Diwali Indian festival event - a disappointment

Cheating misbehaviour with Indians @ Diwali Dhamaka!

Boycott the organizer - Kohinoor / Swagat chain who misbehaved and manhandled

Diwali Indian festival event - Saturday 21.Oct.2006

A sad story of how we were mis-/manhandled at Diwali Dhamaka after paying 20 euros each of the hard-earned money. Those who went to this party definitely noticed that the food ws extremely disorganized and chaotic and people hat to wait in the line for a long time - just contrary to the 'Lavish Buffet' mentioned in the flyer.Due to this reason, some of us got no food to eat. When we told the big fat Uncleji from Swagat that we got nothing to eat. his simple answer was 'if you wanted food, you should have come earlier'.The Paneer/Rahmkaese was actually rotten and possibly the non-Indians didnt notice it.However, people who know what rotten paneer means, know the terrible food poisoning it can cause. On this I confirmed with my friends and they verified that it was rotten.One person with us who just mentioned it to the organizer was 'taken to a corner' and told that 'he would be beaten up if he doesnt keep his mouth shut'. The orgnaizer later on came to our table and gave him a 'last warning' and that he would 'throw us all out in two minutes if we didnt keep our mouths shut'. He said that the paneer was fresh.I asked him whether he would behave the same way with a German and he said that the Germans are not so rude, in other words for me - they possibly didnt notice the rotten paneer. I am also sure that the Germans are pretty direct in such situations. One of his colleagues offered us our money back and we just decided that we would go back as our Diwali evening was anyway spoilt.However, Uncleji later on refused to give us our money by saying 'have you come to my marriage that I give you your money back'. As we refused to go without our money, he called a big Afghan Bouncer who manhandled us and pushed us out of the place. Would they have done this with a German?

I am sure all people who were affected by this understand how demotivating it was for us to be treated this way and cheated on our money. All of us earn enough and we could have paid more for the whole thing if we knew this could mean better quality. Is this the treatment we would get by Swagat and Kohinoor people whom we have been patronizing. We had only politely let him know about the paneer without making a show or letting anyone know and that his own reputation was on stake if people felt sick.One of my European friends asked me if 'this behaviour by an Indian to an Indian is normal'. I have no answer for him.If it is not the Europeans being rude to us, some Indians just cover up for them by discriminating against their own brethren.

I just know that I would ask everyone NOT TO GO TO KOHINOOR and SWAGAT Chain anymore and show them that we all stand together and that it is our patronizing which makes such shops run.Perhaps they dont undderstand this as of yet !!! Please pass this on to all colleagues to your company and friends circle.Kohinoor is anyway more expensive than Punjabi Store.I hope everyone would just make a small effort to take this in notice and think on same lines

On behalf of jagadish - Jagadish's email below.

Dear Friends,

I too want to share my opinion regarding Diwali Festival organized by the Kohinoor people. Is it the DIWALI FEAST???.. I have never celebrated my diwali like this in my life. I was with my German colleagues for the fest, It is supposed to start at 8:00pm but it started at 9:15pm. The two Germans asked me is this way you people organise any party?? No answer from me. The organisers simply asked sorry for the delay. Are we in India?? After the pooja and a dance all the people were asked to get their food. But how?? no one to organise the way how the line should be formed. The place where the food is servered is so small, It can accomodate only 50 people at a time, but by the time the food was served there were around 150 people surronding the table. No one was there to control people and get them in the right way to get their food. I saw the organisers figthing themselves regarding the way how things had to be served. As a sequence of their quarrel every one left the place.

REGARDING FOOD:
------------------

Is it a lavish buffet?? It is not even a buffet.They served the food directly from the cooked utensil?? It was stupi**** of the people to keep the utensils inside a trolly and serve. Is it the palak paneer.. totally Spoiled one.. Pakora is served with hands without wearing any gloves. Plastic plates (used for Snacks) were used to serve hot foods. How can we hold the hot food with our hands if you serve in a plastic plate?? Spoons and forks are not clean and they are given with hands.

