Viceroy

Reviews 5

IZ

Izaak Earnhardt

There is a great deal about this restaurant that I was looking forward to. However, I have to say that the bad rather overshadowed the good. The service varied. Our main server was very attentive and did an extremely good job. That said, the rest of the service was spotty at its best. Used plates lingered on the table well into the next course and servers would briskly wander off before you had the chance to either request a drink or that the primary server come by. It was nearly 35 minutes into the service before every member of our party received a drink because of the whack-a-mole beverage service. The alcohol--a simple but important part of a dinner out with friends--was downright poor. The cocktails--our table got five of them between us--were uniformly weak. Particularly disappointing were the martinis. When a member of our party removed the three olives in her dirty martini, it became apparent that the drink occupied less than half of the up glass. All the martinis at the table seemed to have either been left to languish with ice or shaken rather too long (which, inexplicably, seemed not to help with the meagre portions). Additionally, for a "British Pub" concept, that there seemed to be only one (over-chilled) English-style ale on the menu, was a disappointing lapse. The food was a mixed experience. The small plates--we got the Siam Salad, Gobi Suka and Baji Chaat--were mostly delightful, reasonably priced, and fairly-portioned. The Siam Salad would have been better served on a plate where the vinaigrette didnt pool below the lettuce, and the quantity of papaya (although mango was indicated on the menu, it was nowhere to be found) was a little on the skimpy side. The mains and tandoor dishes were a different story. The Maharaja Kebabs were served as a mountain of meat with paltry vegetables accompaniments; save for the characteristic color of tandoor chicken, the plating was more like what one might encounter with a fajita plate at Chilis. The Shepherds Pie was greasy and remarkably, seemed to contain fewer peas (I counted 6) and carrots (0) than one would expect even of traditional English pub food. The pie was also accompanied by a languid and haphazardly mounded salad. The Achari Palak Daal was actually quite good, but at 13 dollars for a half-filled soup bowl with no accompaniment other than rice, this dish served instead to solidify my general impression of expensive mediocrity. Finally, the restaurant concept was bothersome. Ive been to plenty of English pubs cum curry houses that pull off the judicious (and seemingly organic) application of Victoriania and colonial kitsch. The application of this concept at Viceroy somehow goes too far while also managing not to go far enough. The cast of dead white people in sepia staring down from the wall unnerving and would have pushed the limits of good taste even in England. At the same time, the high ceiling, cacophonous noise, and bare table arrangements failed to conjure any of the comfort or coziness of an actual English pub. The restaurant concept seemed to be as much of a hindrance to the aesthetic and ambience of the space as a help. With a surfeit of other restaurants in a similar price range in Durham, I can confidently say that I wont be returning to this one.

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AN

Andrew Miller

I went to Viceroy with two other friends for dinner on a Thursday night, since we all really enjoy Indian food and trying new places that pop up in the triangle. I can start off by pointing out a few good things. The environment is definitely going for a nice pub atmosphere. Its clean, comfortable, has spacious tables that make open conversation easy. I had their masala chai, and it was on point. One of our friends had the murg mykanwala and it, along with several appetizers were pretty scrumptious. I also have to say, it can be really challenging to find spicy (read: picante) foods in North Carolina, and if you want your food appreciatively hot, this can be easily achieved at Viceroy. The rest of our evening was, unfortunately, pretty ugly. They were busy, so we had been given a late reservation, and by the time we came in we were pretty ravenous. This somewhat exacerbated the unpleasantness of the 20+ minute wait we had when given a minute to look over the menu before ordering. One of the people in our party ordered a soft drink, and it wasnt until around the time the entrees were served that a refill was obtained, and even then, this was only after going to the bar and talking to the hostess AND the bartender themselves. The murg and the Naan were impressive, but our other two dishes were not. Both the special that was ordered and my saag were -very- salty. Not a whole lot of depth of flavor or balance, just... salt. I wont hammer on it, they were edible, and all in all we had an ok night. Ive heard great things about Viceroy from other people, and so these may just be growing pains while some consistency is developed. I would probably go again, and be smart and order the murg this go around. If you go I would avoid deviating too far from what your server says is great that evening, or deemed popular by the regulars. I really cant agree with the reviews saying this is some of the best Indian in the triangle though, we have some truly spectacular Indian food available in the area and this experience was comparatively unremarkable.

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TO

toniya mishra

It doesnt get better than this! Viceroy exceeded all our expectations of an Indian/British pub in Durham. Weve had a lot of Indian food in different parts of the country and overseas as well and Viceroy is definitely in the Top 5. The food was amazing, well spiced, well cooked. If you are faint on the spice palette, then mild is the spice level for you. The beers and cocktail selection was phenomenal. Try the Curry Leaf Mojito, you will not be disappointed. But food and drinks apart, what touched us most was the outstanding service of the staff. Starting from the hostess, to the bartender, to the servers, everyone was very friendly and extremely prompt. The staff was so warm and caring and provided a very personal experience. Whatever the management of this establishment is doing is working, so i request you to please please please continue doing that.

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GR

Gregory Martinez

Tried it out after Disney karaoke at The Bar. No hostess and was not greeted by bartenders or service staff. It was kind of empty and it seemed to be winding down, but google said they served until midnight and we arrived around 10. No points off for that really, just thought they may want to have a better system for seating after the hostess goes home. I cant recall the dishes we ordered. Maybe the Gobi? All of it was very good. I ordered a tempranillo, which was fine. The missing star is for having a laughably bad selection of wine. All the selections were fairly generic and common, like grocery store wine. There is too much good wine available to us for there to be such a lazy selection. Will re-review if wine list is updated when I come back.

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JI

Jim Northrup

The atmosphere inside was very nice. I had the only vegetarian entree on the menu and the portion was small. It listed spinach as a key ingredient and there was barely any spinach in the recipe. Also the rice tasted old and like it had been sitting for a few days and reheated. The cauliflower appetizer was good. The service was so-so. With a little bit of work in the kitchen on the vegetarian aspect of the menu, this place would be a solid perform if not for the atmosphere alone. The service, bad rice and small portions would have me giving this place one or two stars, but the upscale pub atmosphere has me putting this at a solid 2 stars.

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