Indian by Nature — Restaurant in Melbourne

My partner and I decided to venture to Indian By Nature after reading some great reviews. I booked to ensure that we were secured a spot. When we arrived, we were greeted and given menus, and told to find a table (a little odd as we have always been led to a booked table, but nothing major). When we sat down the waiter offered drinks and we noticed that there was no drinks menu. They said they didn’t have one but would tell us what they had. I asked for a Coke Zero and they said they didn’t have it. I asked for a lemonade and they said they didn’t have it. I decided to go for a regular Coke (this seemed to be the only soft drink available). My partner asked for a lemon lime and bitters and our waiter went missing for about 5 minutes, only to return with a small, flat glass of lemon lime and bitters. The waiter returned with my coke, in the same (probably 200mL) glass. My partner noticed they were pouring out of a can so I was surprised they didn’t pass on a full can of drink for $3.50. My partner and I ordered the chicken tikka masala and beef rogani, with a side of rice ($7!) and garlic naan. About 20 minutes later, a waiter delivered some plates to our table. Mine was dirty so I asked for a new one. A couple of minutes later, my partner noticed his was covered in curry at the bottom. We pulled over the available waiter (who at the time was the owner) and he took the plate, examined it, gave us a sly look and walked away without apologising. We were baffled! About 5 minutes later, a clean plate came out, and 10 minutes after this, our meals were given to us. While we were waiting for the meals, we noticed all the meals were being microwaved, and we noticed that when we had our meals, they were piping hot (indicating they had been microwaved). The food was average at best, we felt both dishes were very bland and tasted the same. My partner and I finished the meals and rushed out. The bill came to $57, after one of the waiters acknowledged that the lemon lime and bitters was flat and we shouldn’t be charged for it. Overall, pretty negative experience and we will not...

The absolute worst value for money I’ve ever seen for an average looking Indian takeaway... The service was lack lustre

We paid $14 for 1 tandoori mushroom which was cut into 4 tiny pieces. Then another $14 for a waif of paneer. When $53 of entrees came out on a single plate (2 of which I had originally ordered as a main but due to there minuscule size I had to swiftly increase the size of my order). The entree was: Paneer Tandoori prawns (which were bland) Tandoori mushroom I’m not a big eater so this is illustrates how tiny this $53 worth of food is.

Then the mains however were delicious (2 curries) but $8 for a cup of rice with 7 peas in it is a joke. To top everything off I ordered a soda water which was totally flat and when going to use the bathroom noticed it was from ‘black and gold’ brand and left out on the bench.

When approached to discussed the portion sizes of the entrees we were presented with a justification as to why $14 was indeed accurate and appropriate, given they were “field mushroom” which slowly absorbs all the flavour and shrinks. In an attempt to appease us and “make us happy” he unwilling dropped the price of the mushroom to $10 and left everything else to as is.

Our final bill came to an eye watering $107 down from an astronomical $111. We walked out in stunned disbelief that a very low key Indian restaurant charged us $107 for 2 people on a rainy wednesday evening, nor were we farewelled on...

Visited Indian by Nature while exploring Melbourne on our Day 1, and I must say, it was a terrible experience.

As visitors unfamiliar with the area, we politely asked the manager if there was a restroom nearby. Instead of helping, he bluntly said, “No.” When we mentioned that two ladies outside had just said they used the restroom here, he snapped back saying, “That’s because they had a kid with them. If you want to go, you need to buy something—get a can of something.”

Really? Emergency situations can happen to anyone, and the lack of empathy was shocking. As an Indian restaurant, this kind of behavior represents culture in a very poor light. Rather than being helpful or understanding, the manager seemed more interested in upselling while we were in need. Absolutely pathetic. The restaurant was completely empty—not a single customer in sight—yet the manager/owner was still rude enough to not help.

Thankfully, an Aussie shop next door kindly helped us out—exactly the kind of compassion we expected from our own people.

If you’re looking for respect or decent customer service, I’d strongly recommend steering clear of this place. The manager seriously needs a lesson in basic humanity, empathy and...