Rajbhog Indian Restaurants — Restaurant in Melbourne

Im quite disappointed to be having to write this review as we have came here a couple times before and haven’t really noticed this issue before, me and my family had came here to eat after having had a long day out we get there and are seated and we noticed that everyone had papadum yet even after been having seated for almost 20 minutes we weren’t served any while a group of people who had arrived after us were served instantly. I decided to brush that off assuming they must have just been very busy and low on staff but we noticed people who arrived after us had already gotten there order taken while we waited for a staff member to come take ours for 25 minutes and during this 25 minutes staff were out and serving other people. After that while we were ordering the tomato soup would be extremely spicy and recommend to order something else we asked for it to be mild and she said it would still most likely be spicy and to just order one almost as if she was trying to get us to order something else so she wouldn’t have to make it . After that we got served out soup which supposedly was “very spicy “(it was in-fact extremely mild) we waited for out mains and saw people whom had arrived after us to have been served there food before us and not trying to compare to much but it was definitely clear that we were getting treated unfairly. After that out mains arrived and we were waiting for out salted lassi we got told that the salted lassi would take longer to make but being completely honest the salted lassi can’t possibly be taking longer to make than the mains.almost being finished with our mains we still hadn’t been served our side dish of salad which should clearly accompany the mains . The food was not the worst but then again not the best but all i know is it definitely wasn’t worth the service I don’t want to write to much so i will leave it at this but i truly am disappointed with the service and hope they would improve because it was completely unacceptable.

Edit: thank you to the owner for reaching out and explaining the situation to my family and i understand where they were coming from the restaurant is actually quite nice i did enjoy the food i just hope the service could slightly be improved but knowing now that the staff were new hires its more understanding how it was since the restaurant was quite packed im sure if we had came on a less busy day we would have been treated better but it you decide to go the food...

My initial impression looking in from Anderson Street was that the restaurant was closed, but it turned out they just weren't that busy and the entrance door was at the back where there is a decent sized carpark. As we were using a gift voucher we thought we'd ask if they would accept it before actually occupying a table. The guy at the front counter said they don't, without even checking, even though I'd checked on the website of the gift card issuer and this restaurant was definitely listed. Anyway we were about to go elsewhere but I thought I'd ask a 2nd time and get them to make sure, at which point they got an older fellow to come out of the kitchen (presumably the owner) and he confirmed that we could in fact use this gift card. Happy times! Regulations to do with the chinavirus were being followed, although we were made to look at the menu on our mobile phones using a QR code which I didn't like at all. I find this quite annoying and I hope it's not a practice that becomes mainstream. Upon being seated we were given a couple of complimentary pappadums, as well as being offered a complimentary glass of drink each, which was certainly a nice and unique touch, and made up for the fairly surly and at times aloof-seeming vibes I got from the two men who had served me up until that point. The waitress who served us was lovely, however. Food tasted very good and I didn't feel unwell afterwards (I sometimes get a bit iffy with Indian restaurants!). The Chicken Tikka on a sizzling plate was especially impressive. With the Samosas, Chicken Tikka, a meat and a vegetarian curry, and two serves of rice, the two of us were pretty full. In fact we probably could have got by with just one serve of rice to share. Serving sizes weren't massive, but I didn't feel they were tiny either. This was an honest, nice restaurant that provided reasonable value and tasty food. Ambience could be improved but if you're craving Indian food in the eastern suburbs, then...

This was the chicken in the whole chicken biyiyani !!! See photo! Got some rice cooked in curry masala as chiken biriyani. Absolutely disgusted by the way of people trying to make money! This was hands down the worst biryani I’ve ever had. The raita smelled absolutely foul, and the only cucumber slice in the salad was mushy, discoloured, and tasted rotten. I’ve never had to throw away takeaway food before, but I had no choice this time. It honestly felt like a scam, with no care for quality, just a sad attempt to make money. As someone who loves Indian food, I’m disgusted this is what they’re serving under that name.

[add on after owner’s response]

So you’re publicly saying spoiled food is justified because it’s “free,” and proper service only applies to orders over 1000ml? That’s… bold.

Respecting customers means respecting their money. I work hard too—and unlike this meal, I expected quality, not a scam.

Your response reflects the same care you put into that biryani: defensive, careless, and dismissive. Not surprised, honestly. I didn’t expect more from a place that serves food like that and still calls it Indian cuisine.

I’ve shared my experience honestly, with evidence. If this is how you handle feedback, I can only imagine how you handle food. Good...