Mala at the Rodings — Restaurant in London

I made a booking 24 hours in advance for 2:30pm by calling the restaurant directly. I explained to the female staff member when making the booking that as I was travelling from quite a distance, I may run late and so asked if it would be ok If I arrived for 3pm. She confirmed it would be ok as they did not have many bookings for the afternoon.

The day of the booking, it turned out I was running late due to traffic and so I called the restaurant advising that I will arrive for 3pm. They explained that the restaurant closes at 3pm and that they re-open at 6pm! I was baffled as the lady who booked me in the day before did not advise me of this and confirmed as above. I was extremely disappointed with the incorrect information provided from the staff and the massive inconvenience caused for mine and my families day.

Nonetheless, I still attended the restaurant at 6pm as I promised my family to take them to eat at this place for my birthday. I arrived and spoke to the owner (Vinny Sandhu), explaining my frustrating experience with his staff who had mis-informed myself. As I was trying to explain he could not help but to speak over me and would not allow me to finish a sentence. He clearly could not take any criticism and was very Cocky comparing his restaurant to his sister's in Birmingham which he claims his is way better. He was making excuses for his staff, advising me she had just started hence her mistake on timings and bookings and that I should have looked at his website regarding the opening times. I advised him if im calling directly to make a booking and have not booked via online, I expect his staff to provide me with correct information at the outset!

He did advise that he would ensure that the rest of our experience from that moment would be pleasant and he would take care of us personally. I took his word for it and ordered food.

The samosas came out and were extremely dry and stale as if they had been cooked the night before and were just reheated in the microwave. The service was extremely slow, we had asked for several condiments and drinks 4- 5 times from several waiters. I was furiated at how slow the service was which delayed our evening even more. Eventually the bill came and the owner had a cheek to charge for Somosas which I sent back and service charge despite all that had happened prior to my arrival and during my visit.

I requested to speak with Vinny regarding the bill and explained to him my on going frustration and the audacity him/his staff had to charge for service charge. He said sarcasticly "so what do you want the food on the house?" I was shocked at his abrupt approach and his degrading attitude towards myself and my sister who were visiting London for the weekend with our small children . He made myself and my sister feel very uneasy and uncomfortable with the way he came across. He was extremely arrogant and shallow as a person to speak to two women with 3 young children in the way he did.

He continued to abruptly demand and answer from me and so I said I honestly don't know what to say but call it 50% of the Bill for the inconvenience. As soon as I gave him my response which he was demanding, he agressivly snatched the bill from the table and said abruptly " Nah, I'd rather not take your money, you have it on the house and I honestly don't give a £%*$ whether you come back here or not". I was honestly lost for words and was furiated, I didn't reduce myself to his level as I had 3 small children with me as well as my sister and was suppose to be celebrating my birthday which him and his shallow self ruined for us. I ​walked out of his disgraceful place and presence in shock!

Vinny clearly has no class,self respect or respect for others. He is a disgrace to society and I am pleased to say I will never be returning back to this pathetic...

This place came highly recommended so my partner and I were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment.

Food: Starters: We ordered the lamb chops, which were fat and bone. I had a bite of meat on mine, while my partner had none on his. We ordered the tandoor duo. I am not exagerating or joking when I say it consisted of two pieces of chicken (2 cubes off a skewer) and half a seekh kebab cut in half (2 quarters in total). The chicken tasted okay, but the seekh kebab tasted like the frozen ones you get from supermarkets: 90% filler with very little meat.

The cod pakoras were okay, and the 5 pieces were a good portion for a starter however they were oily and the flavour was overpowered by the grease.

