Tinge of Turmeric — Restaurant in Arona

On the face of it the reviews for this restaurant look really good but on closer examination I found that 82 of the 5* reviews out of the 474 total reviews on Google and 118 out of 322 on Tripadvisor were from people who have only ever produced this single review!! A few customer writing their first review would be normal but these huge figures suggest that the restaurant may be soliciting / coercing 5* reviews which makes their overall rating somewhat questionable?

The restaurant is located just off the road but set back far enough to make it pleasant due the small cactus garden just outside. The restaurant does lack atmosphere some music might help but I have to say the customer service from all the staff was excellent.

On arrival I was astounded to see that all the starter plates had already been laid out on the tables (see pictures). They were laid face down apparently to keep them clean however this meant that the side that you eat off is then tainted with residue from the table cleaning agent and potentially residual food scraps left on the re-usable plastic table cloth. I checked this issue on Google which states that "for hygiene reasons plates should NEVER be left out they should be brought to the table when the food is ready to serve".

Having finished my starter I was taken aback when I was asked if I wanted to re-use my starter plate & cutlery for the main course especially when it was covered in Chicken Tikka, Mint Yoghurt, Cheese, and fried onions - I opted for clean ones!!

Turning to the food Good sized portions and the chicken Tikka was excellent quality. The Chicken Tikka curry was beautifully spiced probably the best authentic Indian curry I have had on the island. The only negative comment on the food was that the Tikka marinade looks like it was overnight rather than the 24 hours which is recommended. The pricing was about average for the area.

Overall I would have given 4* but the hygiene issue with the plates reduced this to 2. I try to be constructed with my reviews so I returned and discussed the issue with the manager who seemed to agree that the plates should not be left out so I said I would revisit in a few days to check if changes had been made and if so would publish a 4 review. Sadly when I returned every place setting still had a plate on it hence the 2* review!! RESPONSE TO OWNER Thank you for your rapid response. I will leave readers to determine whether like me they feel that the inordinately high number of first time 5* reviews is questionable. On your second point I did not question your right to set the tables in any way you chose my review clearly highlighted that the current practice of laying plates ahead of arrivals should be changed as it carries with it well documented significant hygiene risks, this alone justified the drop...

Tricky place to review. Our second visit. The food is generally the main draw. Our starters were excellent. The main curries still have an issue with getting the correct heat. There is a scale in the menu and the staff do explain that medium is very hot compared to UK curries. So why then have three levels above that? It just makes getting the correct heat very difficult. First time my madras was crazy hot. I was warned but who would expect a madras to be pretty much vindaloo heat? Second time I was on guard. But despite a detailed discussion my ‘medium’ chicken bhuna was barely spicy. Although I could see lots of ingredients and it should have been so good. Saying that the chicken pieces were overcooked. Well some were and some weren’t. Other issue is the vibe. Everyone near us was sitting in silence. Thump thump from nearby venues. We played guess the tune. Sweet Dreams intro was easy to spot. I could also tell the couple next to us were struggling with their unexpectedly super spicy curry. “She did warn us” - I overheard, which would be true and is the reason I suspect very few people feedback negatively in person. They feel failure to negotiate the spice level is their misunderstanding. I’d like to go for a third visit. If only for the amazing starters and the great staff - the only restaurant where they asked if we wanted to pause before main dishes arrived. A third visit then? I don’t know. It feels too hit and miss. We should have said something. But it wasn’t quite that bad. And the low atmosphere already had us wanting to just pay the bill and move on. The British reluctance to raise an issue? for sure. I really hope the restaurant completely rethinks its apparent ‘thing’ with curry heat, certainly a fundamental, and gets some background music. It’s so close to being superb in...

A very good Indian restaurant with many vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options in their menu. For the main dishes you can choose your masala (balti, vindaloo, madras, etc.) and how hot you want it. Many "Indian" restaurants use the same masala and just change the spiciness, but not this one - we had different dishes and I could taste the difference in the spices. I would have liked to feel them a bit more, so next time I'll ask for a spicier version. I was surprised to find nimbu pani (I love it!) among the drinks, a slightly fizzy lemonade with mint leaves and a hint of black salt, perfect match to an Indian meal. I would have liked to find more mithai (Indian sweets) like barfi, rasgolla, peda etc, but I was probably the only one to ask for them, though they deserve popularity. The place is not huge, but you can choose to eat outside or in. The service was quick, the place was clean and didn't smell like fried food. My overall opinion is that this Indian restaurant is very good and...