Amaya

I was taken out to Amaya by an old family friend and although I have my reservations about swanky indian restaurants (never think they serve authentic indian food) I was willing to keep and open mind. The restaurant looked fantastic and we were shown to our table quickly. Unfortunately the good part of the experiance ended there. The waiter cam over to explain the concept of no starters or mains just is mix match of dishes and that the dishes would be served as soon as each was ready. Taking the old test of quality I ordered daal and a simple aubergine dish. The naan came first because it was ready first. There was nothing to eat the skinny and dry pieces with so it became colder and harder whilst we waited for the daal to arrive. This had a layer of water a top. Out of displaced embarassment for my friend I took a few spoonful but it was awful as was the naan.

The service was awful. The staff were aloof and rude and when the inevitable happened that the tall thin round-bottomed beer glass was knocked over by my friend and I was covered in beer not a single waiter came to offer me a napkin. Instead my father and his friend got up took napkins from other tables and swapped my beer covered chair for a clean one, whilst the waiters just looked on. I couldn't believe the arrogance and rudeness of the staff.

A thoroughly awful dining experience never to be repeated.
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Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, May 07, 2009

Overall, we had a lovely evening at Amaya last weekend, mainly because of the good food and the company we were in. Service was more than poorly. Sitting in the bar before going to our table, we had to wave and call for 15 minutes before a waitress took our second order. We actually had to clap our hands and call out loud to even get noticed. Food was very good, we had the gourmet tasting menue. The bill was steep - over 400 GBP. The waiter (we think it was even the manager) made a mistake with our credit cards and came back 5 minutes after we had paid to ask us to pay a further 59 pence!! This is not a joke, 59p! Not to forget that service was already included in the final bill. We didn't say anything in order to not ruin our nice evening but we were not impressed. We put 59p on the table and left. You should be ashamed!
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Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What a shame! have been to Amaya for years and always loved the food. However, the service is nowhere close to the food and has actually gotten worst with the years with consistently unpolite staff. Last Saturday was the "straw that broke the camel's back": not only did they made a mistake with our booking (meaning we did not have our table when we arrived) but the "manager" did not even apologise for their mistake (instead implying we could be lying as they had no trace of our booking...), the staff ignored us, made us wait while there were actually tables ready for other people arriving later and they did not even offered us any cocktail while we were waiting for 20 min (time at which we decided to give up and not come back any more)
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E G
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 4
Monday, April 06, 2009

This review is spot on 100%. Went to Amaya last month, what a mistake.
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Omar
Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Sunday, February 22, 2009

Went there recently for the third time. I was hoping that the first two occassions was Amaya's staff having a bad day and the food and service had improved. Unfortunately, the restaurant and the food was no better. This is possibly the worst indian restaurant in the UK. Their concept of food sharing is annoying to say the least. I don't need some half wit waiter or waitress to tell me and my guests how we should dine. The food is very pricey and not worth it at all. Not surprising this restaurant has not won a Michelin Star and others like Tamarind and Benares have. My advice, avoid Amaya at all cost, as it is not even worth going there out of curiosity. I am surprised it has not closed down as yet. The best indian restaurant in town is Benares by a mile.
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Jamil Ahmud
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 1
Thursday, February 19, 2009

I recently dined at Amaya for a special occasion with 7 other diners. We had a a mix of Indian vegetarians (no fish), fish eaters and full carnivores dining with us that day and everyone left the restaurant feeling very impressed with both the quality of the food and the service. Each dish was very tasty yet none of the flavours were overbearing. The high quality of the ingredients was also very apparent and nearly every dish was cooked to perfection. The seafood dishes were the most impressive (Monkfish and Rock Oysters in particular) followed closely by the chicken dishes (Pepper Chicken Tikka and Punjabi Chicken Lollypops which are good value and are highly recommended)

We found the "experience" of eating at Amaya very enjoyable and different to most restaurants as the meal didn't follow the usual appetiser / main course format. Hence we appreciated the guidance of the waiting staff with regards to the amount and style of food too order.

The main downside of the restaurant is the price. Shelling out £24 for four lamb chops when you can buy the same quantity of food elsewhere for a quarter of the price may not sit well with most people. However if you want a unique experience for a special occasion, I would advise you to go there in the knowledge that you will spend £60 - £70 per head and just enjoy yourself. We did, and we were not dissappointed.
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Nikhil Shah
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Monday, December 22, 2008

Went to Amaya with a business associate who had heard from his boss. Terrific atmosphere - felt like manhattan. Was explained the concept by a charming waiter. The mojito was to die for, my guest loved the chilli martini. Food was heavenly and our waitress was discreet but always available. We both were in awe of the place. And tell you what it was not heavy Indian food full of cream and butter, rather light delicate grills. Black pepper tikka is a must have. I will be going there soon again with my husband.
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Puja - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Ate there a few days ago. Very average food and service. Would in no way recommend it.
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Martin Ambrosch
Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 1
Monday, December 08, 2008

We went to Amaya last weekend with 7 other friends. The experience was awful. We realised there was something wrong after 5 min when the waiter interupted our conversation in an extremely rude way just to tell us useless things about the dressing he was bringing. Throughout the dinner, we thought the service was random, rude at times, hesitant and wholly unprofessional (some of our orders were never delivered). Then the food was very average: each one of us took a £38 tasting menu, and the only way to describe it would be "random and tasteless". We had chicken liver and lentils which reminded me of a lunch I had in a snack bar in a suburban train station in Ukraine 10 years ago. We then had potatoes with barbecue sauce and mayonnaise, which your local pub would not dare serving. The fish was overcooked, the vegetables were tasteless, everything was too spicy, just as to camouflage the lack of freshness and taste. The only good thing about this meal was the wine. The bill was just a big joke, £60 per person, we actually found out we had been charged £10 per piece of naan bread! To conclude, this is the most disastrous dinner experience I've had in London.
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benjamin
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Their £32 seafood platter consisted of 2 medium size prawns, 2 scallops and 2 cooked oysters – that was it…! The lamb osso bucco curry was watery and the prawns in the prawn curry was undercooked. The wooden chair was uncomfortable and the service was poor (had to ask for napkins 3 times).

Possibly the most overrated restaurant I have ever been to.. and when I got the bill... the only words I uttered was "Amaaaa! "
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Anshu J
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 0
Friday, September 12, 2008