We were standing in the Queue from 11:00pm and we got our food at 11:45pm. Can the Germans tolerate having their dinner at 12:00??? Still most of the people after us got nothing to eat. The organisers simply said if you want your food you should have come earlier. Is 1hr of standing in the queue is not enough to get 1 plate of food??. The organisers said they did not expect so much people. Is it a free entry.?? you are the one who sell the tickets, if you are not prepared to handle so many people you should have stopped selling tickets. Thinking of earning a lot you have forced every one in trouble. If you are prepared only for 250 people, you should have stopped selling the tickets, how stup** is to server for 500 people with the food prepared only for 250??.. Guys, Earning money should not be the only motto, every one needs respect, we are guests. What you have done is you believed the cheap kohinoor people. They are of low standards they know only to eat and not to server. But Hats off to Brigesh, he worked hard for arranging some thing special on diwali, but he chose the cheap kohinoor people to join with. Big down to cheater KOHINOOR!!!.. Lets quit them.

Regards,
Jagadeesh

Woah!! This sounds really bad...glad I did not go then, I had me Diwali in a nice Greek restaraunt with close friends (ok they had no idea it was Diwali!) but I had a nice time

Too bad about kohinoor, guess I would say they cant organise a party so dont go the next time but tbh selling stuff tis convenient and I have had no problems.

I think you need more support from the people who attended this event to confirm your comments.

Its not that we dont beleive you, but it shows the organisers if at all they read this post know your strength and also incase you boycott to buy and eat at the respective places they will surely feel the blow.

hope to see more posts from the united Indians on this topic.

Sorry, i do like the Swagat, and will continue to go there, I have always had good food and service there.

Interesting.. is stupid a swear word in India?

No "STUPID" is not a swear word in India... The stars have been used just as a placeholder so that guys know how angry people were who attended the party, as we want the message to remain on the Forum and not be removed because of usage of foul language that may offend some.

Also, please dont try to make fun of English or words that have been used, cause that will lead the discussion into a useless circle of unnecessary responses.

As for the people you were mistreated at this party, I agree that the guys from SWAGAT are one of the most unfriendly caterers in Munich. I dont know how they act with Non-Indians, but for sure they have the worst service for Indians.

I have only visited SWAGAT one time and found the food bad, not cooked properly and the guy serving us was very unfriendly and unprofessional. I have never recommended SWAGAT to any of my coworkers.

I've only had good experiences at Swagat as well but then again I'm not a curry connoisseur.

Many Germans ate that Mik-product called Paneer for the first time in their life. They can never know that it is Rotten. It is our responsibility to inform others about it.

I was there and was thrown out of party for compaining about it.

I too have eaten at Swagat numerous times over the past 7 years, and have always had excellent food, and exceptional service.
A couple of years ago the company I work for had the chefs from Swagat come in and provide 2 weeks holiday cover for the works canteen. OK... Some of the Germans were a little bit miffed about not being able to have their usual pig and dumplings for lunch.. but on the whole it was yet again excellent food!!

I must admit, I am a little suspicious that the original post has been made by someone that has only just signed up today, and is their 1st post... There must be a hell of a lot of competition between Munich's curry houses for custom, and it wouldn't suprise me to find that there is a certain amount of "bad mouthing" on this forum..

I for one will continue to eat at Swagat.

This certainly is not some sort of Curry house war. I was there at the party and vouch for the comments posted above. The arrangements, food in particular were pathetic to say the least. I too was thrown out of the party not for complaining about the food but for asking organizers to give my money back.

So all you people who were thrown out without a refund, is that it, you're leaving it there apart from a few comments on this forum. If it were my money I'd have been back down there the very next day.

On reflection, forget that, Curry House Wars sounds awesome. Much more exciting than the TT curry wars (only meriting small letters) of 1862. My homies from Sarovar will kick anyone's ass in a street-fight.

mothbola it seems you never tasted real indian food.
Swagat is one of the worst restaurant in munich and the service personals dont know how to behave with people.If you have doubts on this post go to www.munichmela.de and read how they cheated their fellow indians.

