Based on 90 opinions finded in 3 websites
Opinions
Went for an evening meal after a long time without being able to go to a restaurant. Pleased to report we weren't disappointed. We were seated promptly at a table for two and were immediately asked if we would like a drink. The server was very attentive as it wasnt the busiest evening, even though it was a Saturday. The menu itself is very extensive, with set meals as well as a la carte. We opted for a la carte. Our starters were Wonton soup(9/10), Butterfly King Prawns(9/10), salt & pepper squid(10/10) and salt & pepper ribs(7/10). This is due to a bit of "frozen" aftertaste on the ribs. After this our mains arrived, 2 portions of egg fried rice(one is enough for two people), beef in oyster sauce(7/10), again unfortunately a bit of "frozen" aftertaste on the beef but the sauce was delicious and the beef very tender. Also had the XO Squid + Prawns which were amazing(10/10). All in all a very good meal and hope the management will look into my comments on the ribs and beef. My ratings are only deducted for the food not being quite as good as it could have been. Definitely be back.
Bjorn Helge A . 2021-06-04
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Food nice, staff very pushy, went in with friends and they was very pushy, you finished! No! Again you finished no! Retrain some staff please. Used to be amazing....
Kym Kinderson . 2020-09-19
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Restaurant inside looks nice and unique, that’s the only good thing I can say. The tofu starter was so dry it tasted like I was chewing on polystyrene!, and the pack Choi, well we were only serve the the ends, none of the green leaves as if they cut that off and saved it for themselves(see picture) I went with my Asian partner, so she was very aware of why to expect, my god please avoid at all costs. To mention the atmosphere! To describe, would be like having a meal in a middle of a club, over crowded no social distancing what’s so ever. I felt robbed and hungrier than I was before I sat down, because the food was so unappetising. If this wasn’t functioning as a bar, I don’t believe the restaurant alone would survive. NEVER AGAIN!
Rbailey1989 . 2020-08-30
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I decided to eat some birds nest noodles I knew it this place used to do it... disappointing they don’t do it anymore 😞 The service was ok. They had an amazing ceremony for the lunar Chinese New Year I really enjoy it... my food was ok... some of the dishes were a bit plane not flavour, could be better. I think they need to renovate some of the furniture in there.
Ljubica B . 2020-01-26
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Regularly use Kala Red for tske away deliveries. Tried both Uber and Deliveroo, and Deliveroo definitely better at keeping food hot. Singapore noodles and soft shell crab personal favourites.
Colin G . 2019-11-27
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first visit to kala red went a bit early so not a lot of custom at that time, so service was v good and the meal excellent good value and quantity, ( compared to Noble House), after a while a lot more custom arrived but the service standard was maintained, throughly good meal and enjoyable evening
Keith M . 2019-11-25
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I always pop in here on a Friday or Saturday night if we're out in town because it's open later, has a great choice of drinks, has good entertainment and the door staff are great at doing there job.
Scott C . 2019-10-08
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Eating food influenced by the Far East was an exciting prospect when I was growing up. Much like a lot of foreign food that has been on our menus for generations it’s now part of British culture. After generations it has been tailored to meet the needs of the populous. What you expect in British Chinese in food is what you’ll get at KalaRED. The venue is large and appears to turn into a pub/Club. I’m sure on a non school night you’ll get to smash a jägermeister with your mates while finishing off the last of the prawn crackers.
D4v1dC . 2019-09-05
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Well there was no atmosphere as we were the only ones there on a Saturday evening. Also, although the food tasted alright, it wasn't that hot suggesting it was not cooked just before it came to our table. The noise from the bar downstairs wasn't an issue but we left at about 9:30pm. BTW 10% service is automatically added to the bill. So there was nothing to encourage me to go back.
