Taj mahal, halkirk

[bored2bitz]

We had a takeaway from the Taj Mahal Halkirk on Saturday night was it just bad luck or has their food gone downhill of late?
We have bought their set meals for two on several occasions but last Saturdays was hardly edible.
Do they have a new chef? as the food didn't even look or smell as good as it usually does.
I was informed it would be an hr which I was fine with but it took one and a half hrs and the stuff was cold, everything had to be microwaved and I never think it tastes right then.
The mint sauce was off, I had to throw it out along with the chips and mushroom pakora as they tasted yuck for some reason.
When I phoned to see what was happening with our order they said the guy would just be with us, within 2secs of putting the phone down the driver phoned to ask where we were? When he turned up it was the owner and if I am correct he used to work at a takeaway on our street so he should have recognized the name of our street! Maybe he was stressed, it was Saturday night which I suppose would be their busiest night.
Did try to phone that night to complain but never got an answer meant to keep on trying but I forgot then.
Has anyone else had a problem with them of late or was it like I said just bad luck on our part?

[Anne x]

Saturday night was a very bad night to be ordering from that establishment all with timings were shocking they apparentley had the phone unplugged and ran out of Pilau Rice a Indian restaurant with no rice
Jalfrezi had no resembelence or taste to jalfrezi etc etc the list is endless
earlier recommendations on this place have been excellent hope this will not continue

[chuckie]

It wasnt just Taj Mahal having a bad run, we went to shalina spice in Ormlie, we had been told abs had taken over and thought its bound to have improved, So I phoned and pre ordered they said a hour, so okay, that was fine my order should have been ready at 8:15, went at 8 just incase it was ready early??

I was still there at 9:15pm, and the amount of people being lied to on the phone who were waiting for deliveries, they were being told they had just left in a taxi or its another 5 mins etc, but the orders were no where near ready, they were telling customers in the shop that it will be soon.

I realy liked the curry not a problem there, but who wants to eat at half nine at night?

Whats going on, is it that they need more staff or to limit the number of orders to take in a hour?

ABS if you are reading this you need to sort it, the foods good the service aint.

[KEEP_ON_TRUCKIN]

i had taj mahal a week past sat and from the new one in wick on saturday past - both TOP NOTCH!!! shame you had a bad one..... :-( must have been an off day

[©Amethyst]

It wasnt just Taj Mahal having a bad run, we went to shalina spice in Ormlie, we had been told abs had taken over and thought its bound to have improved, So I phoned and pre ordered they said a hour, so okay, that was fine my order should have been ready at 8:15, went at 8 just incase it was ready early??

I was still there at 9:15pm, and the amount of people being lied to on the phone who were waiting for deliveries, they were being told they had just left in a taxi or its another 5 mins etc, but the orders were no where near ready, they were telling customers in the shop that it will be soon.

This is also happening further south. We now leave the house to travel into town about 5 minutes after we've been told it will be ready after I had been left standing waiting for my food for an hour in my fave take-away. Not good considering I have a back injury... with the pain I kinda lost it and had a go at them. Feel bad about it but others were doing the same thing.

It's always disappointing when a good take-away goes bad!

[burstbucker]

Went to the Dragon House chinese at the camps in Wick last week, it was overpriced and terrible, wont go back.

[chef4celebrations]

well i can honestly say i will not be going back to the halkirk indian again, poor service, over and hour wait after ordered, and staff not knowing what they were doing, i feel that they have gone not just down hill from when they started but gone off the scale, yes i can appriciate when it is rush hour so to speak but not at quarter to 6, things only just getting warmed up for the night, well in a normal kitchen that is, so only knows what it was like by 8-9pm.

[mums angels]

Before deciding on which establishment to order curry from we phone the taj mahal and ask who is cooking that evening and if its Ali its great and if its hussein (sp) we go elsewhere . they really should think of replacing him or get Ali to teach him his way of cooking . ( however we do wonder if they have caught on as last time the guy who answered didnt want to tell us who was working - so we went else where to be safe )

[Rheghead]

I had to throw it out along with the chips

yeah right, if you've bought chips on an indian fest then sorry but I can't take your post seriously or your ability to assess indian food.

[Kevin Milkins]

yeah right, if you've bought chips on an indian fest then sorry but I can't take your post seriously or your ability to assess indian food.

They are not the best at the old British chip are they. I know it's a daft idea that we should consider chips as part of Indian cuisine, but I like a small ammount of chips with a curry so you would have thought that they may have cottoned on by now how we like them.