Just to prove that we are not a lying lot. Here is a note from one of the organizers: connectingindians.com / Diwali event

Look.. I'm not going to get into an argument on this.. However, I have tasted "real indian food". I spent 4 months in India back in 1995. Whilst there I travelled and ate extensively. Now, I will admit, if you are looking for 100% authentic Indian cooking then the Swagat is probably not the right place.. but there again I think this can be said for a majority of Curry houses not only in Munich but also outside India. In my experience, Curry restaurants try to cater for the "western" palate. Some are better at doing this, whilst still keeping true to the indian authenticity.

I still stand by what I have already said. I have always had good food and service in the Swagat.. but there again I dont go in there and start bitching about how un-authentic the cooking is.

For all those who want a list of shops and restaurants where you can get all those things that you buy from SWAGAT and KOHINOOR... please ask some of your Indian friends and they'd give you an entire list of shops and restaurants close to your place. And those shops would not sell anything ROTTEN like what was done in the DIWALI PARTY

you reserve that judgement when you get a shitty "english breakfast" though, oder?

See also:

• Indians' favorite Indian restaurants in Munich
• Indian grocery stores in Munich

LOL

and what's your point ?

That I have been to England and know an English breakfast but whether it is truly good or not you would be able to tell so, not me, a "not the way mother made it" is a good way to judge it. Same goes for Indians and "our" food. I have not eaten at Swagat and so will not say anything but Indians giving their experiences seems to count more to me.

In the end, if I went there and got good food and service, I would go there again, but if I was told by pals I should not go there, likelyhood of an englishman changing me mind...Low

So if you get shitty service in an english place and bitch about food, and me gets good (according to me) food and service, should other englishmen listen to me or you?

Happy Dwiwali to all Hindus.

May I suggest for the next Dwiwali celebration (Festival of Lights and spelt Deepavali in Malaysia and Singapore), you organize it on your own and get someone to cook for you? You could try Leena (she is not a Hindu so I am sure she can do it), the woman whom I have had numerous orders with and she is good. For €20 per head, I am sure you will have a fabulous meal.

Dwiwali is a festival to celebrate with friends and family...and usually in the comfort of your own home (that's how the Hindus do it in Malaysia).

Sorry to hear that you all had a bad experience during this festival. I had a great time at my Hindu friend's house, great food, great company and great sweets.

Sorry to hear the bad news. Did any of you guys call police, when they manhandled you?

Quoting myself there but can't be arsed to type it out again. So have any of you taken follow-up action or are you just discussing it on chat forums? Misrepresentation, intimidation, threats, physical abuse, etc, etc.

If i were there I would defo have taken up that route. But knowing most Indians, knowing they dont want to get involved with police at home leave alone when abroad...I would guess NO!

Time where the Hindu path of Karma comes in handy , no doubt bad karma will affect them at sometime!

why all this bitching now, SHOULD HAVE JUST CALLED THE POLICE. a bit of a delayed reaction i say.

To be honest, if noone was injured, I don't think the police would have been very interested. Its a civil matter. And as Arshoo said, many Indians don't have a happy feeling about the police (which statement is derogatory to Indian police not Indians in general).

For the record, I've had rotten paneer once, and knew it was off. Swagat is not on my list of good Indians, but its certainly not awful either. Mind you I also hate being charged for rice.

Anyway its sad the Diwali festival was ruined, and so many Indians felt embarassed to see not only themselves, but Germans and others being ripped off also.

One of us did give a ring to the police but they didnt seem to be too interested in our story. So we just left it at that.

There has been a lengthy discussion on this topic in one of the Indian forums. Letters are being drafted to be sent to the concerned authorities. Hope the campaign goes all the way and doesnt loose steam halfway.

I would also have gone back there the next day.

