Samratt Indian Restaurant

Ordered a take-away from Samratt this evening, I thought I'd give it a go instead of getting one from my usual haunt on upper Richmond Road. I phoned through and was told it would be 30-40 minutes, actually took about 25 and came piping hot so very quick! The food was very good, I ordered lamb saag, pilau rice with some poppadums and a naan. Very nice, the saag was a bit too greasy for my liking but still very good, finished it all! Good sized portion too and reasonably priced (whole meal £15). Will definitely be ordering from there again - might try some new dishes next time.
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B Escat
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Friday, November 12, 2010

I dined here for my 22nd last week with a group of my friends, and I have to say that the service was impeccable. The staff are especially friendly and the cuisine is great especially the chicken jalfreizi and the sheek kebabs. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and would definitely dine here again soon
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, July 05, 2010

i think this company makes really good food
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melissa
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, March 26, 2010

I'd love to be able to second everything the last reviewer wrote, and comment on how fabulous this restaurant is. Unfortunately, though, it's impossible for me to do that with any degree of honesty, as Samrat has revealed itself to be nothing more than an overpriced and snooty restaurant, which specialises in entry-level Indian cooking.

Don't get me wrong: I didn't go there expecting fine dining, or Michelin-starred gastronomy. What I did expect, however, was to be given a level of food and service which didn't compete with a sort of Bangladeshi greasy spoon. The food was mediocre, with the dreaded ghee rearing its ugly head in every curry, but what really ruined the evening was the diabolical service.

I was rather surprised at the outset when I phoned in advance to reserve a table for 2, which I did without being asked for my name or number. I did actually offer this information, but was told it wasn't required. When we arrived, we were then shown to a table laid for 4. Whilst being pressured to place our drinks order at the same time as our food order, we couldn't fail to notice the contrast between price of wine and the quality of it. With most wines priced at over £20, we'd hoped for something a little better than Jacob's Creek. Also, if this restaurant is going to charge so much for its wine, surely they make enough money to pay for the cost of reprinting an old menu, as opposed to sticking little labels over the old prices when they want to extort more money from its customers? It was refreshing to see a Beaujolais and Claret on the list, but slightly disconcerting to see that all the wines seemed to have originated at the Booker cash and carry in Northampton.

After the main course, we asked for a dessert and were told we could have one, but only if we were quick because the kitchen was about to close. I suppose that's understandable, as pre-packaged kulfi obviously takes a long time to prepare, when you think of all the effort that's required to take off the lid and turn the plastic container upside-down. There was no hope of coffee or any other drink, as the bill was presented to us before we could request it. The 4 poppadums we were charged for, when we'd asked for only 2, were a minor frustration. The greatest gripe, however, was the service charge added.

At what point in a restaurant manager's training are they told to assemble all their staff at the end of a shift, and line them up to look at the customers, to hope that this makes the customers eat more quickly? Here's another question: when a diner mentions that it makes them feel pressured, is it really acceptable for the manager to justify it by saying his staff are waiting to go home, and are waiting for a lift from someone who wants to fit them all in the one car? One final thought - when the diner queries all of this, is it then right to explain that 10% service charge is compulsory and NOT discretionary?

All in all, therefore, Samrat is a disgrace. It can only be regarded as a good Indian restaurant by people that have no real knowledge of Indian food, and who have more money than sense. Unfortunately, there are clearly a number of such characters in the local area, which is why this restaurant can continue to charge high prices and produce poor cooking. If you want to enjoy a local Indian meal, you'd be far better off - and your taste buds and wallet would agree - by going to the Taj Mahal in Upper Richmond Road. There's a reason why that is the oldest restaurant in Putney, never mind being just the oldest Indian restaurant in Putney, and continues to satisfy its customers today.
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Dom Aitchison
2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Saturday, January 30, 2010

what a fabulous place! What drew me in was that it looked absolutely spotless inside - and on closer inspection, it really was totally immaculate. Very encouraging. The service was very good but the food was what I am going to rave about - outstanding - portions aren't huge, so I didn't come out feeling stuffed - but what was there was superb - very good quality, so tasty and one of the best Indian meals I've had in ages. Onion barghees (sp?) are a "must have" - and the Korma and Tikka Masala were excellent. Also reasonably priced - definitely going to be one of my new local favourites. I think they need a bit more colour in the restaurant though - everything is white and to be honest, possibly a little stark, and while that gives a great clean overall impression, it wouldn't hurt to have some nice bright reds in there or something.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, September 01, 2009

I has a chance to have food from Samratt. It was a frsh . hot and nice. the atmosphere is godd. the staff is very kind and cooperative. I would say that EXCELLENT indian restaurant in the town.
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A.Khan
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 3
Sunday, May 03, 2009