Elaichi — Restaurant in Surrey Heath

UPDATE: The restaurant has responded to this review (below) and unfortunately has felt the need to be rude, dishonest and insulting :-( We will not lower ourselves to the same standard of conduct but just correcting facts to readers. Alcohol drinks WERE ordered beyond the table water (for children) by us and delivered to the wrong diners on our table, then later a Prosecco with glass (for the table opposite) was presented to our table. The restaurant wishes to make up their own version of events - which only discloses their demeanour towards their customers - therefore one star deducted for telling lies and making condescending remarks to a honest review.

As two families (with kids), of Indian and Nepalese origin, we often eat out together to sample various Asian cuisines. Not exactly professional critics but we have fairly experienced taste palettes for this part of the food spectrum (from authentic and variety dishes in the UK, India, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, etc.) and our simple verdict was that Elaichi fails miserably to deliver an authentic East Asian food experience.

We sampled a broad range of starter and main (veg, fish and meat) dishes, sides, salads, breads and rice, and won't deep dive into each one, but in short, if you just fancy 'a plain curry night out' then you won't be disappointed and the heat (in both senses) should satisfy the average, occasional diner unbothered about the dish character and flavoursome recipes. Beyond the taste and its lacking of depth and flavours, a significant proportion of the absent stars is down to Elaichi not serving sensible, fair portions. All dishes sampled were ridiculously lacking in portion (for their price point) hence this is not a restaurant to go to if you are hungry and have a 'normal' budget of say £20 per head - which for us we know could achieve much more and better food for the same price. If you can afford to double that price per head, go ahead and give Elaichi a go.

Other notable non-foodie failings included: no welcoming contact upon arrival by staff, regular contact on offering of poppadum (as if one waiter was on a mission all evening to push them out and claim sales commission - quite laughable but disruptive nonetheless), a loud chef who was insistent on declaring each dishes arrival, drinks being ordered to wrong diners (not just across the same table but across other customers too!), no soap whatsoever in the gents (this one could spell trouble legally for the restaurant if it's not a one off).

In summary, I think it goes without saying that Elachi in Frimley is not recommended by us. We understand times are hard for small businesses and hope our honest review of two stars will not significantly lower the average rating. Actually, Elaichi in comparison to other 'Indian' restaurants, is not far from one star but not quite there. We wish the business well and hope they can take this review constructively and positively, and are able to improve and give their nearby competitors something to worry about. For now, Elaichi...

I hadn't eaten at the Elaichi for many years because I felt that the quality of food had declined considerably in comparison with what was served when the restaurant first opened. However, having heard that it was under new management, I thought that I would give Elaichi another try and was pleased that I did. The service was efficient and the staff were very polite. The new owners have several other Indian restaurants and had brought in chefs from one of these properties on a pro temps basis, with the new chefs apparently due to arrive soon from Dubai.

The party that I was with had hoped to order lamb chops as a starter, but these were unavailable. Instead, we had chicken and lamb tikkas, and these were really nicely cooked. The shashlik mains were a little on the small size but were tender and very well spiced. Also, the tarka dhal was one of the best that I have tasted.

Prices at Elaichi are currently very reasonable, and I am looking forward to trying the food here again when the new...

Went on a Wednesday..banquet night...was told before we even had our food if we left anything we can't take it with us..!!!!! WHY ? It's ours.. we paid for it..it's not a buffet where u fill your own plate up..luckily we ate most of ours but another customer, full after his starter and asked to take his away..he hardly touched it but was told no..they will just throw it away !!!!! How shocking 😲 wasting food that you have paid for..!!! Because of this we WILL NOT return which is a shame as food was good..Shame on you Elachi..!!! Money is tight enough for most people at the moment so to throw away good food someone has paid for is...