DavidH . 2019-07-06
MORE AT OpenTable
First time I tried this restaurant in Maidstone and was pretty disappointed. Went on Friday at 7pm and we were the only ones there which was already a sign of something bad. We ordered a few starters and a main. The sweet and sour chicken seemed under cooked and tasted unlike anything I’ve tasted before. With 2 drinks each the price came to nearly £50 per person. This is completely unacceptable... mediocre food with ridiculous prices. It’s safe to say that I will never go to this place again and I would recommend others to spend their hard earned money else where.
goblis1 . 2019-06-28
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Lovely food and prompt and friendly service. The menu offers a good selection of food at quite a reasonable rate. The staff are attentive and helpful, and the food is of a good quality. I would recommend the restaurant, but be aware that the bar downstairs can be very noisy on a Friday or Saturday night, and the dj starts playing loud music fairly early.
JoS25 . 2019-05-04
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We entered here and went upstairs to the restaurant and were promptly seated and welcomed like old friends. Service was brilliant, food was cooked perfectly and was very tasty. Probably one of the best Chinese’s I’ve had in a long time. A couple of negatives for me - the draught drinks weren’t on as the pump faltered and the service charge was added automatically to the bill (which we didn’t receive we were just told a price at the till, but I saw them add it on).
jamesiron95 . 2019-02-21
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Menu limited due to running out of main dishes, rest of the food was ok nothing special
MartinC . 2019-02-16
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Food very good but very poor service. People seated after us served before us. Prawn crackers given to most tables, had to ask for ours. One of our dishes arrived, 15 minutes later the rest of our order arrived so first dish was cold. Not enough staff for the amount of customers. Won’t be dining there again.
OpenTable Diner . 2018-11-24
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Having read reviews had been curious to find a decent Chinese in Maidstone without travelling miles. So, a quick trip to town to collect a parcel was a perfect excuse to try Kala Red on a Friday lunchtime. Firstly we noticed outside that they do a lunchtime menu which are usually good value for money, in this instance it’s actually fantastic value for money! We were greeted and sat down with a bowl of delicious prawn crackers and drinks orders taken. My daughter and I had two courses and an extra dish of chow mein just incase portions sizes were on the small side, really didn’t need the chow mein. The food was plentiful, hot and delicious. The egg fried rice had fresh soft egg in and the beef was just mouth-wateringly divine. Think we have found a new favourite Chinese at Kala Red and are looking forward to returning.
166jop . 2018-11-09
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We enjoyed a lovely meal here and both the food and the staff were excellent. Nothing was too much trouble and we felt well looked after. This is not a typical Chinese restaurant and that is to it's benefit. The value is excellent. The three of us were very happy and intend to return soon. Best thing? - The Staff - superb and polite.
Lestermusic-uk . 2018-08-29
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They sourced halal food for my main course only, which meant when l went to order a starter l had to order something other than the beef dumplings which l was really looking forward to. It would have been helpful to know before booking that l would have to eat a vegetarian/fish starter. The service was very slow, however the food was nice and staff were pleasant. Many thanks
gkhan . 2018-03-14
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I've been going here for a good few years now. The food has always been terrific. There used to be a bit of a wait and the decor was dated and needed a refresh, but it was always, always worth it for the food - awesome, nicely presented and decently priced. They've recently had a revamp and the place looks very nice now, last time I went with the extended family and it was a great time. Service was good for a table of 6, food was as amazing as always, the service has always been great. I would very highly recommend this place. The only down side - for me - is that there is a club downstairs so the music can get a tad loud after 9pm, but it's not too bad as the door cancels it out. You can still have a conversation at a normal level even at it's worse, I just hate most club music. Also - everyone is always so very lovely and the manager will actually come out and help the team on the floor which is such an awesome thing for them to do. They have a great lunch offer as well and my work like to go every now and then. Only words of praise.
