Thespians — Restaurant in Stratford-on-Avon

Stratford Upon Avon , arrived and I have to say I was underwhelmed. I was expecting a bit more. I dont know why but the place , although steeped in history , just doesn't flow in the same way as other places of the same calibre do . So after an underwhelming start, in an underwhelming hotel we decided to go out for a meal . I must add , at this point re the underwhelmingness , if there exists such a term and if not I copyright that phrase , the busker playing the guitar at the waterfront as the sun set was an immaculate moment , the kind that sears into the mind . The sound , the light, the surroundings , all seamlessly blend into One another which you are one with , nothing separate , all the dots connect and you realise you are the Whole , enough of this wiseacre and back to the tale at hand Rang and organised a walk in and the staff seemed friendly on the phone , so I thought let's give it a shot , Hiding my apprehension from the other half as I am used to some super fine dining out curry experiences , originating from the north west of England. Walked through the door and by the authentic bollywood tune playing in the background I knew straight away that these boys weren't hiding from their roots and sucking up to the "bon ton" types - and they meant business. Monday night , restaurant packed good sign. Bollywood music , good sign and now the secret of the secrets, I always judge an indian restaurant by how good the poppadoms are . I ordered a full meal from starters to mains and sides and didn't include the poppadoms, at this point , I hasten to add, I was in a very giggly state , which we shan't go into , why ? The Wifey , who I have to admit has magic in her slender fingers when it comes to cooking ordered the poppadoms. I thought it was my day off but I was wrong , I had to work for this piece of merriment . Quiet simply, the poppadoms were beautiful. Crispy, not oily , fresh and that certain snap you can only get with quality poppadoms. Yes , the accompaniments , the usual fare of onion salad, mango chutney , mint yogurt thing , glow in the dark red thing could have been polished a bit more BUT the poppadoms were a law unto themselves , requiring nothing else to steal the thunder . Good start The starter. Wifey was underwhelmed . Her emotional output was underwhelming especially from my vantage - ahem , so I order a prawn puri spice and with a hit of lemon , wifey decided to share. I knew it would be good and I knew she wouldn't be disappointed. Boy was I on the money. The puri was light , not oily and beautiful to eat . Add the prawns which had a hint of lemon, raw little pieces of raw mango and tamarind with a dash of hot spices was like having all the sprinklers in your mouth , that make the mouth water, turn on all at the same time and during a hose pipe ban , as was the impression of stratford upon avon , it certainly was getting down into the roots and I felt myself start to feel nourished . Game on Then came the mains . Tarka dal , garlic chilli chicken, chips , garlic naan. When visiting a new restaurant , we always opt for the tried and tested. A way to fall back on a sense of familiar comparison, we shan't dissect this any further because I could write a full volume of a psychological thesis and we aren't here for that . We are here to salivate and get the essential.juices flowing , and ultimately leading to a waterfall that bombs down into the sea of tranquil witn its comforting foam and gentle rocking as the river and the sea meet Only downer is that the garlic chilli chicken was a bit too sweet , other than that ... the chips, immaculate . The tarka daal , subtle yet packed a punch , like being punched by a beautiful hand in a velvet glove in the kanckers , each to their own I say . The rice that accompanied the chicken was cooked up by a Master , it had - and I kid you not , little slivers of just about caramelised ginger. Good Lord one hit and you felt as if you just had a ginger nut biscuit , YES Now the crowning glory. The garlic naan . Ran out of...

Stratford Upon Avon Local Reviewer - visited Saturday 20th August 2022.

At first the customer service from staff was good and was shown to the table. We were asked if we wanted drinks and one of our party said could they have a glass of water however I noticed Ahmed speak in Urdu saying they want only water and then the other member of staff said serve only the bottled water however we were left in a busy restaurant without the water that was requested.

Ahmed then came over to then ask what drinks we wanted which completely ignores the reason for asking for a glass of water which was rude and not paying attention.

We order 1 starter and 3 main courses plus 2 types of rice and Nan. The mains and starter I specifically asked to all come together but one rice was at least five minutes late. One of the curries had chicken gristle still attached and was pretty hard this of course put the lady off however when she raised this with one of the waiters they pointed at Ahmed who took time to come over to the table which we knew they must of had this happen a lot.

Ahmed was damn right rude and with a busy restaurant he says that you’ve eaten at least half of it and that there is at least 8 pieces of chicken on each dish however I am very sure none of our curries had 8 pieces and counted around 5 or 6 however to make such a statement in a full restaurant makes it even worse and to make a scene in front of all the customers is seriously rude and disrespectful. I was very shocked at the way Ahmed acted but for the whole team to avoid our table showed exactly the type of establishment we were in.

I felt that the rudeness continued after this and I heard the waiters speaking in Urdu which wasn’t very nice and I think they all need to be taught manners because they didn’t expect me to hear what they were saying and Gora actually refers to a white person and Gori is a white woman.

Will not be returning to Thespians ever again and neither will my friends this was rude, obnoxious and a damn horrid experience for us all.

I also notice that when a customer has left the table the waiter comes along and removes the top table cloth shakes the food off the cloth walks around and then turns the table cloth over and puts it back on the table. Health and hygiene is bad!

Then I also spotted that the sauces and onion in round pots and these are refilled but the spoons aren’t changed for clean ones and this is done right beside the toilet which doesn’t really make a lot of sense.

I feel this was one of the worst experiences I have had in Stratford Upon Avon.

If I could I would of rated ZERO.

£65.95 total cost spent at thespians and the service was one...

I recently visited, hoping to indulge in some authentic Indian cuisine. Unfortunately, my experience fell far short of my expectations. The dishes served at this restaurant were nowhere near the flavors and quality one would expect from Indian cuisine.

Upon receiving the dish of paneer tikka masala, I was immediately taken aback. The appearance itself was questionable, but it was the taste that truly disappointed. The paneer tikka masala resembled a ketchup-based concoction rather than the rich, aromatic flavors I was anticipating. It lacked the complexity and depth that is characteristic of authentic Indian dishes.

When I expressed my disappointment to the senior waiter, hoping for some understanding or acknowledgment, I was met with a defensive response. He claimed that they had been serving the same dish for the past 26 years and insisted that it perfectly matched the description in the menu. However, it was evident that the taste and quality were far from what was promised.

As a lover of Indian cuisine, I have had the opportunity to enjoy authentic flavors in many places around the world. It is disheartening to encounter a restaurant that claims to offer genuine Indian food but fails to deliver on its promise.

I hope that the restaurant takes this feedback constructively and strives to improve the quality of their dishes, rather than just tell what they have been serving historically.

Given 1 star, just because had no option to give a ZERO

Note: I have also attached a picture of the paneer tikka masala dish I received, which clearly showcases the lackluster presentation and unappetizing appearance. indulge in some authentic Indian cuisine. Unfortunately, my experience fell far short of my expectations. The dishes served at this restaurant were nowhere near the flavors and quality one would expect from Indian cuisine. We left almost half of our order as is. And includes a picture of what they call as vegetable...