Actually fuck that, I would have started a fight with the owner if I was manhandled that way. Like that time I had the owner of Zweite Heimat running for cover at that TT party a couple of years ago...

There are certainly better Indian restaurants in town anyway, so I'll take note of this critique and not go to these places.

This isnt a local problem. Ive had Indian food in Brighton and had some pretty unpleasant experiences as well.
I ordered ´ extra-spicy´ stuff and got fluidy chile paste. I took it back and splattered it in front of his shop. It was only later that i learnt this guy was from Bangladesh!

THe kohinoor guy is from Afghnistan no?

It is strange that after so many of you guys (indians) being thrown out for speaking the truth, why are'nt those customers realising something is going wrong?

If i am one of the indians being thrown out, i would have yell and speak my mind to whoever is in the restaurant rather than just keeping quiet. I believe with the number of indians there, it would be effortless when handling that big bouncer is it not?

Anyway, i still wish all indians a prosperous belated Deepavali!

after all the swagat bashing it appears that the food was not from swagat. it is indeed one of the best indian restaurants in munich. full stop. if you do not like it then just go somewhere else then.

Peaches, according to a post on MunichMela.de it was. Which is the truth?


Damn it all I wanna see Indians storming the streets in protest. Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb!!

Well, fact remains that Diwali was spoiled for them by Swagat. Whether or not Swagat prepared the food themselves is in this case irrelevant. Option 1: The owner of Swagat opted for an Afghan restaurant to produce the food sold in his restaurant rather than preparing the food in Swagat. Result - crappy food. Option 2: Owner of Swagat had the food prepared in own restaurant. Result - crappy food. So at the end of the day the result stays the same and the evening was spoiled for these people. A good friend of mine, he is a Sikh, keeps me informed about all major festivals in India and Diwali means a lot to them! It's the same as Christmas is for us. I think it sucks of Swagat. Calling the police would not have been an option. I would like to see the German policeman who would not use the opportunity to interrogate the guests, checking their ID's and making misuse of the situation.

Your wife is called Brian??? As in the Life of Brian?


Of course it does, as would any other culture's celebrations. It is just a shame some ignorant prick had to spoil it for them...and to make matters worse (from the looks of it)...an Indian!! (I assume Swagat is owned by an Indian).

No, the Wife of Brian. Similar story but no Romans.

Back on the topic though, from what I read on Munich Mela and Connecting Indians and indeed here, it seems to be a lot of hand wringing and head shaking rather than any constructive action to get a satisfactory resolution to the situation.

For starters, has anyone spoken to the owners of Swagat directly about the food issues and spoken directly with the organisers of the event about the phsyical abuse from the alleged Afghani bouncer?

That's been bothering me too, how'd you know he was from Afghanistan?

I will NEVER boycott Swagat! I have been going there for pert near 2 years now and the wait staff has always been very kind, friendly, and professional. The food is always excellent (I've never had a buffet there so I can't speak to that, nor can I speak to any Afghani bouncers... ) but the restaurant, in my book, is among the best in Munich.

(Keydeck, are you satisfied now? )

That'll do Bern, that'll do.

Actually I heard a conversation with an Indian last night.

Bloke 1: Okay, we're just going do a little word association. Say the first thing that comes to your mind. Milk.

Bloke 2: Tit! Oh, mommy. Most Indians would say "cow" because they are sacred, but I hear "milk," I think giant jugs. You see, I cannot go home a virgin. I came here to study the great American art of muff diving. To smack clam, munch rug, dine at just one American pink taco stand! You know, I wanted to, how is it, park the porpoise. You know? I want to take it through the car wash, baby. And get it waxed. I want to wax it. Wax it! You know, and air dry. Air dry that shit, yeah!

..which still doesn't change the fact that Swagat spoiled Diwali for these people.

