Raasoie - The kitchen of India — Restaurant in Eastern Cape

Ordered food from here yesterday evening via Uber. The Uber delivery person was very professional as he kept me updated with regards to my order due to the delays on Raasoie's side. My only contact point for the delay was the Uber driver, so he kept me updated. So the inefficiencies were definitely on Raasoie's side.

I had ordered a mild vegetarian biryani, an Aloo Paratha, salad, and raaita. With this was some green chutney that they placed in a small transparent cheap sealable plastic. And not the leak proof small chutney container that caterers use usually.

Due to me being in PE for a short stay in a hotel, I had requested that plastic cutlery be supplied for 2 people.

What was delivered was the following:

1 x Mild Veg Biryani (as was ordered), however, the green beans were half cooked, and the rice was definitely not long grain basmati. Or maybe overcooked basmati that appeared like crushed rice.

The Aloo Paratha was not the type I could eat as it was full of chopped green chillies.

The Salad was contained in a foam container that had slices of cucumbers, carrots, extremely thick slices of onions that looked like the original onion was old, or lying in fridge for a long time. And 2 wedges of lemon.

Under all the food, and crushed at the bottom of the entire order, was the green chutney that needed to be eaten with the paratha.

Now, I am aware what the response to this might be. Namely that the chutney fell to the bottom during transit. Well, this was NOT the case. The chutney was found squashed under the foil pack containing the Biryani. There is no way that it got down there during transit.

In addition to this, NO CUTLERY, NO SERVIETTES, AS WAS CLEARLY REQUESTED.

I have been to Indian restaurants before. I have even ordered online in Johannesburg at similar restaurants before. For similar pricing, much better packaging and taste.

These people insult the customer. With cheap packaging. Not following what the customer requests, even though requested very specifically.

The food left a lot to be desired. It was not the close to homely type Indian meal we were craving. Instead, it was quite a put-off. I will never order here again. The food was horrible, to be honest. A lot of it discarded. Some was eaten by force as we did not want to wait another hour and a half for another food order.

I do not recommend this place. The Uber driver was the most professional part...

Ordinarily I would have given Raasoie 1 star (i.e. lowest rating) based on our experience but I have to give it a bonus star for the quality of the curry.

To summarise: we requested a table for nine people; they were busy, so they said we must wait outside (in the near freezing cold); twenty minutes or so later they usher us into the restaurant and take us around to the bar into a "holding area" where they seat six of our group and the remaining three have to stand while they grab some chairs. We ended up waiting for another five minutes before those chairs arrived, and then the table of six received their complimentary snacks while the remaining three of us sat on our hands and watched them eat because we didn't even have a table; we enquired about the wait time for a table (and hinted that they shouldn't have said they could accommodate us if they didn't have space; basically they baited us into the restaurant and took drinks orders to snag us) - we were promised "within five minutes". Thirty minutes later, still no orders taken (besides drinks), still no table, and we were restless.

To spare you the agonising details, I'll skip to the outcome:

Food arrived twenty minutes later than promised (this, after nearly an hour of waiting for our orders to be taken in the first place) Waitress completely confused everything - people were told they were sharing portions so people shared, only to find later that they were not sharing portions but individual portions Some items that we ordered never materialised at all Food was tremendously expensive Food (the ones that did arrive) was incredibly tasty

My advice: phone ahead and reserve a table, avoid busy times, and be prepared to wait a long time for your food (and make sure you triple check the order is done right), and nag your waitress / waitron (whatever) ALL the time to keep things moving. Even the owners were not interested in serving us promptly, they had us in the restaurant so they owned our patronage, that's how they seemed...

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Raasoie, an Indian restaurant that exceeded my expectations in every way. From the moment I stepped in until the last bite, my culinary adventure at Raasoie was truly unforgettable.

The Bhuna Gosht, a lamb stew, stole the show and became the highlight of my meal. Tender pieces of succulent lamb cooked to perfection in a rich, aromatic blend of spices and flavors.

Note that starches are charged separately!

The diverse menu at Raasoie showcased their commitment to authentic Indian cuisine. The attentive and friendly staff at Raasoie enhanced the dining experience. The inviting ambience of the restaurant provided the perfect backdrop for an evening of indulgence.

If you're seeking a remarkable Indian restaurant that surpasses expectations in the area, look no further...