POSITIVES: Beautiful decor. Mango lassi was delicious. The waiter there was very helpful, friendly and polite. Was happy to offer replacements and the food came out quickly.

NEGATIVES: Chefs/Kitchen and owner/manager don't care about the quality of food they serve or the service provided. The Sheikh Kebab Chicken was overcooked and so hard that it couldn't even be cut into. Chicken Madras Curry was very chewy and the curry itself was bitty as if it had previously been frozen and then pre-heated. If you know your Indian cuisine, you'll know what I'm talking about.

We asked for the kebab to be replaced which it was and when it came out the second time, it was tender, perfectly cooked and delicious!

We had also told the waiter about the Chicken Madras Curry but we advised we didn't want a replacement as at that point, we were so disappointed that the only 2 dishes we had ordered were both so lacking first time round that we just wanted to leave as soon as possible.

To add insult to injury, the waiter asked the manager/owner "what should they do?" halfway through the service and my husband overheard him replying that "If they are repeat customers, then offer them a refund". It was our first time in Malta as we were there on our honeymoon and first time at Shakinah.

We weren't expecting nor did we ask for a refund at any point but would have thought due to the poor quality of both dishes, as a gesture of goodwill, the manager would have either reduced the charge for the curry or taken it off the bill completely. Anyone who has worked in customer service/hospitality knows they could have turned this experience around easily and got us as repeat customers by making some sort of goodwill gesture or even just apologising about the curry.

If we hadn't been looking forward to eating at Shakinah's, maybe we wouldn't have felt so disappointed but what made it worse was that the owner/manager's service was dependent on whether we had been there before. What makes them think anyone would want to go there more than once if this is the service and quality provided?

If you don't know what good quality Indian food tastes like, you'll be fine at Shakinah's. If you know the difference, go to Naan Bar (corner of Melita & Old Bakery Street) instead and ask for a table downstairs. They're a small restaurant but so friendly, welcoming, nothing is too much trouble and the food has been amazing every time we went! We recommend the Chicken Tikka, Nimona, Shrimp Chingri Malai Curry, Awadhi Chicken Biryani & Mango Lassi.