Smithfield Tandoori

I love this restaurant. The food is great and the staff very friendly.

Vegetarians beware!

I have been going to this restaurant occasionally for a few years now, mostly due to convenience of location for me rather than anything else. I am normally a meat eater and have generally found the place OK although nothing special and a bit overpriced.

However, last night when I went with a group of friends I really didn't fancy a meat dish, and the fish/seafood . I then noticed that there were zero vegetarian options on the menu for main courses. I asked the waiter for one of the main courses with the meat swapped for veg, and was told this was not possible. How about any of the main courses with the meat swapped for any veg of the chef's choosing, I asked. No, miss. When I commented that there were no vegetarian options, I was told this was incorrect and pointed to the vegetable side dishes! (For the starters, there was little more than onion bhajis on the vegetarian front.)

I find it astounding that a restaurant, serving food from a country where a large proportion of the locals are vegetarian, could treat vegetarians so badly. Imagine going into a standard English restaurant and being told that the vegetarian option was a side portion of peas! I know that vegetarians generally can't expect lots of choice, but there is usually at least one proper option...

Because I was with a group of friends, I didn't want to make too much of a scene. But I can't think of any good reason why a restaurant which prices itself at the upper end of this market couldn't have accommodated my wishes. In retrospect, I should have asked the obvious question - is the reason that all the dishes are ready-made? Anyway, that night I ended up with a whole plate of spinach and potato. Bland, uninspiring and my stomach complained the next morning! Had I been just with my boyfriend, I would have immediately left and gone somewhere else.

I have often eaten lunch here and always found the food to be excellent, better than your average curry house, with better ingredients and flavour. The owner is usually there and welcoming. Nice sunny room looking southwest onto Smithfield Market.

I took my best friend to this place and it was possibly the poorest dining experience I have ever had, the food was not great and the staff were plain rude. I did not want to pay the service charge and the manager nearly ended up thumping me becuase I explained our overall experience was well below standard. Just stay well clear if you actually enjoy eating out!

Four of us had a meal here last night. Very poor service so we elected not to pay the service charge in full. The manager was very arrogant and told us he never wanted to see us in his restaurant again. How is that for encouraging repeat business. I would advise anyone to stay well clear.

I went to this restaurant last night with my friend. We were two of 6 people (but it was a Wednesday night). We had two vegetarian dishes and some nan. Both very nice.

However, when we asked for an extra nan we were told that they will not serve us as we should have ordered everything in one go. We argued that we were essentially asking for food and they were refusing to serve us. Naturally, they disagreed.

We were then charged the Service Charge. After my previous experience I opted not to pay for it but was told I had to. We argued again but it was a stale mate and we paid and left.

Overall, great food but no flexibility and arrogant staff. Also, that night, there were 6 customers and 5 staff and they refused to bring out the extra nan due to the work it will add for the chef. Ridiculous!

This is a good place to eat after an event at the Barbican, and it is usually quiet at weekends. The menu is not vast, although there is more than enough choice, and the quality of food is consistently good -- much better than your average neighbourhood curry house.

At weekends it is heavily staffed, so service is very good.

The decor is very simple for what is not a top-of-the-range restaurant (nor does it have prices at that level). If you don't like to be able to hear what your fellow diners are saying, this is not the place for you -- there is no loud music or background noise.

Overall: a very good curry house in quiet, convenient surroundings.

We had a most unfortunate experience in this establishment last night. I must say the food was very agreeable but the waiters were always hovering and trying to get rid of us. When the hot towels came round we all applied them straight on our faces (as is the custom) only to find that they smelt of mould. We complained and they said it wasn't their problem! it was their suppliers fault. When the bill came it included service, which we refused to pay. They said service charge was obligatory. We didn't pay it though and our now banned! Shocking service. I couldn’t wait to get home to wash my face that smelt revolting.