Seaview Indian Traditional Restaurant — Restaurant in Victoria

If you are after an Indian meal, save yourself a bad case of indigestion and bellyache, and look elsewhere. We were a group of 9, celebrating a special occasion, that had our dinner ruined by this poor excuse of an Indian restaurant. To start with, our reservation for dinner was "deferred" by the restaurant, by 45 minutes. No reason provided or apology extended. Then when our table had finally been set up, we found ourselves seated on a split level, with some diners lower than the rest of the group. By this time it was too late for us to change plans to another restaurant, as it was past 8:30 pm. Our order of 5 biryani's, left a particularly bad taste in our mouths. Although we asked for the spice level to be hot, we did not expect the rice to be stirred through with raw red chilli powder. It was impossible to eat the rice, as the only 'flavour' was 'hot'. Despite there being a few spices in the rice, the overpowering taste was raw red chilli powder. To their credit, the meat was cooked well and very tender. The biryani was not served with the typical accompaniments, such as hard-boiled egg, papad, raita and in many other places pickle too. The waiter told us that this is how they served their biryani and that raita could be purchased separately. When asked why it is that this biryani wasn't served with their usual accompaniments, the response was that this isn't actually a biryani, but a pulao instead - contrary to what was printed in the menu. Apart from the disastrous biryani, the lemon chicken was a standout for two reasons, it is not a typical Indian dish, and was nothing more than an extremely lemony gravy with some pieces of chicken. Food aside, the toilet and smoking section too left much to be desired. The single ash-tray was overflowing and a serious fire risk, and the exhaust fan in the toilet was covered with a thick layer of greasy dust, and also...

We had a very disappointing experience at this restaurant during a short stopover in Portland. The service was extremely poor — it took 30 minutes for a waiter to take our order despite the restaurant being almost empty. When we raised our concern, we were simply told he was "busy."

When we requested table water, we were given plastic cups, and upon asking for glassware, we were told they were all in the dishwasher. Plates were brought out carelessly, stacked one on top of the other, and loudly dumped onto the table, leaving us to distribute them ourselves.

The receptionist was unfriendly and unwelcoming. The washrooms were located outside, in a very dirty condition, and the passage to the toilets ran right past the dining area, forcing us to endure heavy foot traffic, including intoxicated patrons, while we ate.

Overall, it was a horrible experience. I would not recommend this place to anyone and will certainly never...

We ended up not eating ... Sad to say, but hopefully will help to change things for the better. We had a reservation for 7pm, we left past 8pm with only 1 entree served, and half of the restaurant was empty. Atmosphere: poor. Not much effort for making this place inviting. Including tables left uncleaned for over 30mins and rice left on the floor in the "main" room. Service: poor. I can mention the good will of one of the 2 young guys serving, but overall they have been slow taking care of every table in the room. Luck of any dress code, personal hygiene, basic training, and basic house keeping also need a mention. Food: only 1 entree has been served within the 60mins spent sitting at an uninviting table. It was fine, but seriously overpriced ($26 X 3 lamb small chops). We left at 8.05pm to look for...