GabrielaA2582 . 2018-03-03
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Visited on Chinese new year, obviously over booked, understaffed and poor entertainment. Ordered 2 further drinks that never arrived. Over 2.5 hours for 3 courses
ColinC . 2018-02-16
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Fantastic food and great entertainment for Chinese New year :)
Wobblygob . 2018-02-16
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We had a great evening here with the girls. Food was excellent so fresh and tasty and the staff were nice and friendly too. We went on a Saturday evening and it was very quiet not that spoilt our evening. Just can't understand why this is as it's the only Chinese restaurant left in the town centre now. Would definitely recommend and will go back again soon.
Girls . 2018-02-10
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Went with a group from work mid week early evening. Menu looked good but the place looks tired, we were sat upstairs near the drafty rear door out to the toilets. I had the hot and sour soup and it was neither, more like warm gravy with added gelatin with some copped chilli at the bottom. The pork and rice main was better. Perhaps we caught them on the wrong evening as there was only one other small table occupied and they were cleaning the draft beer lines for the first half hour.
martinfY806WV . 2017-11-30
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Very friendly staff who give you a warm welcome. Food is good and reasonably priced. Very happy to recommend!
fshah718 . 2017-09-13
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Great quality Chinese food and the addition of "lazy Susan" tables really caters for the larger group. The only issue is on weekends when the ground floor opens as a bar where loud music is played and as people arrives for drinks the volume only increases. I have been to the location on many times for drinks alone and it is a great place for this. There is limited seating which is a shame but will always return.
FLouise91 . 2017-08-24
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Been around the world, had lots of Chinese in my time. I would put this place in my top 5 places. That's A really good score.
OpenTable Diner . 2017-07-29
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went in as a last minute idea when walking through Maidstone on the way home, the staff were polite and helpful and the food was nice
Lynze B . 2017-05-13
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Fuimos a KalaRED con colegas para un trabajo gracias. Teníamos el lugar para nosotros. El personal era trabajar muy duro para mantener con la demanda en la sección de buffet, pero a menudo parece que no habían conseguido preparar lo suficiente de lo que quería la gente había exceso de algunos platos y nada restante de otros. Todas las bebidas del bar tenía derecho y el lugar parecía limpia.
TravelYordan . 2017-05-09
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Vine aquí para cenar un viernes por la noche, y aunque había una fiesta privada el restaurante en la planta baja estaba vacía - no está mal si quieres servicio personal pero no falta un poco de ambiente.
Amy T . 2017-05-09
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Our friend had not been before and we'd always enjoyed our visits in the past. On this occasion the food was nice although the pork dish had some kind of odd extra/garnish that resembled a heart. The staff were friendly, polite and quick to serving our food. The downfall was towards the end of the evening after receiving the bill when we saw a mouse running up and down past our table! Although I understand it's a very old building, I work within catering and unfortunately this has put us off from returning again in the future.
OpenTable Diner . 2017-04-28
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Fuimos a este restaurante para cenar con amigos alrededor de 7. 30 el miércoles en la noche, el restaurante estaba totalmente vacío, tuve que preguntar si estaba abierto. Nos recibió un personal amable que nos ofreció dos menú recogida por plato individualmente razonable y coma tanto como quiera por alrededor de £15. 90 por adulto, una buena opción en este menú y aunque es comer lo que quieras la comida recién hecha para ti, especialmente costillas barbacoa fantástico entrante, platos principales media, elegí algo dulce y agria de pollo que estaba caliente, pero las verduras en el plato era muy caliente. Refrescos caro como pedí un coca-cola, que era el proyecto en vidrio coca cola, pero el contenido era sin duda una versión más barata. Poco naughty en un vaso de la marca, bebidas alcohólicas precio bien. Aseos de abajo, un horrible olor que vas bajando la escalera, el caballeros muy sucio y olor terrible, que sin duda no han sido limpiadas por un tiempo, sin duda no usar antes de comer, de lo contrario lo pondrá de comer
Deancanaria . 2017-04-13
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Fuimos un sábado por la noche, pero por desgracia, éramos los únicos en el restaurante toda la noche. El lugar realmente le faltaba ambiente. En el lado positivo, la comida era deliciosa. Fuimos a un £20 cada menú y estaban contentos de cambiar uno de los platos de mi favorito, green curry tailandés. El mezclado de arranque es algo fuera de este mundo. El pato era normal. Los platos principales eran buenas pero estábamos tan lleno de todo lo demás. En general, me pareció que la comida era buena, pero el lugar le faltaba energía y animación.
l_expl0rer . 2017-04-10
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Wonderful food can't wait to visit again, really tasty would definitely recommend to a friend, thank you.
