The Coriander — Restaurant in London

This is a little bit of a conflicting review, but I feel like I need to say what I have to say. Starting with the good, the food is fantastic, I honestly can't fault it in any way.

The negatives. Whenever I've been there, the place constantly smells like your grandmothers wardrobe, the smell of mothballs is initially quite overpowering, after a while you become accustomed to it. If you order a soft-drink, unless you're getting it in a can, chances are it's going to be flat (just my personal experience, perhaps I was unlucky).

So if you're reading this, you must be wondering, why only give 2 stars? During these troublesome times in the midst of a global pandemic, some lessons need to be taken on board. This would have been a 4 star review, but I've had to knock off a couple of points for the following reasons...

1. Waiters are wearing face masks, but are wearing them incorrectly, just covering their mouth and not nose and mouth.

2. If you're going to take advantage of the "Eat Out To Help Out" offer in August, make sure you book for an early time. The restaurant was full and the kitchen couldn't cope. It took us about an hour to get our starters.

3. If you're going to take advantage of said offer and decide to go on a Tuesday to take advantage of the "Banquet Night", it isn't obvious that this has been cancelled. They give you the menu advertising "Banquet Night", the waiter leads you down the garden path to take your "Banquet Night" order, but when it comes to getting the bill, they say that the Banquet Night offer has been cancelled as it doesn't make them enough money (why even have it in the first place?!). The manager said a sign was put in the window saying there's no Banquet Night (no-one in the party saw this), irrespective of this the onus should be on the waiter to ensure that your customers are aware that Banquet Night is not available as they are taking the order. The manager offered us a drink by means of apology, which we didn't accept and paid and left.

4. A sizzling dish was brought out to a neighboring table that started to make the entirety of the restaurant cough, it was as if a pepper bomb had gone off. If ever I was going to catch an airborne disease, that would have been the time for it. They ended up opening the windows to provide ventilation, but by then it was too late. My suggestion would be to take whatever that dish was, off of the menu until we're clear of COVID, or make some adjustments to it so it doesn't make everyone...

I only go on Sundays for the Buffet and enjoy the food very much and they offer us a very charming starter before the main buffet. BUT!! there was this one time my friend was very late to meet me so I waited inside. As I waited in the seating area, A waiter kept me company which I was thankful for but soon the conversation turns to how Islam is growing at a fast rate and will supersede Christianity (that sound like Genocide). Asked about my faith and i answered "catholic" which followed with dislikes facial expression but he really had nothing good to say about any other then his own and finished suggesting to me I read the Koran...to an indigenous European in Europe! speaking of which why you never recruit perfectly skilled and qualified Europeans with Chef Degrees seating in Unemployment offices but only your own kind? Is that not violating the E.U. Equality laws And U.N. Racial decimation laws that I'm heavy subjected too....

So very disappointed in The Coriander, I have been a regular for years and when they shut for renovations. I honestly thought they were never going to re open. When I got a leaflet to say they was I was so mega excited. Oh well guess what I never got my food ordered a takeaway at 18:39, called an spoke to someone at 18:49 just to make sure they had my order was told yes but 1hr 15 for delivery (no problem was always reliable before). 20:15 arrives and no sign of my food tried to call on a whole host of occasions and no answer until 20:25 then got hung up on when asking where my order was. Tried calling to cancel the order as waited over 2 hours. Took phone off the hook and no call back nothing. Very shocked and disappointed at the new way the corriander is choosing to run. Such a shame. Ordered from another Indian and got...