Satya Chai Lounge / Satya South Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Albert-Eden

Second visit. Was an absolute hidden gem the first time. This time... Not so much. Will say, the food is excellent and the chai is terrific, but the service, well, that has made a definite downside for the worst. When we arrived, there were 3other groups there (group of 4, another of 3, and a table of two). So for a Sunday afternoon, this was quite slow. However when I say slow, I mean less than a snails pace. This is a small place, yes, but it wasn't busy by any means. 3 tables hadn't been cleared when we arrived. The host said to sit anywhere except the unclean tables. OK. Those tables remained uncleaned for the duration we were there. We ordered rather quickly 2 chai and 2 entrees. The chai took at least 20 minutes to arrive, which is acceptable in my mind but the hour plus we waited for the food was beyond ridicious. In that time, two other tables had left and no others arrives. So there were only us and the table of 4 remaining. When reminded about the food, one dish came out within the next 15 minutes and the other, well, we never received that one. Not willing to wait any longer we got up to pay and leave. Upon voicing our dissatisfaction with the host, he claimed they were busy (ummmmm) then tried to state that next door was busy (ummmm, Satya next door wasn't even open and there was no one even in the kitchen as we walked past while leaving). Wouldn't have even left a review, but the lies we were told about the appalling service deserve this. Don't want to discount this place only after 2 visits, so will give one more chance. But would prefer honesty over lies. We didn't have to pay for this visit, and rightly so, but it doenst make up for the time wasted. All up, we were there for 2 long hours.... Mostly waiting for things that just...

I was initially hesitant to share this experience, but after a particularly disappointing incident, I feel compelled to write a formal review. We believe that we were overcharged for our order. This incident occurred on Labor Day when we confirmed that the restaurant was open.

Upon reaching the restaurant, I accidentally misplaced my car key inside the car, making it challenging to retrieve. Although I managed to start the car, we couldn't lock it, so we opted to take our food as a takeaway and drive back home. It was already around 8 pm, and we still had to return to Thames.

Our order consisted of the following items:

1. Chicken 65 - It lacked flavor.
2. Chilly Chicken - This dish felt like a waste of money.
3. Chicken Chettinadu - We've never had such disappointing Chettinadu chicken.
4. Parotta (6 pieces) - The parottas seemed like they were frozen.
5. Egg Fried Rice (2 servings) - To be fair, this dish was the only one that met our expectations.

We were charged nearly $150 for this order. In our haste, we forgot to request the bill, assuming it might be in the parcel bag. However, upon returning home, we checked the official restaurant website and realized that not only were the items we ordered tasteless, but we were also charged an additional $25. I made sure to cross-check the online menu prices, and it was evident that we had been overcharged.

What added to our disappointment was that we had trusted the person we spoke with, primarily because he spoke our native language. I attempted to contact the restaurant multiple times the next day, but they did not respond.

We deeply regret choosing this restaurant for our...

Having heard about the authenticness of the cuisine at Satya through the grapevine, we navigated our way to the Sandringham Road branch after first visiting the K-road outlet and finding it had ceased to be.

One walks through the door of the restaurant past a cabinet of enticing looking indian sweets, and finds themselves not only facing the counter but also the kitchen as well, open and in full view. We were given a cursory greeting by the two gents cooking for lunch service, and invited to seat ourselves in the adjoining restaurant area. Even though it was a Sunday lunch it seemed popular enough with local indian clientele. The furnishings were basic, lots of colourful drapery, but overall the place had a dark, rough-and-ready feel.

Service was very basic and ordering our food at the front counter cum kitchen had elements of confusion as we tried to communicate what we were after, but soon the food was arriving and we were in heaven. A delicious plate of piquant, expertly curried prawns accompanied our main platter of popadum, dips and dosa which essentially amounted to a thali lunch, just what we were after. Each bite was different and pleasing. To crown it all, the garlic paratha was heavenly with its soft buttery layers and crisp exterior. The whole menu read like a fever-dream of dishes I wanted to dive in and try.

The food was delicious and fantastic value; while neither the service or the ambience sparkled such was the authenticity of the experience I am already hoping to quickly return with friends so I can try the rest of...