Jamal's — Restaurant in England

Me and my boyfriend came here for a meal together and when we arrived the waiter told us that there is a wait for food as everything is made from scratch. This was completely fine and we sat down and had a drink. When we tried to place a food order the waiter informed us that the chef (Jamal) comes and takes the food order which we found abit confusing so my boyfriend politely asked why and how can they manage when the restaurant is full if only one person is taking the orders.Shortly after this Jamal came out to take our food order and straight away started shouting at me and my boyfriend in a very threatening manner saying things like “I have worked in this industry for 27 years that’s older than you” and was indirectly saying that we do not know what we are talking about as we are young even when I stated I have worked in restaurants since the age of 16 and normally the waiter takes the order not the chef. Jamal then proceeded to go on a rant about the other places around his restaurant being closed down (which had nothing to do what either of us had said) and (while still yelling) that he had offended many customers but once they had his food they liked it. In turn I reminded him that just because people like his food it does not mean that he is not being rude to them. I then told him he had offended me and that I had lost my appetite and he proceeded to try and take my boyfriends order who told Jamal again that I was upset. Jamal’s response was to kiss his teeth. At this point we decided to just pay for our drinks and leave and upon hearing this, Jamal told us he does not beg customers to stay which I found to be a very odd comment to make. We paid for our drinks which came to £14.50. We had two cokes which are £1.95 each and then my boyfriend had a double Hennessy which came to £7 meaning that they had overcharged us. Jamel is very very unprofessional and if he speaks to customers like the way he spoke to us I think it’s best if the waiter takes the food orders or the other chef (who Jamal was speaking about us too while we were in ear shot). Over all very very unpleasant and unprofessional behaviour we did not even get an apology for his behaviour from the other staff. I have seen Jamal’s response to another poor review and him saying that he hopes it doesn’t hurt his business however i think Jamal’s attitude and poor customer service skills will be the thing that damages his business the most. His food looks amazing however his attitude...

Definitely wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone with dignity. Walked in to the almost empty restaurant with my girlfriend for dinner and we were told it would take a while to be served as Jamal cooks food from scratch. We didn’t mind this and ordered some drinks, the waiter mentioned he doesn’t take food orders as Jamal would attend to us when he’s done cooking. Out of curiosity, I politely asked the waiter how that system is sustainable for a restaurant that has the capacity to sit 30-40 people, he said it’s just how it is and we enjoyed our drinks while waiting to be served. Eventually Jamal comes out to take our order but first yells at us at the top of his voice that he’s been cooking for 27 years and he doesn’t care about how we feel, he has upset numerous customers and he doesn’t care. This was quite embarrassing and my girlfriend said she had lost her appetite, I tried explaining calmly to him that he was quite rude and had upset her but he just kissed his teeth and tried taking my order like nothing happened. We decided to pay for our drinks and walked out while he kept yelling and boasting that he makes great food so doesn’t care about anyone’s patronage. An extremely unprofessional and...

The service is slow, the decor is dated, the owner/chef/host is mercurial to say the least, and the prices, given where it is, aren't exactly cheap. However, Jamal's get a very high 4 Stars from me, because the food is outstanding. As a vegetarian, I often find myself confined to two or three dishes on an Indian menu. Jamal's had even less options for me. But the Sag Aloo was the star of the show. I also had the vegetable biriyani, which while well-seasoned was subtle and nuanced; the spices offset by the very carefully measured plump, sweet sultanas that occasionally interjected on the palate. Jamal is truly a gifted chef. If you're willing to put up with having to wait a bit longer - there's hardly any other staff - then your patience will be amply rewarded. RECOMMENDED for away fans visiting the Riverside Stadium (10 mins by foot); give yourself two hours to get the...