New Indian restaurant- Dosanj at west one

[Bubbaray 10]

It's looks like a bit of a joke to me, Quote "using the finest ingredients" then you go and have a look at the pictures and the chef is pictured cooking with a tub of Elmlea (UHT cream), some bog standard Ghee and a can of (what looks like) netto chopped tomatoes!

 

It also says that the brothers have 17 years catering experance and yet Mandip Dosanjh, the co owner of this restaraunt, has worked as a director of SENTA for donkeys years (a collegue once went to them for advice about starting up a copy writing business and was quite negative about them), his brother Manjit Dosanjh also convenantly worked there

 

(Quote from the SENTA website - Manjit joined SENTA in April 2006 as Business Advisor his main role is to oversee projects and assist with the New Entrepreneur Scholarship. He has a strong background in finances, being a qualified financial advisor such qualifications including a BA (hons) in Finance, Financial Planning Certificate (FPC 1, 2 and 3) and CeMAP mortgage advisor accreditation. Manjit also has various business interests, including convenience stores, post office and a web company.) no where does it say that they have catering experance except probably at home!!!! (see the SENTA website)

 

Looks like a bit of a fly by night operation to me created bt 2 amatuers

 

 

:loopy:

[ra16 10]

Myself and three friends visited dosanj the other day. Unfortunately it was a less than pleasant experience. I was really looking forward to the meal as I thought the menu looked very different from your standard indian fare and from the sounds of the spiel it appeared that the restaurant team knew whta they were doing.

 

Nothing could have been further from the truth. The starters were very good but after waiting 50 minutes between ordering and the arrival of any food the taste was lost in the rush to wolf the food down! The chilli paneer and the chandigarh chicken were very nice indeed but if i'm going to wait 50 minutes for a starter I expect something out of this world...

 

To put this into context there were 3 tables in the restaurant and we hadn't come in at the same time so there was certainly no pressure on the kitchen.

 

Again however the quality of the starters was quickly forgotten as it took almost another hour before the main courses arrived!! When the food finally did decide to rear its head it definitely wasn't worth the wait

 

3 meals arrived and there was another wait for the 4th. All four breads were inedibly burnt on the bottom. 2 of the meals were luke warm and almost on the verge of being cold. The one lamb dish we had ordered had more bone in it than lamb.

 

Before anyone replies and says this adds to the flavor in a traditional manner I would normally agree with you. That is if i am served bone and some meat rather than just bone! Some of the best indian meals I have had have been staff curries with plenty of meat on the bone but unfortunately this wasn't the case here. What we did taste of the sauces was reminiscent of a supermarket jar of curry sauce.

 

The mains were so bad we asked to pay for only the starters and our drinks. The owner didn't see a problem with this and was apologetic. Personally I would have gone out of my way to offer the whole meal on the house and invite us back to prove that things could be done correctly.

 

The chef was also sent out to talk to us and refused to admit anything was wrong. He insisted his credentials meant he was beyond reproach and that wait time was acceptable.

 

To sum up the promise of great things was well and truly a let down. We in fact ended up getting another meal from our favorite take-away and enjoying it at home albeit at 10:30p.m. We shall not be returning in a hurry.

[Dosanj 10]

Buubaray,

 

Not sure where your going with this. But will try my best to reply to some of the relevant points.

 

We believe that we use good quality ingredients in our cooking, spices, fresh meat, fruit and veg. Netto products we dont use. We operate a OPEN kitchen so you can see you food being cooked unlike some other food places. Yes we use GHEE, some others use cheaper veg oil, we use cream some others use subs.

 

 

Not sure where you get the "17 years catering experance" quote from. This is our first in the indian rest trade, the website however does state 17 years experience in the retail food industry which is a different trade so apologies if it gave you the wrong impression but on the same page it did state "This is our first venture into the restaurant sector"

 

 

On the SENTA issues (and I will keep this brief), Mandip has been at SENTA since 2003, started as business advisor, director since 2008. Manjits info on the web relates to his skills relevant for the job. We both started as business advisors at different times, nothing wrong with two brothers working for the same organisation is there?

 

Only time will tell if we are a fly by night operation or if what we are trying to create actually works.

[Dosanj 10]

ra16,

 

Can I start my offering my sincere apologies for the service you recieved. Unfortunatley I wasn't there on the night as I dont recall the incident. As you may be aware its difficult when starting a new concept/business that you have little experience in, nothing wrong with trying something new but it does come with it's teething problems. Not knowing what you dont know - if that makes sense.

 

I take all your points on board and do understand that we are under staffed in the kitchen. As all food is cooked fresh we normally state around 20mins waiting but 50 mins is not acceptable.

 

I would request that you do not cut us off completely but please do come back to see us at a later date and I can assure you that your next experience will will not be the same in any way as the last.

 

Happy to discuss at any time as feedback like this only drives us to improve and do better.

[Dosanj 10]

I've not compared the prices but of the top of my head I would have thought they're on average about 50% more than Aagrah. They will have to be very impressive in both service and quality to justify these prices.

