Jilabi Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Birmingham

Well what can I say. I have so been looking for somewhere local to sit and eat a good Indian. And well I found it. I'm so looking forward to returning.

Firstly, the decor is just outstanding. The interior design is so majestic the hues of pink, gold and green, just beautiful.

From the moment I walked in I felt like Royalty, and given the decor i could have well entered a Palace it was so regal.

Secondly, the customer service is the best I've ever experienced in and Indian Restaurant. At that DiD make me feel like Royalty. The staff were so accommodating to my needs especially when I was seated in a location and asked to be placed nearer a power outlet, the gentleman's response was satisfyingly accepting. He moved me with no question. And all throughout my entire couple of hours I had the best time. Even had a few jokes in the process. I was taken into the kitchen so I could thank the staff in there at my request.

Last but by far the least... the food. Oh my word. I'm just sat here waiting for next Thursday. It was so good. Upon sitting down you are given a pickle tray and a couple of poppadoms. I ordered my food n stages. Do ordered the starter before I even knew what I was having for the main dish. I had Seekh Kebabs made fresh and to my delight just spicy enough to give me that open head pore feeling lol. (I love that lol) The starter however, was brought out too soon. Therefore I requested it be kept warm for me. And was refused, because the chef manager said they would make from fresh again when I wanted. (Loved that). I had a Chicken Bhuna, with pilau rice for main. yet before that, I saw a gentleman cutting watermelon and asked if I was able to.have some. And to my delight at least 8 small triangles of watermelon we brought to me with a small shot glass of grated ginger (never had that hefore) , rhe combination of the two....Just wow. I WILL be trying that at home. The watermelon was so, sweet fresh and juicy mixed with the ginger was a great combo.

Anyway I received my chicken bhuna and rice to takeaway and at my request for a lot of sauce and not to be dry, they got it spot on. Has to be the best Chicken Bhuna I have eaten since the late 90s.

So if you are wanting all of the above. I would suggest a visit it. However be careful. You may just get hooked

Oh and whilst I was there they had a big group of people in for a birthday and what I observed is they really do know how to.cater for large groups. So.book in for your works do, anniversary or birthday. You won't be...

AWFUL FOOD & SERVICE!!

I vistied yesterday, and when ordering felt very rushed and forced by the waiter on what to order - I asked if they could make the chicken tikka masaala more spicy and instead he pretty much forced/ordered for me to have butter chicken, which i later realised was a more expensive dish!

We asked for a jug of water for the table in addition to us ordering paid soft drinks, but were told “we dont offer jugs of water” which was odd.

My mixed kebab starter arrived and the food did not taste good at all, worst of all the lamb chop that came with it had no lamb on it, just fat only therefore was unedible (clearly them using cheap cuts of meat/ingredients) i have included a photo of the lamb chop.

After i took a photo of the lamb chop, I noticed the waiter hovering around behind me and he asked if everything was ok, and I told him I wasnt happy with the starter and he very quickly took the plate away and called the manager, the manager offered me another lamb chop but I was already put off at this point and declined and just asked for the cost of it to be taken off my bill at the end.

My main finally came after a long wait, and was supposed to be butter chicken - the dish that arrived at the table was far from it and looked and tasted awful! The chicken looked like cheap supermarket produce that you find in the cold meats section and tasted odd, worst of all they had blatantly watered down the sauce as butter chicken is supposed to have a thick and creamy sauce, but the consistency of what I was served was basically runny water (which i assume they do to cut costs and make more money, rather than provide quality food) you could actually even taste water when i tried the curry and there was no flavour at all.

I was not happy eating this and informed the manager that we will just pay for our drinks and leave as I did not feel safe eating the mess that was being served to us. He reluctantly agreed and we walked out.

I will never visit this restaurant again, food...

THE GOOD BIT This place came recommended by a friend so was looking forward to a decent Friday evening meal. We arrived to a bustling eaterie with lots of seating.

Starters were very tasty but not quite the portion I was expecting for a shared ‘platter’ (seekh kebabs were very tasty - just wish there was more of them - were minuscule unfortunately). Had two main dishes - they were cooked well and tasted nice but again quite small portions. A Starter and a Main should result in a full(ish) belly but not today - but perhaps I’m just a fatty!

We got complimentary cake, icecream and coffee at the end of the meal, which they do for everyone and is definitely a nice touch. Credit where credit is due.

The atmosphere was pleasant and we were surrounded by people having a nice time and there was a good vibe. Service is well above average - waiters are very attentive.

NOW FOR THE NOT SO GOOD BIT! My friend and I often visit restaurants together; 2 fatties that we are. We politely enquired about the size of the nans, just so that we know how big the nans are - stops us from over-ordering and wasting food (and keeps costs down). The waiter took genuine offence at being asked this and was vocal about it. I apologised profusely at the unintended faux pas, but he was insistent on being irate. I carried on apologising to diffuse the situation - he took our order and agreed to ‘start over’. WTH!

The whole meal was marred by this incident. We stayed, out of guilt, but it was a bizarre, surreal and unnecessary experience. Won’t be going...