Veranda, Wickham

We went there thinking for having great indian food but we were totally turned down. We ordered paneer (indian contental cheese) masala and what we received was English cheese masala which after 5 minutes turned solid into a thich gum. Couldn't eat anything. We asked the waiter why english cheese instead of panner was used and he said panner is not found in the UK. We buy panner from tescos all over the UK :-).

We ordered Pilau rice and we got plain rice with few spice pieces here and there.

Will never go there again.

Gone down the pan. Having eaten at the Veranda earlier this year we were looking forward to the excellent service we received on our last visit. We waited 1hr and 15 minutes before we received the first course and then a further 45 minuets before the second course. The food was OK but by the time we got it we had all lost our apetites. The people on the next table walked out after similar treatement - we should have done the same. Altogether an unpleasant experience - not good enough.

we r quite regular here in veranda. with my family i dine minimum 3-4 times in a month. staff are really attentive, polite, smart and the atmosphere suits to eveyrone. food quality is superb. infact i personally know the headchef who is an award winning chef with a good team. its a historical place. if u go on friday saturday, i recommend to book in advance and b on time. the housefull guests on the weekends proves they are best in south and obviously in The Squire. i had my dinner in Kutis as well. but they forced me to leave b4 i intended. i hate those. i luv veranda and recommends every1 to dine there.

H. Smith

Well after reading some of these reviews of Veranda, I convinced my other four colleagues to venture out for dinner at this place. We eat in restaurants practically every day, so are used to the odd hiccup here and there. When we arrived, we were guided to a dark corner away from the main restaurant area, feeling distinctly like we were being kept out of the way. To begin with all was well with the drinks and starters appearing quickly and to a very good standard - very tasty and nicely presented. These were cleared away and we chatted whilst waiting for our main courses.

These took a worryingly long time to arrive, and when they did, we were far from happy. Quite hungry at this point, I and another colleague had ordered a spinach and paneer (indian cheese like cottage cheese) dish. We dished out our servings and curiously noticed how the dish seemed somewhat 'stringy' in texture. After a bit more digging, we were shocked to discover that there appeared to be no paneer used at all and it actually looked like regular cheddar cheese! Bringing this to the attention of the waiter, we were greeted by a seemingly nonchalant response. After some argument, we conveyed that we were not going to eat it since it was not what we ordered. Credit to the staff, our dishes were replaced with non-cheesy ones and we weren't charged for the dishes.

Our main disappointment was that it seemed dishonest. Should they have informed us of a lack of paneer we could have happily chosen something else. All the rest of the food was standard for an Indian restaurant, not outstandingly memorable. After reading the reviews here our expectations were far from met, leaving us sorely disappointed and strangely bloated.

Needless to say we may not be returning in the near future.

Upon entering, staff are attentive and helpful. The menu is extensive, ingredients well described and contains many pan-Indian choices. It took us a full ten minutes to cogitate before choosing starter and main course!

Would and will, recommend to everyone. Simply the best Indian meal I have had. Prices are reasonable and staff polite and courteous. When will other restaurants (of all types, esp pubs) pull their socks up and give value for money? This establishment is so very refreshing and gets the five star award from me.

Quiet enough for us on a Tuesday evening. We have been looking for an Indian Restaurant with good food and have found one at last. We have come from Portsmouth and will definitely come again.

We live locally to the restaurant, and we tend to eat there once a month. We have been in with friends and family, and we have recommended it to other people. It is more expensive than your average Indian, but the quality of food is excellent. Food is very fresh, and there is such a variety on the menu. The staff at Veranda are very friendly, though on occasions the service has been a little slow. We think that Saturday is the best time to go.

Recommend getting a table in view of the staff - best is by the windows. Book if you go at the weekend as it is usually busy. Last time we were in the restaurant with our family, the food and service was excellent.

This was our first visit to Veranda Restaurant and although most of the staff were very attentive, we felt very pressured by the waiter we were paying our bill to, to leave a tip, which we did. He could not speak English and did not make himself very clear to us what he wanted us to pay. He became quite annoyed with us and I can only guess this was because we did not leave a more generous tip. I feel I cannot go there again as this was quite unpleasant. Considering the cost of the meal, I feel I cannot recommend this restaurant to my friends. Overall rating "quite disappointing".