Cardamom Black @ "The Old Empire Theatre" Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was amazing and they had so much to offer on their menus something which u very rarely get at other restaurants."
• "The Fish Currie's as starter and mixed grill as main with lamb shank and king prawn where warming but so tasty."
• "The food this time was exceptional."
• "The food was great, certainly as close to authentic Asian cooking as I have ever experienced."
• "Absolutely loved all the food."
• "Exceptional service, amazing staff who are the incredibly friendly and the food was absolutely spectacular!"
• "The food was excellent and in good supply."

Cons:

• "The curry here was disappointing."
• "Rathastan curry was grainy (spices not being cooked through)."
• "The butter chicken tastes of ghee and not much else."
• "The lamb chops tasted like plain boiled meat, the curry's weren't even curry's they were like watered down soup."
• "But I got the seafood lobster curry and it was shocking I mean shocking red hot in the middle cold on the outside."
• "When we eventually got to eat it it was flavourless and just spicy hot."
• "The shaslick came out with raw Peppers and onions and when we complained we were told they're not meant to be cooked!!"

Service

Pros:

• "Thank you again to the RM who sorted a special request for me."
• "Staff extremely attentive, polite and generous with their time."
• "The staff were very accommodating!!!! We didn't like our table and asked if we could move and it was no problem even though the place was very busy!!!!"
• "Staff are all great - very welcoming and relaxed, which adds to a great atmosphere."
• "The staff (Romel) in there couldn't have been more helpful and attentive."
• "The staff were so attentive and made the evening brilliant!"
• "The staff were very helpful, friendly and attentive without being invasive."

Cons:

• "Sadly we’ve just had dinner here... we were handed the bill around 8.20. At 8.35 a waiter came over and told us we needed to leave and take our full drinks to the bar as they needed a table back."
• "Very rude staff."
• "Service was horrible and very very slow."
• "The service was appalling. Meals not arriving for diners, drinks being requested 3+ times."
• "Took over two hours for the main courses to be served."
• "Service was appalling. 3 hours for the entire meal with no dessert is a joke."
• "The service was terrible... they basically dropped off our food then abandoned us."

Ambiance and Decor

Pros:

• "The restaurant is very pretty and nicely decorated."
• "It's a lovely building, as it was formerly a theatre."
• "Absolutely love the ambiance and staff service."
• "And look up whilst in the restaurant. You will go wow."
• "The venue is glamorous but down to earth."
• "This restaurant is stunning, classy, the staff were great, explaining the menu, and making sure you were happy with your choice of food."
• "The decor was luxurious."

Cons:

• "The music can be bit loud and dominating, especially if you're near a speaker."
• "Came during lockdown so had to sit outside under a tent which wasn’t the best as water was seeping through holes in the roof of it."
• "Style is very dramatic!"
• "Fantastic decor - so quite an eyeful of black and silver."
• "The decor was unusual based on other restaurants I had been to."
• "Didn't feel safe or valued."
• "The only one negative point was the time I waited to get served at the bar prior going into the restaurant it was very busy but there was only one person serving at the bar."