Topic: Do you give restaurants a 2nd chance?

[George]

I haven't been having much luck, recently, when it comes to eating out at Indian restaurants.
The last half decent meal I had out, was with Phil and Michael in London, in December.

Should I give any of them a second chance and go back?

Here's one example - on Sunday, I was driving on the M25 around lunch time, and decided to take a detour to have lunch at the Viceroy Brasserie at Abbots Langley - the place which puts quite a few videos on youtube. Well, it might be no more, after some 23 years. It's closed down by the look of it, and said to be re-opening under a new name and, I assume, new management.

So I walked around a bit and found the Abbots Tandoori, just down the road:
www.abbotstandoori.co.uk

They claim to be 'voted as one of the top ten Indian Restaurants in the UK', and
same management and chef since 1988. I took the first claim with a pinch of salt but the 'same chef' sounded promising. I went for the sunday buffet at

[haldi]

I had been buying weekend takeaways, from a great place called Argee Bhajee
Then one Saturday all the dishes were awful
Really bland with uncooked spices
I was so upset that I went back to the place, on the following day
Apparently the proper chef had been called away, and my curries had been cooked by someone they hired for the night.
Anyhow the upshot was that they recooked my meal again for half price.
I'm not sure how good a deal that was, but this time the curries were back to their usual standard
Maybe you should try complaining, sometimes it's worth it

[Peripatetic Phil]

Not all.  The one at which I ate in Paris was so vile, and the chicken so obviously high, that I would not go back in there if I were starving.  But the Coxheath Tandoori has let me down only once (probably for exactly the same reason that Haldi reports) and I would be prepared to try it again.  As to complaining, it's just not in our (British) nature, is it ?  Sometimes I wish it was !

Afterthoughts :  if a restaurant fails me at my first attempt, then no -- no second chance (e.g., Simla, Paddock Wood).  But if it has consistently served me well, and then lets me down once, then I will probably go back in the fullness of time but equally probably won't rush to do so.  That is the great beauty of living in Britain : just as nowhere in Britain is more than 70 miles from the sea, so nowhere in Britain is (probably) further than seven miles from an as-yet-untried BIR !

** Phil.

[Micky Tikka]

Yes George
It is a bit of a ghost town when I done a bit of filming there for my TA last year it was very quiet
On Restaurants in my opinion picking out a random curry house I would say most times I would be disappointed and I wouldn't trust tripadvisor for food
Out of the hundreds of Bangladeshi curry houses round my way I would so far recommend Three
But I will always try a new one just in case

[jb]

I generally avoid Indian buffet meals if I can.The buffet food is nowhere near as good as when you order straight from the menu.I tried one a couple of years ago and the food was very bland indeed,everything just tasted the same.I'd been there before and ordered my own food previously and the food was excellent.

I actually do DJ'ing in my spare time and I was asked to play at a local Indian Restaurant on Saturday where they had a party and a help yourself buffet.Although the selection of dishes were impressive the actual food was not.Nothing wrong with it just very average and tasteless.Even the plain chicken tikka was poor.I could have done much better myself.I'm not sure but it could be how the dishes are cooked.They brought out one massive wok which had about six portions of tikka massala in it.Chatting to the manager(who has invited me into his kitchen soon!!) he did tell me that the buffet dishes are all cooked in large potions in a pan whereas the traditional menu is cooked in the normal way.Maybe that's where the food deteriorates,I don't know.I would give it a second chance George but order from the menu yourself.

[George]

I generally avoid Indian buffet meals if I can.The buffet food is nowhere near as good as when you order straight from the menu.

jb - many thanks for a very helpful post. I think you're succeeded in changing my mind. Previously I'd had some tasty food from Indian buffets - but generally overseas I might add. Your comments mean I WILL give them a second chance, but ordering from the menu next time. Yes, as you say, the food was relatively tasteless.

[Peripatetic Phil]

And I would second JB in re buffets.  There is one in Coxheath which I have tried twice; on each occasion, a terrible disappointment.  I seem to recall that the Chicken Tikka was good, but that was about it -- all of the other dishes were mediocre at best.

** Phil

[976bar]

I generally avoid Indian buffet meals if I can.The buffet food is nowhere near as good as when you order straight from the menu.I tried one a couple of years ago and the food was very bland indeed,everything just tasted the same.I'd been there before and ordered my own food previously and the food was excellent.

I actually do DJ'ing in my spare time and I was asked to play at a local Indian Restaurant on Saturday where they had a party and a help yourself buffet.Although the selection of dishes were impressive the actual food was not.Nothing wrong with it just very average and tasteless.Even the plain chicken tikka was poor.I could have done much better myself.I'm not sure but it could be how the dishes are cooked.They brought out one massive wok which had about six portions of tikka massala in it.Chatting to the manager(who has invited me into his kitchen soon!!) he did tell me that the buffet dishes are all cooked in large potions in a pan whereas the traditional menu is cooked in the normal way.Maybe that's where the food deteriorates,I don't know.I would give it a second chance George but order from the menu yourself.

You'll have to get me into that Kitchen JB, I'll show them how to bulk it up a touch!!! ;D

[Mr Madras]

My policy is simple. If I experience poor service or quality then I never go back. Same with takeaways. Luckily I cook most currys myself so it's rarely been a problem.

[chewytikka]

Shame about the Viceroy, obviously something wrong or an update, maybe he should have uploaded
more videos of the front of house and customers enjoying the food and his restaurant experience.

An all you can eat buffet for 8.95