Rajdoot Indian Restaurant — Restaurant in Birmingham

Overall, a pleasant atmospheric dining experience. The reclaimed Indian timber door and shutters, the worn tan hide seating, the perforated brass lantern lighting almost fool you to believe you were in a place of princes and times of Persia. A good marketing ploy is to sit guest in the waiting area opposite the bar although the dining tables are empty....why? Simple, as you're waiting you're sure to order a few drinks. Menu. Simple, concise and understandable. Food. In my years of dining out a litmus test is to always try sheikh kababs . . as a starter. Many a chefs credentials can be exposed by this simple starter. A KEBAB SHOULD NEVER LOOK GREY! SHOULD NEVER HAVE THAT HORRIBLE AFTER MEAT SMELL. SHOULD ALWAYS COME SIZZLING TO THE TABLE. Unfortunately, it failed miserably. One little taster was enough to send it back. Thumbs down big time. Even when I got home the little burps smelled of that meaty uncooked smell. And I'm not referring to my kids.

However, not all was bad. Chicken Methi (fenugreek), Tara dhal, and also ghobbi-aloo (potato and cauliflower)......were flavoursome and delectable to inspire me to keep eating. Tandoori chicken buryani.....well now....what's the nicest way to put this.. ? I can understand that a traditional buryani is a difficult dish to get right.....but quoting me 25years in the business and getting this dish completely wrong is like saying 25years of fooling your patrons. Over-cooked rice kernels, bland and tasteless, where was that fragrance and aroma typical of a traditional buryani? Where was that hint of mint, coriander, saffron, star aniseed, mace and fried onion???? Hmmm....I bet my socks that that 25 years of trading is long enough to get this right.

Finally, tried the ras-maliye; verdict..... average. Hint- have a chat with Ambala and see if they can inspire you to create a smooth milky curd-ball that languishes in a flavoursome milky sauce.

Overall......okay is word I use thoughtfully. 2 is a score I give honestly.

Will I dine there again.....? Probably if only for the venue...

So me the mrs and my sister in law went to Rajdoot lastnight. Got sat down near the entrance and given the menu and we were just so hungry and thought were would go straight for the mains. Eventually were sat at our table and the wait began. It felt like a life time for our food to arrive, had to ask 2 waiters how long it would be. Had an elderly couple sat to the table next to us who were there before us and who were being completely ignored and you could her the elderly lady moaning.

So the food finally arrived, I ordered keema matar and asked for it spicy. Beyond bland is the only way I could describe it. The naan were dry and hard and it tasted like all the bloody garlic in the shop and been thrown into it. Me and my partner can smell it still of our breaths. She ate 2 spoonfuls of her dish and decided she wanted nothing to do with it.

So abit annoyed by this stage we decided to leave and asked for the bill. 20mins gone by and no bill, out of frustration I've walked up to the till and asked to pay for it there.

The server did apoligise and said "sorry we are very busy". I've looked round at the restaurant and told him "mate your not even half full". He apologised again.

So if your reading this I'm now at the end, I will NOT be recommending this "place" to anyone or returning here. Disgusting food, mediocre portions, and incredibly...

I suspect there are very few who would not like the decor and ambience here. The service too is friendly and very accommodating. That said the starter came out two minutes after the poppadoms. The food didn't quite 'do it' for us. The dips with the poppadoms were too hot for the wife and I wouldn't have wanted them any hotter. The very expensive onion bhaji was a bit oily and there wasn't much effort made with the salad. It felt like there had been a mix up in the kitchen regarding the mains. My 'Nepalese inspired special' should have been hot but it wasn't. The wife's bhuna should have been medium but contained green chilli and what looked like red chilli flakes. I don't have a problem with madras or the like but her's was hot. The characteristic of both mains was that of a slightly 'creamy' gravy which isn't what I would go for. The sides were excellent as were the drinks. They very graciously dealt with the problem and were more than happy to please but unfortunately it did mar the evening. Overall I thought it was rather pricey for what we had, even if it had been a better evening. It's been around for a very long time so must be doing something right and I feel we were just unlucky...