Mains: Shout out to the murgh karahi- this chicken curry was delicious. That is pretty much the only positive part of our experience. The channa was bland but edible at a push, almost taste like it had been made by Heinz or a generic supermarket version of what channa curry should taste like. Really not what you would expect from an indian restaurant - essential flavours were tomato and chickpeas with nothing else. The saag was the worst either of us had ever tried. It tasted like a curry ruined by burned spices and a flavour neither of us had ever tried - in a really really bad way. It was completely inedible. The naans: avoid the garlic naan- it tasted nothing like garlic and is drenched in green sauce; looks like it should be delicious but in fact tasted like watered down blended coriander. The plain naan was decent however they were more like tandoori rotis than naan, very flat and thin.

Service: We arrived later in the evening, and were told we could sit outside in the terrace. The ambiance is lovely, but then our waitress explained we would need to leave in half an hour because the terrace needs to be cleared by 9:45. Not an issue and not their fault but it would be a tall order to order, eat and leave in half an hour. Thankfully, the manager found a table indoors. (Good service so far).

Indoors: lovely ambiance and atmosphere. The service from this stage onwards was very poor: the staff were disorganised, with orders being taken late, arriving late, and often bringing the wrong orders to tables. This happened to our neighbouring tables as well who waited haf an hour to get one drink! The waitress looking after us was lovely, but she and her colleague could not understand any of the issues we raised regarding the quality of the food. The only reason I am rating the service with 2 stars instead of 1 was because she was attentive and appeared to genuinely care. Her colleague's response was to argue back that everything is as it should be. If he's right and this is the quality to expect then my advice is to avoid this place entirely: £100+ for a poor quality meal and laughable portions.

This is by far the worst all round dining experience we've ever had and I'm really sad to say this but when you read the other reviews it doesn't appear to be an isolated incident. I don't think you can justify charging this much for so little and for such poor quality. We do hope this prevents anyone else making the same mistake...

★☆☆☆☆ WARNING: Do NOT Visit Mala Kitchen – Disrespectful, Unprofessional, and Disgraceful

I don’t normally leave reviews, but my experience at Mala Kitchen in Canary Wharf was so appalling that I feel compelled to warn others. From the moment we entered, the atmosphere was tense, and the staff, especially the manager, made it clear that we were not welcome. The manager was rude, condescending, and spoke in a tone that was completely unacceptable in any customer service setting.

Then came the shocker: we were suddenly told there’s a £25 minimum spend per person. This policy is nowhere mentioned — not on the menu, not at the entrance, not when we were seated. It felt like a trap, and when I politely questioned it, the manager responded with arrogance, dismissiveness, and hostility. This is not about money — it’s about basic transparency, honesty, and respect, none of which were present.

What made the experience even worse was the clear discrimination against Indian customers. As an Indian myself, it was painful to see how differently we were treated compared to others. After reading other reviews, it’s clear this is a recurring pattern, not a one-off incident. For a restaurant that proudly uses an Indian name and serves Indian cuisine, this is not only disappointing — it’s embarrassing and offensive. If you can’t respect Indian customers, don’t pretend to represent Indian food or culture.

During our visit, the staff’s behavior was humiliating. We were ignored, spoken down to, and treated as if asking reasonable questions was somehow offensive. This is the opposite of hospitality, which is supposed to be at the heart of every restaurant. I left feeling angry, frustrated, and disrespected — emotions no one should experience when dining out.

This experience is about more than just poor service. It’s about disregard for customers, hidden rules, discriminatory behavior, and unprofessional management. A restaurant should make people feel welcome, safe, and valued — Mala Kitchen does the exact opposite.

If you value your time, money, and self-respect, do not go here. There are countless Indian restaurants in London that serve amazing food and treat all customers with dignity and respect. Mala Kitchen fails on every level — from transparency and service to basic human decency.

To the management: using an Indian name and claiming to serve Indian food does not excuse rude or discriminatory behavior. Until your staff learns to treat all customers equally, this place is a disgrace and should be avoided.

Consider this a serious warning: you will leave upset, humiliated, and regretting your visit. Do not waste your time, energy, or money here. There are far better options nearby that actually understand what it means to run a restaurant with respect, integrity, and...