The thing is Bern, it looks like these wankers treat their own people like shit. Whether their service is good to a lovely young american lass is by the by if they do not even respect their fellow indians. Cannot think of much else they can do apart from spread the word about their mistreatment and ruined party. You cannot call the cops about getting thrown out of a party

One thought is to report them to one of the amts, the foodamt, or whatever the hell it is. Just file a report about them selling rotten food, or even better if 4 or 5 of you complain about food poisoning, they will soon be checked out if several reports come in about that night, and if indeed they are selling rotten food, or their kitchen is not hygenic enough, they will have a good few problems.

Well sweetie your opinion about the "Best" indian place in munich counts for bollocks if there are about a 100 indians saying otherwise. thanks for pointing out the obvious that we can go somewhere else, as a matter of fact if we all do "your" best indian place might not exist anymore.

we all do not call the police for everything, that was their decision, the "bitching" serves as a wwarning, it could be called a Review in case you are unfamiliar with the term, a bad one at that. it also ensures it hurts where it matters (money) and usually is the swiftist way to solve matters.

Lastly, I would not want any Malaysian female telling a throughbred Indian what the best indian restaraunt in town is, please dont even attempt to go there!

No, it doesn't indeed MB and very astute of you to point it out. However, what are they gonna do about it? I'm still awaiting an answer to some of the questions I have asked earlier. Actions speak louder than words. A man cannot live on bread alone. Mohammed liked mountains. Or something.

Nice bit of nationalistic xenophobia there.
Cause a "true" Indian could never cook badly or rip someone off could they?

Also, from the original post, at one stage, the restaurant offered to refund the money to the complaining guests but this was refused. It's nice to see people caring about the service offered to other customers but tbh, I can partly understand the caterers and organisers being annoyed that after they had offered to end the contract, people stayed there and potentially upset their other customers.

could every white skinned cowboy and lass stop talking about The Best Indian in town!!

I would like to say how you would feel if a Bachmaier hosted your friggin christmas party and spoiled it all for you. I would always come out in their support and say it has always been good to me.

Come out in support all you want, the fact is that for about 200 people THE HINDU celebration of the year was spoiled.

I already like the United Indians concept. It's great that they are trying to do something about it by reporting it on websites. I don't think there's more than that one could do. Appealing to TT'ers to boycott Swagat is not gonna do the trick if the food we got served has always been good.

Nope, in the original post, a refund was offered, then retracted, then when they waited for their money, they were thrown out.

If i was there I really would be peeved and doing something, BUT spent diwali with friends in a nice Greek place and followed it up in a cool bar ...oh well back to topic.

can anyone tell me which of the 'amts is responsible for checking restaurant hygiene?

Arshoo...I am Malaysian and I do not think that any of the Indian restaurants I have tried in Germany is the best in town ! To be honest, I don't think any of the restaurants in UK are great either, passable but not great.

I still prefer the cooking of my Indian Malaysian friend's mother...yum!

And you should stop behaving like a sexist racist prick as well innit.
What's this BJP shite?
It's beneath you.

Of course a lot of food originating in the Indian sub-continent has been modified to European tastes.
No one I think disputes that.

But to compalin that only an Indian can know about the food is rubbish.
Someone from Madras is going to be an expert on the cuisine of the Punjab or someone from Mumbai know all the local dishes of Calcutta?
That's let alone the Bangladeshi or Pakistani foods.

It's like someone from Britain saying they by right know abou the foods in Poland or Sweden or Spain just because they happen to be in Europe.

Thank you for that lesson on Indian cusine MK, what is it spent 5 weeks in India on holiday have we!!

Point out to me where we get S. Indian in Munich? The food is mostly N. Indian, Punjabi food is what is served here.

Yes, an Indian would defo know better than any other people, especially those people who have not even BEEN to India once!!!

Lastly, please dont rubbish so soon, my point that an Indian will always know better is true, it isnt ONE person I am talking about (esp. not me only) but if there are about 10 Indians of different origins complaining about the food in a place and some people who have never been to India say it is the best Indian, I think it is bollocks.

Mostly, I am just really really peeved that for about 200 people Diwali was spoilt

*rant over* if it ever was one!