I am faintly embarassed by the naive optimism I displayed after suggesting Saaki had refreshed it's operation. Exactly 7 days previous I had enjoyable food but having just had a pitiable curry club meal it's difficult to reconcile the two.
Perhaps success has run out of the family to paraphrase the menu. Clearly I was fortunate a week ago to get in and out beforehand. Never seen as many glum faces around a dinner table since the last supper. Just as well no other diners endured Saakis labours.
Things began in uninspired fashion and got worse. On the starter platter: an eruption of lettuce leaves hiding small and chewy Onion Bhajias, Garlic Mushrooms with tomato ketchup sauce as well as Aubergine slices, tasting of oil and lemon juice. Sloppy but just about passable for restaurant food. Another 10 minutes and we were served the mains. Oh dear. Aforementioned Lamb Kazana was ok but the pilau rice had more flavour than a bizarrely titled Fresco King Prawn. Korai and Madras curries were terrible. The former with scraggy lumps of chicken, insipid except for saturated coriander leaf, the latter, yellow in colour, showing a complete absence of paprika, cinnamon, tomato puree, fresh tomatoes, nothing but chicken stock in a watery gravy astringent with chilli powder. Bombay Aloo, alais "spicy potatoes" barely registered on the palate. Although I've had worse pumpkin and mix vegetable dishes elsewhere both looked jaundiced.
After possibly the worst indian food in memory I could never return to Saaki confident of a decent meal.
willp2328visit: 2/10
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2 comments:
I think 2/10 is excessively generous. The food was absolute rubbish. Each plate of starters included a little pool of Chinese sweet chilli dip - but even that was mild. The main courses were unspeakably bad. The only redeeming factor was the St Emilion at £11.95 a bottle, since this acted in the absence of decent food as an anaesthetic.
The fact that no-one else came near the restaurant, not even for a takeaway, between 20:15 and 22:00 is a pretty fair sign that the locals know the score. And now we do, too. The best thing the owners of this place can do is to close it down.
fair enough John though I felt the St Emilion and the pilau rice deserved a point while the Kazana curry though not as good as a week previous did too. I'm afraid their days do seem numbered though. I won't be going back and why would anyone of the locals with the Madhuban up the road? Looking forward to going to the Paradise at Christmas. In the new yeaer would you consider trying the Madhuban with the club again? Also thought I'd mention a restaurant on the London Rd bw Horndean and Waterlooville called 'Pasha' has just been entered into the top 100 indians nationwide...read it in the News.
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