JAIPUR PALACE, 144-146 VAUXHALL STREET, PLYMOUTH

Situated on the corner of Vauxhall Street and Bretonside, this restaurant was established in 1994. The window displays various certificates, and press cuttings/photographs of their success in reaching the final of the National Curry Chef competition in 2006. It was that which drew me in.

The interior is of is in red plush, with low lighting and comfortable seating, which accommodates about 60 in the main dining room, with room for a few more in a smaller adjoining room. The menu is comprehensive and plenty of uniformed waiters were on hand (but more of them later).

As one would expect given their aforementioned success, the food was good and well presented, although the prices also reflected their success - it must be one of the most expensive provincial high street curryhouses I've seen for a while (for example, Onion Bhaji was £4.30 and it seemed that cheapest main courses were £9.95, although I may have missed something a little less). Still, as I say, the food was good, and portions adequate.

Having said that, I have to say that the service - or more accurately the demeanour of the waiters - left a lot to be desired. Certainly the service was efficient but the waiters gave the impression they were only there to take the order and deliver it as quickly as possible. There was no empathy with the customers, warmth or friendly smiles at all. In fact, they were generally downright surly. And not just for me, as I being on my own I was able to spend some time observing the waiters and I didn't see one of them smile at a customer. For example, new arrivals at the next table were asked 'popadoms?', 'drinks?' the moment they had sat down and before they had even opened the menu. This was said abruptly and without a smile. When the waiter took the order he barked 'starter?' at them with the inflection that it was an order rather than an enquiry whether they wanted one or not. When I ordered a glass of water towards the end of my meal the waiter held up my empty Cobra glass and barked 'another Cobra', and looked daggers at me when I said 'no, just water'. Maybe he was on commission. And finally, when I left I said 'thank you' and 'goodbye' to the waiter, but he just blanked me and looked away. I have to say, therefore, that I found the service very soulless and the waiters in need of a few sessions at charm school. On reflection, I wish I hadn't left a tip!

So there you have it. The food was good and the restaurant comfortable, but there are other restaurants nearby that I am sure would also provide good food but with a friendlier service. It's as well they can advertise their success in the National Curry Chef competition, as this at least gives them something their competitors can't (yet) match.

Malcolm Wilkins - May 2008