restaurants at the location, such as M Bistro & Wine Bar, Mbargo, and The Urban Farmhouse Market and Café, have been short-lived ventures, with Mbargo barely passing the one-year mark before shutting its doors. But Singh says she enjoys a challenge, and her restaurant, which blends Latin and Indian flavors, celebrated its first anniversary July 22.
“People are so supportive in the community,” Singh says. “Every time [customers] come, one thing I hear is, ‘Please do not close,’ and that makes me so happy.”
Singh was born in India and moved to New York during her childhood, and she says her family's origins and culture inspired the restaurant's cuisine. Her daughter, Anchalpreet Trinidad, who shares her mother's Indian heritage, married a man with Spanish and Salvadoran roots, and menu items at The Bombay Company reflect those various backgrounds. Dishes include carne asada and a naan "quesadilla," as well as shrimp korma and TBC Special Chicken — tandoori chicken served in an onion- and tomato-based makhni sauce.
Singh, 51, says she chose Rocketts Landing for her new restaurant because of the family atmosphere and waterfront views.
When a condo fire forced the restaurant to close temporarily for repairs less than two weeks after opening, Singh’s son and the restaurant’s general manager, Paul Singh, says he was left “in awe.”
“We would laugh, like, ‘What just happened?’ ” he says. “A lot of hard work and sweat went into this and … it was just a roller coaster of emotions.”
Four months after repairing the restaurant and reopening, COVID-19 restrictions closed the dining room again, and the Singh family faced a new challenge: running a new restaurant during a global pandemic.
During the first few weeks of March, Paul says there were days when the restaurant only grossed $50. However, once they began advertising their online ordering system and using Uber Eats and Grubhub delivery services for about 70% of orders, revenue began to rise.
Despite the business relying on carryout and delivery orders during the pandemic, Paul says he was never worried about permanently shutting down the restaurant.
Now, The Bombay Company offers full patio service and socially distant seating. Though dine-in service has only been available for about six months total, Paul says he knows many customers personally.
“We treat them all like family,” he says. “We always remember what they order. We remember where they sit. We ask about how [their] family is doing, and they ask us about our family. That's what we wanted, your mom-and-pop shop.”
Linda Ayscue, 64, a retired Rocketts Landing resident who visits a few times a month, says The Bombay Company is “the best little restaurant in the neighborhood.”
“It's not your norm,” she says, echoing Paul to add, “They really make you feel like family.”
In the near future, Jazz says she hopes to host themed nights at the restaurant, such as Tapas Tuesdays or Wine Wednesdays, and donate the proceeds to charities and nonprofits.
She adds that she would love to open another restaurant in the Richmond area, but right now, the Singh family is focused on growing The Bombay Company’s community.
“We want more people to walk around in Rocketts,” Paul says. “We want you to come out to talk to us, to your neighbors. We're not looking to build an empire. We’re looking to build a place to feel at home.”
