de`ma

after phoning at least 10 restaurants in umhlanga rocks we gave up with trying to get a reservation and so our only hope was to go to gateway mall for dinner. my husband suggested de'ma. the restaurant was fairly quiet. we tried to order sprite zeros but they didn't stock it. i then tried to order a mango lassi but they didn't have that either so i settled on a coke zero. we ordered quickly as we were starving. service was slow and waiters were not friendly or attentive. it took at least 40 mins for our food to arrive. was not expecting the food to be any good with slow services and lack of drinks but when it arrived it looked good. the mutton biryani was tasty. my chicken tikka masala was creamy with good flavour and the chicken was tender. both dishes could have done with slightly more salt.

find a place to eat dinner was very difficult tonight, every place we tried was fully booked. but we struck it lucky at de'ma at gateway. the place is fairly small and has very simple decor. firstly i was a bit disappointed that they have every other drink u can think of except for sprite zero. i ordered the lamb breyani which is served with dhal and you are not allowed to swop it out for raita (quite absurd), so extra raita it was. the breyani was a generous portion and had a yummy flavour to it. my wife ordered a chicken tikka masala which was soft and succulent. however both dishes lacked a bit of seasoning. one thing that i would suggest they sort out is their waiting staff, they don't seem to pay attention to thier patrons.

came back because the curries are awesome. spit been revamped, furniture been sorted. the curry was out of this world!

told the waitress to bring the best lamb curry. a hot lamb khadai arrived with sambals - and was fantastic. worth visiting again.

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returned after a year. disappointed. asked for a "hot" curry - got at best a mild impersonation of a lamb curry - tasty - but not what i ordered - seems like the issue of you don't fit the profile - so we give you a "mild"! drinks had to be chased and asked for - rating downgrade from me.

and spot still looks tatty - see previous review. food and service following general decline.

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small spot looking a bit tatty. they could use some new furniture and spruce it up a bit. but the "lamb bunny chow" was superb! soft, tender and flavourful. good portion in a half-loaf of bread - the menu says medium - but this is durban! huge chillies float in the rich gravy - full of spices - really yummy. nice atmosphere, relaxed music - waiters could be a bit more alert and pre-emptive of drinks etc. well priced, good food - but could be great!

delicious food and great atmosphere - definitely worth a visit in umhlanga! give the chicken tikka masala a try and the extremely flavoursome paneer paratha.

i had a lamb bunny which was absolutely divine! great flavors. also tired the paneer tikka which was tasty. bunny chows just somehow taste better in durban!

pretty good indian food ....... pretty good atmosphere. a pleasant evening enjoyed with good friends. service was slightly on the slow side.