Shahi Palace — Restaurant in Redditch

A Wednesday evening..... 1/6/16.

The 2 stars are for the staff, starters, and the price of the wine.

First, if I had realised that the Food Standards' Agency had rated the place as a "2", then I perhaps wouldn't have gone.

Friends of ours keep rating the place, which is slightly cheaper than the Redolence Spice on Unicorn Hill.

Right, deal with the positives:

Extremely friendly and attentive staff and good with our kids.

The place had quite a number of full tables, but they accommodated us very quickly.

The wine was reasonably priced for a restaurant.

I'll just deal with my meal first:

Starter: Tetul Mix, and I asked for some fried onions, and these were added, and extremely tasty dish.

I wanted to go for the Chicken Tikka Rezella, however I didn't want the bhindi. I was persuaded, by the waiter, to try the Chicken Tikka Naga Shiri. I asked if it had onions and peppers, as I am not a "just a sauce with meat" person. I was assured it did. What I wasn't expecting was the onions and peppers to have them puréed. My first bite into the chicken revealed it to be either overcooked, or old and cooked. It was tough. I battled through. I asked the waiter if the chicken was fresh, or frozen chicken defrosted and then cooked. He assured me it was fresh.

My son's meal (Chicken Tikka Chasni) wasn't a lot better, and the sauce just bounced off the meat; another sign that we are dealing with previously frozen meat, and that the meat had been boiled in a large pot (possibly) with turmeric to give it the tikka look.

My wife was disappointed with her Chicken Tikka Madras too. My daughter's Shahi Malai had a very unusual sauce in the middle.

They didn't do draught cobra, so had the large bottles.

I think we all agreed that the starters were good and tasty.

Total cost: £80.

Unfortunately, we have to say we will not return; my friends will still go due the cheaper price.

Redolence Spice is about £1.50 per main meal more expensive, but we know they use fresh produce, not bags of frozen meat purchased from the Chinese market in Birmingham. Plus they have a "5" from the Food Standards' Agency.

Also note that the only place to park nearby is the pay and display car park at the Redditch...

Not a good experience.

The Tandoori Chicken was ok, despite the leaking foil bag it was delivered in. The rest of the food was rather bland.

The worst part was the delivery and presentation. I don’t know if it was the restaurant, or the delivery company, but the food arrived exactly two hours after ordering, and it was cold. The packages were squished tightly into a bag that was too small, and the containers were squished, bent, and leaking. It was a mess everywhere taking things out of the bag onto the counter.

There were tightly tied small plastic bags containing what seemed like salads. Not well packaged. There was a doughy item we could not identify, even after tasting it.

When the delivery guy came to the door, he handed me the bag silently,and I asked if they were busy, as it had been exactly two hours. He looked at his slip of paper, and said "was it? Oh yes…it was two hours…call the restaurant, it wasn’t me", and walked away.

I do not believe this restaurant is really equipped to offer delivery. Two hours with no updates, and not well packaged. I can put up with food that isn’t to my taste, but the delivery and mess unpacking it all ruined the experience completely.

We had ordered £45 worth of food, planning for leftovers. We threw most of it away though. We’ve complained to the delivery company, and are not sure how this will be handled.

My suggestion to anyone wishing to try this restaurant would be to...

Our friends treated Mother and myself to dinner as a treat for our birthdays last month. 🥰 Shahi Palace have outdone themselves again!! 😲 We had a Roasted Poppadom each as appetisers with sauces for the table whilst we read the menu and placed our order. ☺️ I try to have something different each time I visit Shahi Palace. On this occasion I had Tandoori Duck Starter, Chef Special Mix Dhansak with Boiled Rice and Cobra Lager Main. And, to finish, Coffee, Mint Chocolates and a shot of Napoleon Brandy. 😋 I can honestly say it was the best meal I've ever had, utterly delicious!! 🥰 The Tandoori Duck was presented on a sizzling skillet and I saw a number of heads turn as it came through the restaurant thanks to the sweet and smokey smell. The Duck was full of flavour. Everyone on the table tried a piece and agreed it was stunning. 😯 I've never had a Dhansak before and was very pleased with my choice because it was sweet and creamy with hints of Coconut and Pineapple and just enough Curry heat to awaken taste buds that had been dormant. I can't recommend Shahi Palace...