Ryan T . 2017-03-07
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Un grupo de nosotros vinimos aquí para cenar y escogimos el menú, que nos dio toda la platos favoritos que queríamos. La comida era abundante y delicioso y el lazy susan significaba que todo el mundo podía - conseguir lo que querían en la mesa. El servicio también era genial. El único aspecto negativo fue el estado de los inodoros, lo cual fue una pena dado todo lo demás.
judokick . 2017-02-21
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Good meal here for Valentine's day. The ribs were especially nice and the prawns/satay skewers. Nice and quiet so no children to ruin the experience with noise.
Maidstone12345 . 2017-02-14
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Had lunch ... I ordered my food... beautiful as always.... the place is not that big but good is great... will say is very good Chinese restaurant in town.....
Ljubica B . 2016-12-03
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Once again, Maidstone delivers another shoddy restaurant experience. We booked a table online, found our table and ordered, and the first food didn't arrive until an hour after we ordered. The waiter was very polite and apologetic, and suggested that he brings out the duck as a starter to allow more room on the table for the mains. Great idea, but then the mains never arrived. After 1.5 hours waiting to be fed, we explained to the waiter that if the mains weren't here in 10 minutes we were leaving. 10 minutes later he brought out 4 dumplings and the smallest, saltiest bowl of seaweed I've ever seen.All this when there were only 4 other tables, and one of them arrived after us and received the staff's full attention, getting served all of their food way before us.We got up to leave, signalling to the waiter. The small, angry manager ran downstairs before us and got 2 security guys involved. In their defense the security guys were very fair and understanding.Other things of note: The 'Gents' and 'Ladies' signs were held up with masking tape, and in the gents, the electrical wiring is laughable. I took a photo because I found it so funny, that was before we were let down by terrible service and crappy food.We won't be visiting Kala Red again. Highly recommend you don't too.PS To the manager: The reason for our visit was to check the place out before booking a table for 15-20 people later this month. Needless to say you've ruined your chances of that ever happening.
Tom W . 2016-10-31
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Shocking service, terrible food, terrible experience. Waited over 1.5hrs for food in a quiet restaurant. No apology from manager upon complaint,do not eat here
OpenTable Diner . 2016-10-29
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We were a fairly large group, and we had booked a month in advance so they were expecting us. The restaurant wasn't even half full but we were made to feel like we were a hindrance, and the manager was not at all friendly or apologetic as the food was delivered at different times. To the extent that some of us were still on our starters when some of the mains were being brought to the table. It was a very clumsy and lengthy service. Three dishes were forgotten altogether. There was no sense of apology or shame, and absolutely no customer service. They weren't even having to bring drinks to the table as we went to the bar ourselves, so I cannot understand why it was such an ordeal for them.As for the food; there were varying opinions. I ordered the king prawn chow mein, and it only had 4 prawns in it and was incredibly dry. Bearing in mind you have to enter the restaurant through a trendy bar, it's such a disappointment when you do go upstairs and it's fairly dated and tired looking.I don't think I'll be returning.
Carlals . 2016-10-03
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My partner loves Chinese food and likes this place so we have returned 3-4 times. It's never too busy which is a bonus as we can pick our own table and chat quietly without anyone hearing. Never had a problem with service.Food is nice and get rather large portions which is good. This time we didn't eat too much but the waiter offered to box it up and let us take it home. Would return again.
