Star rating: ** At 8pm on a Saturday night we would expect most curry houses to be at their busiest, so arriving at The Cafe Spice International to find just a few tables taken left us surprised.
After dining there around 12 months ago with friends and remembering the buffet as hot, fresh and good value for money we returned.
Sadly we did not enjoy the same experience.
With its wooden panelling, the restaurant looked more like the inside of a sauna than an authentic Indian restaurant. And sadly the room temperature was quite the opposite to a sauna and I found myself wanting to eat with my coat on.
Signs outside boasted an “air conditioned” restaurant but on a winter’s night we would have preferred some heating instead.
We were shown to our table and given the menus - I don’t think one word was uttered by the waiter.
Remembering the buffet the last time and seeing that we liked all of the options my partner and I both decided to opt for the buffet special.
We were not shown to the buffet or told to go up when we were ready - so we just went and helped ourselves. The dining experience so far was seriously lacking in character and service.
If we knew what we know now, we would have ordered off the main menu.
Our drinks took longer to arrive than expected, considering how quiet the restaurant was. But they did eventually arrive as we were eating our meal.
The buffet special, priced at £7.95, varies each night of the week which is a great idea. On Saturdays there is a choice of onion bhajee, chicken tikka, chicken jalfrezi, meat rogan, Bombay aloo, chana masala, pilau rice and nan bread, also served with salad and mint sauce.
It sounds more impressive than it looked. Due to the lack of custom on the particular evening we visited, the buffet dishes had obviously not been replenished for some time.
The rice had gone hard, the chicken tikka was dry and the nan bread was more like a Pringle - it was also just about warm and certainly not hot.
However, the greatest shame was that the food was actually tastier than it looked but had been there for far too long.
I am sure if we had ordered from the menu, the dishes would have been served fresh and piping hot.
We watched with regret as the chefs behind the buffet table served up dishes for a neighbouring table, who had obviously ordered from the menu.
The lacking in warmth, character and Indian aromas expected when you visit a curry house were all a disappointment but quality food could have made up for that - sadly it did not.
I am sure we visited on a bad night and made the wrong choice by going for the buffet. I do believe you get what you pay for - normally. But we didn’t even get that.
I usually enjoy the buffet option as it allows me to try dishes I would not normally order full portions of and you can select smaller amounts, knowing you can make a return visit.
A second visit to the buffet bar wasn’t high on my list of priorities but we did go to see if the chefs had replenished anything - we found ourselves scraping the bottom of the dishes only to leave it on our plates when we returned to the table.
We paid the bill and left as disappointed customers.
ADDRESS
Cafe Spice International, Grange Ave, Stirchley, Telford TF3 1ET
Telephone: 01952 592333
MENU SAMPLE
Starters
Chicken chatt (£2.40); Rashmi kebab (£2.60).
Main courses
Jeera chicken (£5.95); Balti king prawn and bhindi (£8.95).
Sides
Cauliflower bhaji (£2.25); Sag aloo (£2.25).
Desserts
Selection of ice-cream-based desserts.
ATMOSPHERE
Did not feel like a traditional Indian restaurant - lacked cuisine aroma and warmth.
SERVICE
Waiter served the menus and drinks but lacked any character or conversation.
DISABLED FACILITIES
Disabled access.
By Kirsty Marston
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4 Comments
Kirsty. The fact that the restaurant was empty on a Saturday evening should have told you something. If it was as bad as you say, then why didn’t you complain on the spot? The time to complain is when the food is served or when you taste it, not after you have left. Paying the bill and leaving without complaining only guarantees a bad experience for someone else. This seems to be typical of the reviewers in the Shropshire Star. I have read the letters and the review of the Lamb at Edgmond. Here also, the reviewer does not seem to have complained at the time. If it was really so dreadful, and I am not disputing your opinion, then why give it a two-star rating? Surely it should not have any stars?
Personally, if I go into a restaurant where the staff are unwelcoming as described by you, then I walk out. Why don’t you try that sometime?
I don’t understand how this place got 2 stars based on this review. It sounds as though the buffet was awful and the service not much better. Surely it should get no stars?
Michael B seems to have missed the point of a restaurant review. If it wasn’t good enough then the reviewer is entitled to point it out and they can only do this after they’ve been there.
That aside, I’ve been to this particular venue several times and have had both good and bad meals. It is largely down to luck rather than good management by the restaurant staff if you actually do get good food. There should be a policy to replace dishes that have been standing for a while and theerfore have become tired. Presumeably to save waste and therefore money, this doesn’t happen. This leads to the downward spiral of lower attendance and therefore food sitting around for longer.
I would agree with the reviewer on the inordinately long period of time it takes for drinks to arrive. The one plus point I’d mention is the yoghurt based salad dressing. I really must ask them for the recipe if I ever bother to go back.
Andy H - I don’t think that I missed the point. If the reviewer had a bad experience, then he/she should state that in the review, which is what was done in this case. The reviewer should be anonynmous during the meal, but this is still no reason not to complain after the meal. What I do not understand is why the reviewer did not do this and why the restaurant was given a two-star rating.
From reading your letter, it seems that you have also had some bad experiences at this restaurant in both service and quality of food. You remarks indicate a lack of consistency. Have you ever told them this? If people don’t talk to the management, then it is unlikely that the restaurant will ever improve. As you rightly say, the result will be a downward spiral in customer numbers and eventually the place will close.