Mattancherry Taunton — Restaurant in England

An incredibly disappointing experience. There were 6 of us dining. We all had different starters and 5 different mains.

The service was fine. Not indifferent but hardly friendly. We sat upstairs and the decor is interesting, although they could do with turning the heating up a bit as it was on the cold side.

My pakoras were tasty. My partner had the seekh kebab. This tasted ok but was cold. The other starters were not bad. It went downhill from there.

There was a long wait for the mains but it was a busy Saturday evening and we were in no rush.

I had the Syrian beef curry which others have raved about in reviews. I wouldn’t go as far as to describe it as unpleasant but I’m astonished that anyone would think it was good. The beef was mostly dry and tough and the sauce tasted only of curry leaves and aniseed.

My partner had chicken korma. This was an abomination. Watery, bland and more akin to a tin of chicken soup. Seriously. He left most of the sauce and he said it was the worse curry he had ever been served in a restaurant.

The pilau rice was not flavourful. However, the garlic naan was good. None of the other main courses were better than average. We would have complained about the korma as it was so awful but one of our friends had had a few beers by that point and decided to mix it in with his beef roast dish to see if it could be improved (it didn’t work), leaving an empty korma bowl so we didn’t bother to mention it.

Obviously, nobody wanted desserts as we’re not gluttons for punishment.

As we asked for the bill, the comments around the table ranged from “I’m gutted as it was supposed to be so good here” to “ that was effing terrible”.

With drinks and service it came to £90 per couple. We had so looked forward to trying Mattancherry but we left feeling sad and angry that we had paid that (not insignificant) amount of money for a meal so unsatisfying.

Would any of us recommend it or return? Not even if...

I recently visited Mattancherry Taunton, a restaurant that comfortably seats around 50 patrons. While parking is not immediately adjacent to the venue, a short walk of a few minutes is required. The restaurant also features a banquet hall upstairs, likely used to accommodate overflow crowds. The ambiance is very pleasant and clean.

Our meal began with paneer tikka and chicken lollipop. As a vegetarian, I can vouch for the paneer tikka—it was quite good. My companions had similar praise for the chicken lollipop. One standout dish was the muscle dosa, which exceeded my expectations. It was served with sambar and chutney, though the chutney could have used a bit more salt. We also ordered kadai paneer and garlic naan. The naan was freshly made and delicious, while the kadai paneer, although a bit spicy for me, was deemed perfectly seasoned by my friend. One order of kadai paneer is ample for two people, and we complemented it with some plain rice for the leftovers. My friend also tried the Mattancherry fish curry and found it excellent.

The service was prompt and friendly, with two waiters efficiently managing the kitchen and dining area. There is also a bar with a good selection of wines and a few branded beers. I opted for a salt lemon soda, which was refreshing and aided my appetite.

For those in Taunton looking for quality Indian cuisine, I highly recommend Mattancherry. It is one of the few places where both South Indian and North Indian dishes are equally delightful.

Overall, I would rate the food, ambiance, and service...

We have eaten in the restaurant before, but this was only the second or third time ordering a takeaway. It was so disappointing. The usual distinct spicing was there, everyone commented on the flavours, but that's where the positives stop I'm afraid. The prawn biryani contained rock hard, overcooked prawns. The biryani sauce was almost inedible with the inclusion of woody celery - I gave up picking chunks of it out of my mouth and off my plate. The chilli squid was soggy and stuck together, having sweated in it's takeaway container. The bread and starters were cold on arrival and the portions were not generous. What a disappointing birthday meal. What was most disappointing was that the restaurant had the chance to respond to my politely expressed concerns...they read my message, but never responded. The food is not inexpensive, and I'm afraid this not only didn't represent value for money, but was up there as one of the worst takeaway meals I have had. It put a dampener on the birthday celebrations to be honest. What a shame, this used to be an excellent restaurant. Update to review to respond to restaurant's comment. Sadly I have not spoken with a member of the Matrancherry team, or receieved a reply to my original messenger DM. I can also confirm that as of 6/7/23, no refund has been received. So I'm afraid thier update here...