David B . 2016-09-27
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Nice. Friendly. Quiet. Food tasted nice out good size portions. Would go again
Daveb . 2016-09-24
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We have been going to Kala Red for several years and the food is always good. The service, however is quite slow and could be more friendly. I chose the crispy moroccan lamb served with lettuce wraps and it was delicious. For my main, I enjoyed very tasty crispy beef with Singapore noodles, followed by toffee banana. The restaurant was quiet but has great potential.if they can get the service right.
SteMar247 . 2016-09-23
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Excellent food at reasonable prices with good attentive service. Only small downside was noise (music) from the downstair bar area (restaurant is upstairs). Would definately visit again.
MikeS . 2016-09-23
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Very good and nice service. Lot of space inside. No water in toilets when we've been there.Food average/good.
peter2490 . 2016-09-15
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Excellent service - set price 4 things to choose . Lovely food will Defo go back .Well done to the staff X
Tammy J . 2016-08-23
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We went on Tuesday night for a work leaving do, 3 out of 7 people said they didn't like Chinese/Thai/Japanese food before we went there but all 7 people said the food at Kala Red was fantastic, the best they had ever tried. We will all go back there without hesitation. The service was really good too.
SarahM . 2016-08-23
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First visit to this place, it's part bar and part restaurant, they do takeaways and do eat ins. Food is quite authentic, well prepared, well presented and delicious. One of my pet hates is ordering a chicken curry £7.00, then having to order the rice/noodle to accompany the curry, that can cost from £3 to £6 extra, depending how fancy you want it. Kala red do good food, price is ££ not the dearest but not the cheapest either, eat here you will not be disappointed. 2 types of cuisine Thai and Canton, we mixed the 2 both very good!
Jon P . 2016-08-17
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Visited this restaurant already 3 times and definitely will come again. Food is always freshly cooked and taste amazing, portions are big, service always excellent. Went there for birthday evening meal and was presented with complimentary ice cream and a bottle of champagne.
AniaKes . 2016-08-12
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I have been living in the area for years and I never try this fantastic restaurant... I'm glad I did , food was amazing, tasty, well presented, great selection of teas, soft drinks and cocktails, prices are reasonable, the waiter was very polite. Definitely I recommend to try the food.I will be back very soon
Ljubica B . 2016-08-08
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I've been here a few times over the last few years and the food quality is always very good. You have to walk through Kala Red's bar and up the stairs to reach the restaurant, the decor has quite a cool modern feel.The food choices on the menu are all pretty standard but more important they serve very tasty dishes, always served hot (nothing worse that luke warm food!).When we visited over last weekend the restaurant was almost empty, I can only think that this might be because of the 'all you can eat' multi cuisine restaurant near by, This is a real shame as the asian food here is much better quality in my experiance, I recommend that you come along and give it a try.
TimShawUK . 2016-07-25
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Arranged a works night out to have dinner here for 20 people. Everything was great, everyone loved the food as they could have as much as they wanted and there was still loads of food left over because there was loads of it. The beef in black bean sauce, the ribs and the spring rolls were all really really nice, a big favourite by everyone was the shredded duck that we are pancakes with. All the food was brought out and put on a lazy Susan so easy for everyone to get what they wanted. We didn't have anyone with dietary needs but I'm sure they would have been catered for. The only thing that was commented on was the price of drinks, I had a pint of lime and soda and it was £1.70! I don't even get charged that in pubs in London, one of the lads said the beer was quite pricy as well.
Suzy K . 2016-06-11
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We visited on a lunch time 5 of us, we was the only ones there. We had the set lunch menu and it was adequate for us lunch time, there was no pudding to go with the set menu that was extra.
Elaine R . 2016-06-03
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The only time we saw a waitress or waiter was when we ordered our food and when it was delivered. We had to go to the bar to order more drinks and as the restaurant got busier we waited longer to see anyone in-between courses. Starter and duck was served within about half an hour however we spent at least an hour waiting for our main. I dont expect everything to arrive straight after the last course has been finished but there needs to be a happy medium. Nobody checked that everything was OK and trying to pay the bill took an age. Even though the food was nice I would not return.
