Purbani Stockbridge — Restaurant in Test Valley

Having seen good reviews from previous diners myself and a group of work colleagues decided to give it a go. Booking a table was straight forward and that was, sadly, the highlight of the experience. Ordering food and drinks for a table of four was an easy experience, however we were ill prepared for what was to follow. When the food arrived, despite one of the group advising the waiter she was intolerant of corriander, she was presented with a portion of rice laden with the stuff. One person ordered the keema rice and was given pilau rice instead, this was put right after the rest of us were at least five minutes into our meals. We decided to persist with the experience and continued with our meals with no further issues, that was untill it came to bill time. £5.50 each for 2 poppadoms and accompanying garnishes, of which only one was enough for four to share. Most expensive poppadoms I've encountered and I've had quite a few over the years. Billing for the mains and rice seemed normal but the wine was about £10 a glass and was not that good a tipple to justify the price, hey ho you live and learn, thankfully I stuck with the warm Kingfisher so didn't have that disappointment. The disparity between the bills at the end was mind boggling as two of the party had exactly the same apart from pilau and keema rice but had a £7 difference in the bill, go figure as the waiter sure couldn't explain it. Oh there is also a compulsory 10% service charge added onto your bill as well, not sure if that is hidden in the menu smallprint somewhere, but for the service we recieved 10% was pretty generous if you ask me. Would any of us return there? The answer is a resounding no, the quality does not reflect the price. There are better Indian, or other style, restaraunts available so think wisely before choosing...

Having dined at Purbani several years ago, I was keen to revisit as it was an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately this time around I was bitterly disappointed. I dined this evening with a group of work colleagues and the food quality was barely average. There were a few errors with our order but as it was reasonably busy, these things can be accepted and in fairness the errors were rectified. The surprise ultimately arrived at the billing point where we were each charged £5.50 for two poppadoms. When I queried this I was rudely told that I did not understand the bill and that we were each being charged £3.30 for the associated dips. A quick calculation amounts to £22.00 for 8 poppadoms! No, I believe the answer is that you are ripping us off, not that we don't understand the bill. Insultingly a 10% service charge was lumped onto our individual bills (which makes 2 poppadoms now £6.05). Again the query was met with disdain. We also requested the service charge to be removed as it is not covered under the expense policy. Again met with confusion and associated ignorance. I stated that the service and interaction was very disappointing. Also that they would lose any future business from our company based on this experience. The staff member could not have cared less and was more interested in taking payment. Avoid unless you enjoy sub standard food, service and an unjustified dent in your wallet. We won't be...

Originally booked for 8, but when I rang to confirm was told 745. I knew I couldn't make that and said so, but... Turned up at 20:07 and was greeted by the owner (I think? Older tall guy, not the chap with glasses who is really nice) with "YOU'RE LATE!". That was it. No "hello", or any other greeting, just "YOU'RE LATE". Only 3 other people eating in the place. I have eaten here so many times they used to know my order as soon as I walked in. Apparently, customers are now an inconvenience. Shame really as the food is as good as ever but the owner is rude and needs customer service training. The rest of the staff are great. Really nice and attentive but I won't be going back. What a waste of a 15...