 

Masala main dish, Agraah £7.90 Dosanj £13.50

Rice, Agraah £2.30 Dosanj included in above

Naan, Agraah £2.30 Dosanj included in above

Raita, Agraah £1.95 Dosanj included in above

TOTAL (Agraah) £14.95 Dosanj £13.50

 

Only checked one price but sure thier prices will range and some we may be more expensive on too. I think our menu isnt clear that the prices INCLUDE naan, rice and raita. And I dont think we are 50% more expensive either.

Edited July 18, 2009 by Dosanj
spelling error

[jamesogt 11]

So what if you dont want all the extras ? Personally i couldnt eat it all, so therefore would put me off going.

[Bubbaray 10]

Dosanj

 

In reply to your post

 

I does not sound like you are using the best ingredients, for starters you are using Elmlea (According to the picture of the chef cooking that your website) this is a UHT cream (Butter milk and vegetable oil to be precise), what you call a sub and I am taking this directly from the picture that is posted on your website, or is this a generic picture of some random chef (if that is the case then that feels like false advertising).

 

Your Ghee is a very generic brand and is not the “Finest ingredient” there are a lot more opulent brands available (Again I am referring directly from evidence from your website), you could even be really fancy and make your own, it’s easy, there a plenty of local, organic producers of exquisite butter that you can make it from!

 

If you are making the claim that you are using the “Finest ingredient” then you have to back it up, where do you source you meat, Vegetables, pulses, etc from? Are they local, do you import. You cannot just make a claim that you use the finest ingredients. At least places like Aagrah have a little area that show off the fish and other products so that you can see the freshness of its produce. People now want to know where their produce is coming from, places like Wig and pen, Platillos, The Milestone and artisan all advertise where their produce comes from and the staff are well informed about this as well. You cannot just claim your ingredients are the best without citation, information which your menus do not supply! Judging from RA16’s comments the meat sounds like it is not up to scratch at all, along with the service! (RE: service: Not been so I cannot quote that 1st hand so I am relying on the damning review by RA16) .

 

I see now that you are offering rice and Naan’s with your main courses, but what if you don’t want rice, do you offer a substitute (Tarka Dahl or some other side dish) I know when I go to a restaurant I like to have an option of the sides that I want, not just be lumbered with the basic bog standard, this is something like what Balti king would offer! Give people choice don’t just force them into it. Some people don’t eat much and may only want a main (one of my friends often does that) in that case it would be 50% more expensive.

 

I liked “17 years experience in the retail food industry”, but does running a “convenience store” (quote from SENTA website) really qualify as working in the “retail food industry”?

 

Oh and there is Nothing wrong with brothers working together as long as there is no Nepotism involved?

 

Oh and spell my Username right next time It’s not difficult it was on the same page as your post!

Edited July 20, 2009 by Bubbaray
Stupid spelling error

[OlDog 10]

Masala main dish, Agraah £7.90 Dosanj £13.50

Rice, Agraah £2.30 Dosanj included in above

Naan, Agraah £2.30 Dosanj included in above

Raita, Agraah £1.95 Dosanj included in above

TOTAL (Agraah) £14.95 Dosanj £13.50

 

Only checked one price but sure thier prices will range and some we may be more expensive on too. I think our menu isnt clear that the prices INCLUDE naan, rice and raita. And I dont think we are 50% more expensive either.

 

 

Hmmm a couple of things spring to mind -

 

On your menu it says under each dish "Garnished with salad and served with raita yoghurt, choice of rice and naan".

 

Fair enough but are you offering a " choice of rice and naan"?? If so then you can knock off the price of one of those dishes on the Agraah total -£2.30. If you are offering both then its a little unusual isn't it (not to mention the confusing wording on the menu), surely most people would choose either one or the other with their meal. I wouldn't want rice and naan with my main, especially if I had already had a starter.

 

Raita - great I love it but if I ordered it as an additional side at Agraah I would share it as there's far to much for one person. So that's minus at least half the price of a portion at Agraah -£0.97. Incidentally you charge £2.50 for a portion when ordered separately and Agraah charge £1.95.

 

I've not yet been to Dosanj so I can't personally comment on the quality of the food and as per my first post on this thread, didn't ever comment on the quality of the food. I offered my opinion based on the menu and my first impressions after viewing it. I'm also not necessarily championing Agraah, although I have enjoyed some very good meals there in the past.

Edited July 20, 2009 by OlDog
spelling

[Claret 10]

Yeah I agree with OlDog. Me and my husband would share a portion of rice and a naan between us. We wouldn't bother with raita.

[Sumi 10]

after following all the threads.. its kinda persuaded me to actually go and try the food at all three places.. being new to sheffield...

lIked AkBars... very authentic especially 'Handi of the day', so that leaves the Agra, East and west and Dosanj....

Will let you know if the food is betters than my MUM's...

[Bubbaray 10]

Dasanj was reviewed in the Sheffield star this week, not a great review!

Edited July 25, 2009 by Bubbaray

[1000oceans 10]

I took my other half here for her birthday on Sat night and it was lovely.

 

The flavours were stunning and the king prawns were the best I've ever had. You get everything on one big plate including the rice and a naan bread and the portion size is just right. If you're really hungry though I'd recommend having a starter.

 

I'd definately recommend Dosanj if you want something a bit more upmarket than your usual run of the mill curry houses. The Goan fish curry was also highly praised by my girlfriend.