The Colonial British Indian Cuisine | Darlinghurst — Restaurant in Sydney

I did not have a good experience with the Colonial British Indian Cuisine Darlinghurst, specifically the man/manager in charge of answering the phones.

I ordered off UberEats at approximately 8pm and received a notification that my order had arrived. I went outside to check and found that this was not the case. I attempted to contact the uber driver to no avail and proceeded to contact the restaurant directly. This is where the problem started.

After contacting the restaurant, the man who picked up confirmed my order and told me it was still at the restaurant. I asked him if there were any plans for it to be delivered or if there was a driver on the way, he said he was not sure. I asked him what the plan was then, if my food was just going to be left there. He had no regard for my order, just kept repeating himself saying "it is still here". I decided to give them half an hour to try and sort the situation out. I called back in half an hour and asked about the updates, he continued to repeat himself saying "it is still here" and provided ZERO updates on what was going to happen. I decided to go there myself to pick up the food.

Upon arriving, I met the man who was on the phone with me. I asked why the situation came to be, he kept repeating "this never happens" and told me i should go sort out the situation with uber myself. I asked him as a customer, when a situation like this arises, what usually happens and what is the protocol. He said he did not know, "this never happens". I was frustrated that he did not apologise or provide any solution to remedy the situation. He did not apologise for any inconveniences, he just continued to say "i dont know, this never happens, this is a problem with uber". My food had been sitting there for an hour by that time. He offered no compensations, and I realised my questions were falling on deaf ears so I decided to leave.

As expected, when I got home, my food had gone cold. To my surprise, it was alot smaller than what I expected. I used to frequently go to the British Colonial in Neutral Bay, where paying $28 for a chicken korma would get me a sizeable container. I have attached the size of the curry they gave me. Their Naan Bread was also quite hollow, and unsavoury.

I cannot recommend this place for anyone. I am honestly very sad as I used to love my old British Colonial restaurant. Sadly, this experience has shown me the little care and regard the restaurant has for its customers. It has also shown me the incapability to not only resolve a complication but also to even acknowledge and take...

I went on Friday night in a group. One of my friends had bought the “$25 for $40” prepay voucher online. She had this feeling that they would try to wriggle out of it, so she asked everyone to double check the T&C to make sure we could use it that night.

We mentioned it to the waitress from the start. She was really nice and we enjoyed the food. We were having a good night until it came to paying the bill...

The waitress got another woman with long hair (we assume she was the supervisor/manager). When my friend showed her the voucher she said, “No that’s just for one person.” My friend said it clearly states one per table and we had read the T&C. She wasn’t budging and it felt like we had to plead our case. Eventually she said, “I’ll check it.”

We sat there stressing for 10 minutes at the prospect of paying a huge bill, but it felt like an eternity. It totally ruined our meal. The woman ignored us the whole time over at the counter. We kept glancing over to see what was going on. Suddenly a waiter appeared with our bill. The bill had the voucher taken off... No apology, no explanation, nothing.

On our way out, the woman sarcastically said “thank you”. My friend couldn’t keep quiet anymore and said, “No apology for what happened?” The woman annoyedly replied, “I was checking it ma’am.” My friend said, “$40 per person makes no sense but that’s fine.”

I am actually a regular at the restaurant and had invited my friends there, but I don’t think I will be coming back. My friends told me not to bother writing this review but I wanted to warn people buying the online vouchers: be wary and be prepared to defend yourself. To the restaurant: if you don’t want customers using vouchers, stop selling them!

We understand that people make mistakes, but all we were asking for was some sort of polite acknowledgment from the woman that she had got it wrong and we would have graciously accepted. We didn’t appreciate being ignored as if nothing had happened. What an awful end to what could have been a great night resulting in repeat custom. Big customer...

We had organised my son’s first birthday at the restaurant. From the inception of speaking with Pankaj when requesting for a private area to hold our party, to the time we had walked out of the restaurant after our event, had been an outstanding and unforgettable experience. Given the varying dietary restrictions of myself and the guests, Pankaj ensured our banquet menu would cater for all palates, including gluten free and vegan. Every single dish was not only flawless in quality and texture, but was incredibly delicious and fresh. My dad who is a staunch vegetarian usually questions the integrity of restaurants, and has endless doubts and queries before he orders a single meal on the table. Here, after speaking for a couple of minutes with Pankaj, and being reassured of his ability to adhere to requirements, was a testament to Pankaj’s long standing & successful career in hospitality management.

We expressed that we'd like to hire services of a decorations company to come and set up our area for the party, and Pankaj not only welcomed the idea, but was extremely accomodating in facilitating for this to occur in the best possible way.

His and his crew’s ability to meticulously handle multiple guests’ requests on the night of our party - at a full capacity restaurant, and yet delivering the perfect service all round, is not an ordinary experience one would feel elsewhere. He & his wonderful crew have left an everlasting experience in both mine and my husband’s family’s hearts.

Simply cannot thank your hospitality and kindness for being incredibly attentive and cognisant of all our needs throughout our dealing, Pankaj. Thanks a ton and more, for making our son’s first birthday a night to remember for many years...