Mbb15 . 2016-01-30
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My wife and I dropped by here a few weeks ago, and although not busy the food was good. We would defiantly return.
Jon M . 2016-01-22
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I have been here a few times for nights out and for dinner, always a good time, this week I went for lunch with my family. They have a lunch menu where you can pick a starter, then for the main you pick a sauce/flavour, a meat or vegetables and then rice, noodles or bean sprouts. The food was was amazing, we all had something different and we all enjoyed our meal. It was definitely value for money. Can't wait to go back again
Sarah V . 2015-11-28
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A great night out for a friend's 30th. Drinks were a great price and there was a great DJ set, whereby the DJ was open to requests. Lots of space to dance but toilets weren't as clean as they could be and could possibly do with some refurbishing. That said, Kala Red provides a great atmosphere for a night out on a Friday night! :-D
Meggles88 . 2015-11-01
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Stopped in here for a couple of drinks after dinner, it was quite busy but not too loud, the drinks were good and we managed to get a quiet table with comfortable seats.. Can't fault it!
clocKwize . 2015-10-03
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This was our first visit and we were so surprised on our arrival to find that we were the only table booked for that evening. Another table was taken after we had been there for about half an hour but the dinners were a walk in booking. Service was good and Food was nice with quite large portions. Food was cooked and ready very quickly, too quickly for our liking and enjoyment so we had to ask for a break before mains were served. This is a large open Restaurant so with the lack of other dinners Ambiance was Nil sadly !!
sky09 . 2015-08-15
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The staff were lovely no faults there but from ordering our food it was served within about 15 minutes, there was hardly time to have settle in before being served. It felt very rushed even though the restaurant was not busy. I also suffered with upset stomach for two days after, I don't know if that is any fault of the food but I thought I should mention it seeing as I ordered prawns and how quickly they were cooked and served.
OpenTable Diner . 2015-07-24
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Yummy! Fresh, crunchy veg with generous noodle portions. The set two course menu is extraordinarily good value.
Joselinem . 2015-06-24
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I don't know why this place is always so empty? It is a very good quality Chinese, the food is great! Best prawn crackers I've ever had. Worth a visit if you're feeling oriental.
Michael F . 2015-06-23
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Good choice of menu and ambience. Excellent staff. Well located. Unfortunately no home delivery for local people.
Bijayendra S . 2015-04-16
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We have been visiting Kalared since the day it opened nearly ten years ago. We have always been made to feel welcome by the owner and or his wife. The food we cannot fault and it is certainly value for money. Terence and Gillian
ITerence G . 2015-02-13
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Lovely and very quick service, feel very welcomed, excellent food,portions are huge! Will come back next time.
Gaele M . 2015-01-14
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Rude waiter, ignored our table once he knew we were using tastecard. Forgot one of our dishes. Good food, all fresh and tasty. Disappointing that the waiter was so rude as won't return. I notice he is mentioned in other reviews.
Stacey M . 2014-11-26
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Ate here last night as a table of four, phoned up in advanced and was told we could use two tastecards. Upon arrival we advised that we would be using both tastecards and were abruptly told we could only use one. The man in question went to query this but did not come back to us. We then had to ask to which he said it was ok and then totally ignored us for the rest of the evening. We were aware that he was the only waiter serving however it was not busy and he failed to clear our plates and they were left sitting there for over 20 minutes. We were sitting there with empty glasses and were never offered any more drinks. He then had the audacity to put on a £8 sevice charge to which we refused to pay because the service was inadequate. Although the food was excellent but would think twice about returning in the future.
Kirsty-1201 . 2014-11-26
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Nice idea and caters for the party goers as well as the diners, good choice of aisian drinks down stairs in the bar, much better than just a pint of Carlsburg. Anx a reasonable restaurant up stairs. If you are in town and are partying or going for az meal well worth a visit.
