tamatanga — Restaurant in England

Nice atmosphere. That's about it.

I have issues reading menus that are full of colors, shapes and blocks of text. It's a nightmare for me. I wish they had a basic line by line, plain, black text on white paper (or better yet blue paper) alternative version to cater for people with dyslexia or sight issues. It's quite demoralizing to not be able to have the same opportunity others have to see what's available and choose.

So I resorted to the usual, asking the waitress to choose for me. Who knows what wonderful things I've missed because she definitely played safe. I said I wanted meat but not lamb. Chicken or seafood based dishes were okay. I said I wanted something saucy but creamy rather than tomato-based. And I told her specifically that it must be extra spicy. I said I wanted my tongue to suffer. I said that last time I visited, I asked for this and the food was not that spicy, so if the same happened this time I'd send it back. She promised me it would be extra spicy. I believed her... My mistake. I only didn't send it back as I felt the person who was with me might be embarrassed... English people seem to be embarrassed to complain even when they don't get what they asked for, for some reason... My assumption though, I'd be happy to be wrong.

I received a chicken curry with a side of rice and cheese naans, everything tasted nice BUT it was NOT extra spicy and I felt really disappointed again. The French Fries my friend ordered was spicier than the curry, it had fresh chilli flakes all over it and was delicious. Maybe that's what I should've ordered. Was cheaper too.

I don't think I wanna go back to Tamatanga again, it doesn't seem like they can listen. When someone says extra spicy they mean they want the food to pack a massive punch. I quite literally want to cry the next morning when time comes for nature to do its thing if you catch my drift.

Well, nature did its thing and there was no crying. There was cursing. At how weak the curry was. Disappointment for the price.

Hearing the teenage female parties on the table next to me complain that a mild curry was super spicy kinda made me feel sorry for the restaurant, I guess they're catering for "delicate" palates and playing safe. So I give 3 stars instead of 1. Flavors that land in the middle between weak and strong deserves a score that lands in the middle between 1 and 5. When someone says they want their tongue to hurt, you listen to them, Tamatanga staff! You give them what they want and then you laugh with the other staff behind their back at their suffering! Mua ha ha. I'd even suggest walking past them with milk but not stopping, just to spite them a little. Make it hurt, yesssssss!!!! I may be a white boy but I can handle it. If you want those stars to move to the right, then you better turn that...

Really disappointed... After spending almost £200 for a family of 5, we were asked to leave as we had been there 1hr and 35 mins.

We arrived and sat at the table 6.10pm and my wife and eldest daughter were asked to leave at 7.45pm midway through their dessert.

I left with my 6yr old and 8 Yr old 30 seconds prior just to get some fresh air. Once I left the restaurant, a staff member called Tom approached my wife and teenage daughter to ask them to leave. Could have approached us while I was there but thought it would be easier to bully 2 females. My wife didn't get to finish her dessert which cost almost £7. Great service by the management here at Tama Tanga Leicester.

My eldest daughter told me what happened....so I approached the manager Scott. Who did apologise once he realised the staff got our order wrong which caused the delay. But none the less, he still highlighted that a party under 8 guests get only 1.5hrs to vacate the table. Which is great for business but not so much as a customer.

The Tama Tanga website suggests that the food is comparable to food in India...... "it’s all true to its roots, just like they make back home. Fresh, fabulous & flavoursome". This depends on your own unique pallet. But I do really enjoy the food here. It is, fresh and flavoursome. Unfortunately when you have staff hovering around you, it does feel like you are being watched while eating and this does not remind me of India in the slightest.

I am from a punjabi family and punjabis are renowned for their hospitality through out the sub continent.

The owners appear to be from a punjabi background too, so I struggle to see how this protocol of Tama Tanga compares to etiquette of restaurants in India.

I fully appreciate that I am writing this review in Vain and no response will be given but I am saddened by the treatment received today as this was one of my favourite places to eat, all be it on the higher price compared to the West Midlands where I'm from.

If you are a family with kids... Dont bother. If you have a family member who is a slow eater.... Dont bother.

Best to have only mains and not a 3 course meal as no time to enjoy the food.

I too read reviews claiming the same experience but chose to ignore as it didnt happen to me. Well today it did...and Tomorrow it...

Arrived approx 8.10pm, excited as it was a surprise meal for my fella, never been here before, so even more excited to try something new. (you cannot book a table for less than a party of 5- if any member of a booked party doesn't show, you get charged per empty seat!!!. ) We were told wait would be approx 45-50mins. The place was packed, and was difficult getting to the bar, so asked the seating arranger if we could nip out to another bar and come back within the allotted time frame, we were told no, because we would go to back of queue if called and not there. (Clever way to make you stay and buy their over priced drinks) time is now ticking up to an hour, and we have watched several larger parties be seated, as well as empty tables for 2. When I asked about the empty tables, I was treated as though I had an IQ of an infant, and that "I didn't understand the Dynamics of the seating/party sizes and that tables were being arranged to suit" . Yes, I understood that, but as we watched tables being arranged, and groups being ushered through over the next hour, it became very clear that we were not going to be seated within the next 10mins. I asked again about the wait, he told me we were told an hour wait, (which was a slight exaggeration) and was shown the list of all the "couples" still waiting for a table, the 7 or so couples were pretty much the only ones left to be seated. And he told me we were at the bottom of that list. (I think he didn't like me) Apparently, as I only have the IQ of an infant, he assumed that I'm not clever enough to work out that 2 people don't spend as much as 5 or more, and by my estimation couples are left til last. By 9.30 pm, we were sat in Middleton's restaurant enjoying a fabulous steak. I only gave one star because I couldn't leave feed back without it. I am sad that we never got to experience the food, but I do expect any restaurant to be open and honest about waiting times and treat all paying guests as priority regardless...