The first Indian restaurant in Wareham, enjoying a monopoly until November 2002. It originally offered seating in standard setting (oblong tables along each wall), but since my previous visit it has been refurbished, most tables now being circular and the interior decorated with plain pale-coloured walls and white ceiling, giving a much lighter effect. It now seats about 80, as against some 50 before. The restaurant is one of a chain of Rajpoots in the area (in Dorchester, Sherborne, Blandford etc.)

The restaurant adopts the system of seating arrivals in a reception area (whether a table is vacant or not) where you are encouraged to have a drink while studying the menu and ordering. The manager openly (and with commendably honesty) said on this occasion that we should sit in reception despite tables being vacant "as this is where we try and encourage you to have a drink!" Personally I prefer to study the menu (and order drinks if required) at the table, possibly nibbling some popadoms. 

This brings me to my pet complaint with Indian restaurants - the table reservation system. On our first visit some years ago we had booked a table for 9pm, yet the restaurant was full and we had to sit in the reception until 9.30 - the all too familiar picture of waiting for a table to become vacant despite a reservation. On a second visit a year later the restaurant was not full, so the issue didn't arise. On this occasion I went in at 6pm to ask whether it was necessary to book a table (it was a Saturday night). The waiter behind the bar said it was, asked name and arrival time, and then said it was OK. He made no attempt to write the booking down. I enquired whether he was actually making a table reservation, and seeing I was not about to move, groped under the counter and produced a small booklet. I left, assuming he was going to write down my reservation, but as I looked back he merely placed the notebook back from where it had been. So much for the reservation system! Fortunately when we arrived there were tables spare, but I strongly suspect that had it been full, then we would again have had to await a table being vacated rather than having one reserved for us.

Having got that rant off my chest (sorry about that, but it one of my regular complaints about Indian restaurants), let's get down to the main report. A comprehensive menu of all the usual dishes plus a few less common. Popadoms were fine, although only three pickles (lime, mango chutney and onion & tomato salad) as against four provided in most restaurants. However, no sooner had we started on the popadoms than the starters were plonked down on the table. I felt like sending them back until we had at least munched our way through most of the popadoms, but I expect they would have only been put to one side and got cold. We therefore had our popadoms after the starters.  

Unimpressed by the unseemly haste of serving the starters, I was even less impressed with them when we started to eat. The Onion Bhajias were dreadful - 2 flat burger-style were solid and stodgy with little onion in them. I could have soled my shoes with them. Unfortunately three of our party had them, and we all agreed that they were the worst Onion Bhajias any of us had had in a long time. Most of them were left (they were that inedible). The brighter spot was that my Aloo Chat was much better - pleasantly spiced in a light sauce with a nice flavour. 

The main dishes were equally uninspiring. The Tandoori Chicken was very light in colour and lacked depth of marinade or flavour. Furthermore, the meat near the bone had a curious flaky/crumbly texture to it, and as a consequence that was not all eaten. My Chicken Tikka Dhansak was in a light sauce and although fairly hot lacked other flavours, and certainly not the sweet or sour as described by the menu.  Meat Malaya was very mild in a salmon-coloured creamy sauce and a bit too sweet and sickly for my tastes, but the piece of meat I tried was very tender and it was as described on the menu. However, the recipient complained that there was only six small pieces of meat swimming in a lot of sauce and didn't regard it as good value. The fourth dish was Chicken Locknow, described as "in a creamy yogurty coconut with tiny spices and cooked with mushrooms. Very mild). Well, you can't argue with that, in that it was very mild (tiny spices!), and the sauce - also salmon-coloured and almost certainly the same sauce as the Malaya but with some coconut cream added - again too sweet for my tastes. I didn't detect any mushroom in the bit I tried, but to be fair I didn't try much.  The Mixed Vegetable Bhaji was quite nice, and the Cauliflower Bhaji OK, if a little oily. The final thumbs down came for the Chapati, which was hard (i.e. not pliable). I see that on the previous visit I reported that the Chapattis were stodgy and disappointing. However, the rice was OK this time (also on the last visit I commented that the rice was also stodgy, with much of it congealed together).

Prices probably about average, as were the portions (except the amount of meat in the Meat Malaya). Service OK, if one discounts my reservations about the reliability of the table booking system, and the manager friendly. He did apologise graciously at our disappointment over the meal (I couldn't in honesty tell him it was all right), but a courteous apology doesn't make up for a poor meal.

So there ended a disappointing evening. Last time I reported that overall it was a standard high street curry house serving a reasaonable formula curry (apart from chapattis and rice), but this time I really can't say it's that good! (and I am supported in this view by my three dining companions). It is interesting to note that on my first visit it was packed, on my second visit there were a few tables spare, and on this occasion there were many tables spare (and it was almost empty at ten thirty). All visits were a Saturday night, and although there is more seating accommodation now that previous visits, and another Indian restaurant opened, I  suspect a decline in the standards of food must pay some part in the apparent decline in customers. After all, if a restaurant is virtually empty at 10.30 on a Saturday evening in a holiday area in July, then it makes you wonder!

Malcolm Wilkins - July 2006