Shah from satisfactory?

There was a famous Guinness advert from the late 1990s that concluded with "Good things come to those who wait". Well, unfortunately word of that is yet to reach the Shah Tandoori. Based on Drummond Street in one of the hotbeds of Indian cuisine in London, much was expected of the OCC's visit to the capital and the members were full of excitement (and perhaps also full of alcohol) for this meet. And it was a good turnout too with 12 members venturing through the late winter gloom to take our seats in the restaurant. As it was a Friday night and we were in a very busy party of London, the Shah was predictably full so we were somehow squeezed around a group of tables that would probably seat about 8 people ordinarily.

Once we were all settled in and poppadoms and drinks orders placed, the usual frivolities started with the Chairman's agenda. A period of upheaval within the OCC meant this was an important meet to re-determine the structure of the organisation and the direction we should now take. A heated discussion ensued after which it was pointed out that we were still waiting for drinks and poppadoms and for our meal orders to be taken. Staff seemed rushed but directionless and confusion abounded. The poppadoms, when the eventually arrived, were superb with some lovely sauces. Our starters arrived after another lengthy wait. The general consensus seemed to be satisfactory; my Hazari Kebab Roll was very good indeed. A further hour passed before our mains were finally brought to the table with the confused service replicated by the mistakes in the orders with people receiving incorrect dishes and, worse still, cold food. By the time everything had been remedied and we all had our correct meals, many people were beyond the stage of caring as they were already disgusted with the poor service and the mistakes. Fortunately for myself, my dishes were served correctly. The Xacutti Chicken was good, Pilau Rice nice and the Keema Naan very tasty.

As decent as the meal was though, it was nowhere near enough to overlook the poor service and uncomfortable seating that was not designed for a large group. Indeed, by the end of the meal, other diners showed their displeasure at the raucousness of our group, a situation that was exacerbated by the lengthy waiting time for food meaning an unnecessary volume of alcohol was consumed by some members. It all left a bad taste in the mouth.

Scores

Shah Tandoori

Customer Care 2.90/10

Service 2.50/10

Value 3.65/10

Quality 5.60/10

Atmosphere 7.05/10

Overall 4.34/10

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