Tanjore — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

We were excited to visit Tanjore after reading some of the reviews. We acknowledge that the restaurant was busy, but that wouldn't excuse the abysmal service and waiting time for food. While we are thankful that we got a table eventhough we didn't have a reservation, the experience was not great.

I think it comes down to the restaurant being poorly staffed which isn't ideal for a busy environment. We waited for a long time to even get water and then waited more than an hour for food.The crammed up place was uncomfortable for having a good dinner. The portion sizes were extremely small, especially the biriyani and prices weren't fair for that portion.

Malabar chicken curry and porotta were really tasty, but the biriyani and mysore dosa were a let down. I hope they improve their staffing and customer service in the future so that customers have a good experience.

Edit : reply to owner - I am sure that you have confused me for someone else as I didn't have any children or elderly parents with me. If there is a cctv footage of what you have claimed , then that would be great to watch.

As explained in my original post, I completely acknowledge that we didn't have a reservation and are thankful that we got a table , but yes ofcourse the staffing was poor. It would be worthwhile reflecting on the same and improving services rather than classifying an honest review as a " threat ".

Also, we never told you that we would leave a negative review or thereaten you with anything and we are not even thinking of revisiting as we understand defense is the priority for your team rather than reflection. Please stick to the facts as your reply must have been directed towards someone else whom you have misunderstood for me. Thank you...

Here's what you do. You go to Tanjore, on Clerk Street, and you order a dosai (a crisp, enormous pancake made from a batter of ground lentils and rice) with whichever filling tickles your fancy - there's lamb, chicken, or multiple vegetarian options. You eat it, with great ceremony, pausing to tear off shreds of moreish pancake and dip them in the delightful accompanying dipping sauces - and you feel deeply content. The only possible way you couldn't be satisfied by the superb dosai at Tanjore is if you're some kind of enemy of deliciousness - then, then I quite simply can't help you.

Aside from the dosai (and let's be frank - I don't understand how anyone could get pass the dosai, so crisp, so delicious, so huge) there's a very wide selection of Southern Indian cuisine to choose from at Tanjore. The Kerala fish curry features flaky white fish in a coconut sauce, crammed full of vibrant spices without being confusing for the palate at all - the flavours seem to unfold layer by layer. I'm not a meat eater, but the carnivores I know speak of the gorgeousness of the lamb.

There's a huge array of vegetarian food to chose from, and everything is so inexpensive its almost scandalous. The look and feel of the place isn't up to much - functional and very low key - but who cares when such a great meal can be found? Service is lovely as well, very warm and considerate. There's no alcohol on site, but its BYOB, with no corkage - another means of keeping costs awfully low. Tanjore...

It's disheartening to have to leave a negative review for a place we visit frequently. However, the recent experiences have left much to be desired.

Last time we visited, we wanted to order a family dosa, we were discouraged explicitly since the table couldn't accommodate the dosa. We offered to have it folded on a single table since the place was busy, but weren't given the courtesy. This time, we got a table that could fit the family dosa. While serving, the chutney slipped and got splashed on our dresses. We understand that accidents happen. But the staff just avoided our table altogether after that. They apologized for the sake of it but remained unapologetic throughout. They couldn't bother to replace the spilt chutney or the tissues. It also feels as if they are not very keen on serving extra chutney even if we pay for it. The burnt dosa further compounded our disappointment and it got cold by the time we cleaned up the chutney splash. It was exacerbated by the absence of attention from the front of the house staff until the end of our meal.

Although the staff waived charges for the additional chutneys and offered to replace the family dosa with a regular one, we declined.

It's evident that the current staff lack the attentive service we once enjoyed under the previous staff. This decline in customer care is disheartening and likely dissuades...