The Merchants of Spice — Restaurant in Norwich

First and last time. We walked in and it looked beautiful in there. Only to be lead to our table by a rude man who completely blanked us after me saying hello 4 times. He lead us to the table, looked at me and walked away. The service never really progressed thereafter. A second round of drinks got forgotten, and when we reminded them, it was clearly seen as annoying. I was gobsmacked at the response. Still, food was still yet to come, and when it did, more disappointment ensued. I have never had such bland indian rice with no seasoning. Basically some boiled white basmati rice with some semi cooked onion in and a few bits of not very well beaten fried egg white only. No spice and no salt. Really bad, worst Indian rice we have ever had. The chicken in the jalfrezi was tough and in huge pieces. Again, the worst jalfrezi I have ever had. At the end of the meal, we paid with cash. Q the rude man at the beginning of the evening, who spotted us counting the cash out and approached smiling. I told him I wasn't going to give it to him as we hadn't seen him all evening during our entire dining experience. The crocodile smile soon disappeared as he walked off. I offered the money to the young lady, who took the money away with no sign of any kinda of thank you for the generous tip that we had left in spite of the meal and service being very sub par. You are spoilt for choice in Norwich for good Indian cuisine. Some are exceptionally good with great friendly service too. None of us will ever be back here that's for sure. Such a shame, but that's on them and no I would not...

Simply put: recommended! Will visit again!

-Discovered a new favourite dish: Dahl Puri with chickpeas and a beautiful sauce, worth the trip just for that, phenominal starter, so good that the misses stole it after I had a measly two bites, swapping for her fish tikka starter that was not very nice at all I have to say. -Tikka Masala main was as you'd expect, Madras was lovely but expected more spice, keema naan is my favourite Indian item but wasn't swept off my feet with their version. -Service was polite, fast and efficient but robotic and dreary, no cheer in the voices or faces of the staff. -Tables ever so slightly too close together. -Food was a good 7/10, didn't seem entirely fresh but was enjoyable. -£6 for a glass of cheap Rosé..? -Very aesthetically pleasing inside. -Not sure I appreciated being given side-sauces without asking for them and then being charged for them by finding them on the bill, they should ask if you want them. -Value for money 8.5/10: our bellies were bursting with enjoyable food for acually a very reasonable price. Two starters, two mains, 2 papadums, multiple side sauces, one side, two naans, glass of rosé and bottle of Corona: £55 (can't...

Arranged for a group of work colleagues to meet here for an after work social. Booked the table for 6pm but arrived just before 5:30 for pre meal drinks… no such luck the door was locked so we went around the corner to another place that was prepared for service. Once we we’re in the atmosphere was nice, warm and cosy. We we’re sat on the table furthest from the door. Food was enjoyed by all, arrived hot and was delicious although the portions are a bit on the small side. I agree with some of the comments regarding service, it needs slight improvement in order to make the flow of the evening go more smoothly. One of our table ordered double gin a tonic and it was served in a whiskey tumbler when a highball glass would have been much more suitable. Another person from our party ordered a vodka and lemonade and was given vodka and tonic… it was replaced. In all I will be returning and recommend you give it a try, but be forgiving of the service staff if they make a small mistake…...