The now famous "Balti dish" was conceived in Smethick near Wolverhampton so why not be a little more inventive and ask.

[Bobinovich]

I dunno if it's relevant but they've also taken on a restaurant and takeaway in Brora - maybe they're just spreading themselves too thin

[topotheuk]

I have not had a meal from the Taj in quite a while. The last time I was in for a meal, Abs reminded me that he would still deliver to where we lived, even although they were now in Halkirk. I've never gotten round to ordering a carryout in ages, so I ordered one on Saturday night. I was told it would be approx. an hour. It came bang on time and have to say the food was lovely. We had a meal for 2 which consisted of chicken and mixed pakora and 2 lamb bhoona. My friend got chicken tikka masala and chicken corma. All dishes were scrummy as usual. thankfully I have never had a bad meal from the Taj, ever.
I had a meal from the Castletown Chinese last Monday. Chicken fried rice n barbecue sauce. It did't even hit my stomache before it came back up. Hmmm... will probably give them the benefit of the doubt, as have been using them regularly since they opened and haven't had too much bother in the past. The odd, dodgy bit of chicken, but nothing major.
Definately prefer the Taj Mahal, though.

[highland red]

We have had a couple of takeaway meals from there and my main complaint was that the food was cold the first time and barely any warmer the second. there was no delay with them looking for us as we attended in person as we only live a stones throw away.

Definitely not as good as the old Taj.

[Cattach]

I dunno if it's relevant but they've also taken on a restaurant and takeaway in Brora - maybe they're just spreading themselves too thin

I was not aware it was the same people in Brora. However, I had a meal there a couple of weeks ago and it was superb. One of the best Indian meals I have had in a while and I eat a lot of Indian food.

Regarding, British food in Indian and chinese restaurants, I never buy anything other than Indian and Chinese. If I want British food I go 'British' as I think one should go to the type of restaurant for the food they specialise in.

Chinese or Indian Chips - yuck!

[Leanne]

We tried in on someone's recommendation but it tasted like nothing we had ever tasted before - and not in a good way. It actually went in the bin as the dog refused to eat it. Real shame as people said it was so good.

[n1babe]

I was not aware it was the same people in Brora. However, I had a meal there a couple of weeks ago and it was superb. One of the best Indian meals I have had in a while and I eat a lot of Indian food.

Regarding, British food in Indian and chinese restaurants, I never buy anything other than Indian and Chinese. If I want British food I go 'British' as I think one should go to the type of restaurant for the food they specialise in.

Chinese or Indian Chips - yuck!

I'm the manager of the restaurant in Brora and was wondering if anyone has got any feed back on the service and food which they have received from the Indian Ocean...

[lrosie235@btinternet.com]

i think under the circumstances the taj mahal has done a great job of picking themselves up from nothing,a fire that destroys your entire business is a terrible downfall and it takes alot to rise above that and start again ,they realy do try there best and deserve some admiration,i have worked in kitchens and food chains all my life every business has a bad night at some time or other infact i can totaly understand how things go wrong,im sure if you phoned up with your complaint they would be more than happy to sort it for you

[upolian]

i think under the circumstances the taj mahal has done a great job of picking themselves up from nothing,a fire that destroys your entire business is a terrible downfall and it takes alot to rise above that and start again ,they realy do try there best and deserve some admiration,i have worked in kitchens and food chains all my life every business has a bad night at some time or other infact i can totaly understand how things go wrong,im sure if you phoned up with your complaint they would be more than happy to sort it for you

exactly....rather than complain on here
i had a problem with an order they sorted no problem at all and could not apologise enough,moaning on here will not fix the problem

[lrosie235@btinternet.com]

i worked there ages ago now and i made a terrible mistake with an order and im tellin you now i got in big big trouble,which i understood but the point is they dont take litely to mistakes and i had to go on the phone to the customer and grovel like it was the queen as abs prides himself in his business and makes sure his staff try there damm hardest to please his customers,hes a very generous person who on there opening night invited past and present customers to a free dinner which would of cost them a bang but no expence spear for his customers as he could of charged for that and just gave a promotional discount,i mean you dont see the curry king or any other takeaway offering a free night to any one so i do think the man deserves a break

[upolian]

^^^^speaks sense


Also people should try confrontation rather than bitching on here about business,if your not happy go back or lift the phone and complain......