BLANC NRI Birmingham Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Birmingham

Reserved a table for valentine's day. The earliest booking they had was 10.30pm.

Turned up and was seated and we were handed regular menus. There were valentine set menus which we were unaware of. By this point poppadums were already given to us without requesting them. We had after 15 mins of deciding and 3 waiters later we decided to go with a curry and a naan to share. It was fairly late so we didn't have the appetite to eat a huge amount. We attempted to place our order and the same waiter asked 'has anyone explained the menu'. He showed us the set valentine menu which was 30 pounds a head for poppadums, starters each main each a side dish rice naan and a dessert. Which sounded great if we were hungry. We explained we didn't want the food to go to waste and would prefer it if we could have just chosen from the menu which was our first option.

The waiter explained tonight was a set menu and there's nothing they could have done. He had to charge us 30 pounds. We were left with no choice but to leave the restaurant. The waiter said that's fine but you still need to pay for your drinks but not your poppadums. We said that's fine. The bill came through and charged us for drinks we didn't finish and poppadums we didn't eat. I believe the store manager came and asked if everything was okay. We explained and he said okay no worries.

Just thought this was really poor customer service considering we wasted a whole evening waiting to eat at this place then to be given a menu with several options to then be presented with limited options. Its misrepresentation and was of our time money and effort since we booked a hotel to stay in Birmingham as we're not from here.

Wouldn't even go again to try the food..the customer service was...

This is an Indian restaurant with a Bangladeshi twist on the dishes, so the taste is not exactly the same as what you'd generally expect out of an Indian restaurant in the UK. Some dishes are cooked and served in a unique manner and I liked it.

Food: Not generally spicy but they were willing to add some spice if needed. We tried a couple of starters and they turned out well. We tried the Aloo Chat and were surprised when it was served with a Puri - I'm not sure if that's the norm in Bangladesh. The Tandoori chicken was alright, but the Pappadom and Biryani were great. We would've appreciated a bit more flavor in the Biryani though.

Service: Very professional and attentive. The restaurant wasn't crowded at all when we visited, so that worked to our advantage too. The waiters noted down our preferences and served accordingly.

Drinks: The usual assortment was available. Nothing out of the box here but good enough to accompany your food, as there's a full-scale bar.

Ambience: It's a well-lit and carefully designed place, although it's small and could give a sense of congestion if it's crowded. We found the ambience relaxing, and were able to enjoy the view from the window beside us. Portraits of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe caught our attention.

Price: It's slightly on the higher side, but isn't too expensive. Some of the dishes are worth the price while some aren't. I was surprised that they charged for the sides of sauce they served with Pappadoms though.

Overall it's a good place to try out and have a nice dinner, if you are comfortable with the unique Bangladeshi tinge they add to the...

Overall a really decent meal. To clarify I visited on my own (as in the city for business). Service was friendly but not overly so, attentive without being too much. Poppadoms were fresh and the chutneys were great, if a little “thin” for my liking although I especially loved the dark one which I assume was a form of tamarind. Starter was Chicken 65, honestly the disappointment of the meal. A battered dish but sadly lacked the crispness I was hoping for. Tasty, if a little “soft” for my tastes. Lamb garlic chilli masala for main was really good, lamb fell apart and it had a decent heat and plenty of garlic (if anything garlic could’ve been chopped finer or minced for me as the chunks were quite large) overall though really nice flavours and a decent thick sauce. This was accompanied by a garlic and coriander naan, perfection! Freshly cooked, piping hot, a good amount of both garlic and coriander but also covered in a butter glaze that just made it so tasty, usually I prefer a chilli naan but have to say this was honestly one of the best naans I’ve had (and I worked in an Indian restaurant back in my student days!) Combine the above with decent service, bottled Cobras and I’m happy. Would I return, yes. Was it good value, yes. If I was to be picky, crisp the chicken 65 next time and it’s easily a...