Sharmilee — Restaurant in England

We visited Sharmilee on Tuesday 25/2 to celebrate my mum’s 82nd birthday. She was very excited and had been craving a masala dosa. The atmosphere upstairs was pleasant, and we were looking forward to a nice evening. My dad ordered a thali, which he enjoyed, and my nephew loved his paneer dish. The mogo was fine too - a little hard but tasty. However, my mum’s dosa was not up to standard. The potato curry inside had clearly gone off. She attempted to eat just the outer shell, but it was difficult for her, and that’s when we realized something was wrong. We tasted it ourselves and confirmed that the curry tasted odd before raising the issue with the staff.

The lady who served us seemed surprised by the complaint, so we suggested she taste the curry herself. She assured us not to worry and went to check with the kitchen. Shortly after, she returned, offering to prepare a fresh dosa, but by that time, my mum was feeling nauseous and had lost her appetite. She refused any further food, so we asked if the dish could be removed from the bill instead.

We didn’t request any additional discount beyond that, as we felt that would be the appropriate gesture after such an experience. However, the staff informed us that they could not remove the item from the bill and could only offer another dish instead. We had to explain that my mum was not interested in more food due to feeling ill and asked if they could speak to the Manager about removing the charge for the inedible dish.

The lady went to the cashier and came back saying they couldn’t adjust the bill since the item was 'tilled', but they would give us a 10% discount instead. This response left us confused. If they could alter the bill for a discount, why couldn’t they simply remove the £5.95 charge for the dish? Though we didn’t argue over the small amount, the whole situation felt disappointing, especially from a reputable place like Sharmilee.

Despite everything, we thanked the staff and left without making a fuss. The reason I’m writing this review now is because my mum spent the whole night in discomfort, suffering from stomach pains and diarrhoea due to the spoiled food. Not only did this ruin her birthday, but she’s still recovering two days later.

I’m giving the restaurant 2-3 stars, as it was just the 'one dish' that was problematic, however the way the situation was handled was disheartening. In a case like this, I would have expected not only a removal of the item from the bill but also a further discount or some goodwill gesture for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, the way the staff handled the complaint didn’t show much empathy, and my mum’s experience highlights the need for better food storage and more thoughtful customer service. Hopefully, this review will encourage the restaurant to be more cautious and address complaints with greater care...

I’ve had to give 1 star purely because of the service and staff experience, which is such a shame because the food itself is genuinely outstanding. I would rate the food 10/10 without hesitation it’s by far the best on Belgrave Road. The quality and variety are excellent, and the prices are very reasonable too.

We usually order takeaway from here as a treat, since it’s not the kind of food we cook at home, and it really does feel luxurious when we eat from here. However, almost every time we’ve ordered, something with the order has been wrong despite me being very clear, repeating it, and even having it read back correctly by staff.

The first time this happened, I called and spoke to a manager who apologised and kindly offered to let us redeem the cost against a dish of our choice next time we ordered. I really appreciated that gesture. But when I ordered again today and asked to confirm this with a manager, I was told that the manager had left and another was on break and there was nothing they could do, only to later see both in the restaurant, which was very confusing. After some back and forth, the situation of agreeing and disagreeing it was clarified, and while I do still appreciate the offer of redemption, unfortunately one of my dishes was wrong again today.

I completely understand weekends are busy, but I would just like to give this feedback to highlight the importance of staff following order instructions very carefully especially when dietary needs or intolerances are involved. If this can be improved, then I honestly believe this place would be unbeatable, because the food itself is...

DON’T BOTHER COMING HERE. I decided to give this restaurant a try, but my experience was nothing short of APPALLING. Partway through my meal, I found a PIECE OF HAIR in my food. Feeling PURELY DISGUSTED and SHOCKED, I called a waitress over and informed her of what I had discovered. She APOLOGIZED and brought me a new plate, and while I typically would have left, my family had already started eating, so I stayed, giving them the BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT that this was a one-off mistake. However, when I mentioned the incident again while paying, the waitress at the till had the AUDACITY TO BLAME ME for the hair in my food. My hair is SHORT AND CURLY, my sister’s is the same, and my mother WEARS A HIJAB—yet the hair I found was LONG AND STRAIGHT. When I pointed this out, she became RUDE AND DEFENSIVE for NO REASON. To make matters worse, she handed me the receipt with a MEASLY £3.40 REDUCTION, which turned out to be ONLY A 5% DISCOUNT for finding HAIR IN MY FOOD. When I questioned this, she responded with ATTITUDE. Then, AFTER WE LEFT, she CHASED US DOWN THE STAIRS over a 54P DISCREPANCY in the bill, causing even more ALARM AND DISTRESS. Once arriving home after that OUTRAGEOUS INCIDENT, I realized I had been EXTREMELY OVERCHARGED.My receipt shows that I was charged for TWO EXTRA PEOPLE at the buffet—ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUSconsidering how the waitress had already treated us. This just adds to the blatant lack of professionalism and respect at this place. The service was ABSOLUTELY VILE, and I WILL NEVER REVISIT. If you value CLEANLINESS, PROFESSIONALISM, and BASIC RESPECT, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND...