Basmati's Indian eatery — Restaurant in Christchurch

On arrival to Basmati's we were immediately greeted and offered to sit at a table of our choosing. The waiter was very attentive and answered our questions and served our drinks very promptly. We ordered 3 items; Anari lamb (medium), Chicken Jalfrezi (mild) and 2x Garlic naan breads. The time for the food to come was around 30 minutes but we did notice that another table of 2 who ordered after us was served their food first and that is the only reason for the 4-star rating for service. The Anari was a new dish for us to dry and although it was nice and the lamb was cooked perfectly, it lacked a depth of flavour and was did not have the expected spice level. It also appeared that the pomegranate which I understood to be a vital component of the dish was sprinkled on top rather than cooked with. The Chicken Jalfrezi was the favourite of the night and the flavour was delicious and spicy. As per the menu this dish says it includes onions, tomatoes and capsicum. Our dish had a few pieces of capsicum but was filled out mostly with beans which we found to be an odd choice. The coriander mentioned in the menu of both these dishes was minimal which was disappointing. Tha garlic naan although tasty appeared to be a wrap rather than handmade bread. In terms of atmosphere it was clean and well decorated with lovely plants although the front door was open most of the time we were there despite us closing it. This restaurant exits on to a main road so it made it a bit noisy and cold. Please check the pricing as the online prices were quite different to the restaurant menus. All in all, if you are looking for an authentic Indian meal this may not be your...

This place used to be one of our favourite but not anymore after today experience. We had food last night online order goat masala,saag chicken, 7 tandoori roti, there was no flavour in both curry’s. I called them around 9:56pm over the phone I explain whole thing, we didn’t eat food and we kept for next day to take it back. Today I called them so they said come before 5pm. Me and my partner went back to the restaurant , when we arrived chef came out from kitchen with rude and bad behaviour and dirty chef uniform, saying I have 20years experience and why you didn’t bring back last nigh. I try to explain him the situation and I offer him to try a food but he rejected. After during our conversation another person came from next door bar. He also started arguments, they didn’t accept the low quality of food, these guys start abusing for no reason telling us don’t come back. this is not a professional way to deal with customers . I been in hospitality from long time as well and I don’t complain for no reason. Never ever had this bad experience , never recommended this place for food and customer service. I wish the owner was there as I met him few times and he is a good guy. Photo attached from the...

Last night, my husband and I went to celebrate his birthday. However, the evening took a turn for the worse due to the behavior of one of the staff members, Naveen. While serving, he asked if I had visited before, and I mentioned coming a few months ago with a Kiwi friend. His demeanor immediately changed, and he began accusing us of laughing too loudly during a power outage on that previous visit, claiming we "created a mess" for others.

First of all, our laughter was in no way disruptive—it was simply us enjoying our time. Secondly, this uncalled-for complaint felt completely unprofessional. Needless to say, the entire interaction left us uncomfortable and ruined our evening.

As for the food, the quality was underwhelming. The chili paneer was bland and tasteless, though it was slightly improved after we complained.

We have been loyal customers here for some time, but this experience was beyond disappointing. Not recommended, and we certainly won't be returning...