I have been a regular patron of this Indian restaurant for many years, but last night I had an experience with them that I can only describe as shocking. Me and a group of friends turned up about 7pm, we hadn't booked a table and the restaurant was full, of course the error there is on our part, hands held up on that one. We asked when the next available table for 5 was and was told to come back in an hour. So off we went to the pub for a drink before we returned. We got back at the specified time and was made to wait in the take away waiting area of the restaurant for some time, about 45 minutes in fact. We then were approached by an extremely disinterested "i'll take it all in my stride even though I have a full restaurant" waiter. "Table for 4 is ready" he says, to which we replied we booked 5. "oh no, no, no" was the response, only for him to then go back to whatever it was he was doing and not apologising or giving us any kind of assurance that a table would become available. We decided we'd wait it out, we did and then low and behold, 25 minutes or so later we are herded (that's how it felt) to a table. We sit there looking at the menu, having quite the appetite on us by now. We are left waiting for a further 25 minutes without being approached at all, no drinks offered, no apologies for the wait, no anything. During our wait a Gentleman behind our table was having a row with "I don't really care" guy about how long he had been waiting for his food. He was NOT happy. Add to this when we were in the take away section a lady was also complaining that her food wasn't ready. She was called by the restaurant to say it was! She was sitting there with us for a good 15 minutes. Again "I don't really care" guy, really didn't care too much.

Now here's the part of the story that baffles me the most. We are seated at 9pm, no one comes to take so much as a drinks order, there are 4 staff including "I don't really care" guy and they're all twiddling there thumbs, when we attempt to flag them, they turn the other way. Why run a restaurant that holds around 50 diners and then not be able to cope under pressure. Oh and bear in mind that by the point we were waiting to order I would say the restaurant was half full at most. Also making us baffled as to why we weren't seated earlier.

The service was in the end so frustrating and so flippant that we walked out, with a member of the party deciding that "I don't really care" guy deserved to know what we thought and left a few choice words on the way out.

When I have actually managed to get a meal here in the past, the food has been good, service efficient but never that friendly. Service of later however has been on a major decline. My custom will be taken elsewhere from now on, at least other places show some interest in taking my money and put a smile on their face when they are doing it, in fact just getting a meal and a drink in the first instance seems to be really something as far as The Golden Curry is concerned.