Sam W . 2014-11-03
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We had dinner here last night, the man serving us was rude and didn't smile. Only positive was the friendly Young girl who served our drinks. Food was average, and felt it was forced upon us to order desserts - which we didn't. Had a drink downstairs - service was much better.but overall don't recommend it
Sharon_123_gmail . 2014-10-19
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Downstairs a bar. Upstairs traditional Chinese restaurant . Linen tablecloths. Subdued lighting . Table spinners. Food good/tasty. Good selection . Sun lik Chinese beer. £3.30 pint. Reasonably price wine. Manager doesn't smile much. Other staff fine. Good experience . Whole crisp duck £30.00 . Total cost £108 + 10% service . We all ate/ drank well.
David P . 2014-09-20
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Came here because I heard they did good cocktails. When my friend asked for the cocktail menu the hi near lady gave us a look like 'I can't be bothered with that'. 20 mins for three cocktails to be made an in the process she forgot the first cocktail ordered for my other friend. When reminded about the first cocktail she wagged her finger at my friend saying that she had to wait as she was doing another order. Worst service ever. Never coming here again!
Cat D . 2014-05-24
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Never been here before turned up on a Saturday night group of very loud lads outside walked in no one around decided to look upstairs no one to be seen looked at opening times of restuarant says opens at 8 but we booked a table for 730 totally put us of used are restaurant we love laughing Buddha around the corner .
Gillingh . 2014-04-20
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We had a 3 course set meal for two and alI I can say is that I'm pretty certain it was frozen food, deep-fried and served up with luminous orange sauce. Everything tasted the same; chicken nuggets!Disappointing and bland
edenusk . 2013-07-22
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We are a party of 10 friends who had chosen to go to this restaurant on a Saturday Night out. I wish I had read the reviews before hand. Can you believe that 10 people had set menus A 2xB and C with 5 bottles of wine and the bill came to over £400. The food was below average, poor service, the portions were smaller than any normal take away and the atmosphere was dire. This was a Saturday night and it was not that busy. There are other Chinese restaurants in town that offer a self service meal deal, which would have been a better choice. My advise is try others and avoid this one. We will not be returning .
steven j . 2013-06-09
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Went here on Easter Sunday, there was only one other table of 4 while we were there so not much atmosphere, and a really quick meal.The food was OK but pricey and they charge £2.50 for prawn crackers which they put on the table without being asked if we wanted them or not.Our meal consisted of ribs, spring rolls,chicken satay and butterfly prawns to start with, then 2 soups followed by sizzling steak, which was not very sizzling, and a duck dish, some noodles and 1 portion of toffee apples, we had jasmine tea and a small bottle of water and the bill came to £60.00, we did use our taste card and all they took off was the cheapest starter and main course. We will most defiantly not go back
Jacandhow . 2013-04-01
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A great place to get value for money, especially the lunch deals. I would definately come back here whether alone or with a group if friends.
KabeloS . 2013-03-06
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Really disappointed with Kala Red. After looking at the menu online I thought the food all sounded really nice and slightly nicer than your bog-standard Chinese takeaway type food. However the food was really average and should have been cheaper for the quality. I visited on a weekday and the restaurant was empty. We were sat in the empty upstairs area, where they put on some kind of 90s megamix CD, which didn’t really create the atmosphere I was after on a Tuesday night! The guy serving us was really rude and abrupt. It made the whole thing extremely awkward. When we left we said thank you and goodbye to the waiter, but he pretty much ignored us and didn’t say a word. Would not return back to Kala Red, as there are so many better Chinese restaurants out there with much better service and a much better quality of food.
dw0202 . 2013-02-20
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I took my partner there as a pre-valentine treat and we really enjoyed it. We'd been twice before as part of large groups but this was the first time on our own. I booked on line which was brilliant as I immediately received a confirmation text and e mail. The door staff waved us straight upstairs. The waiting staff were attentive without being intrusive and we had the pick of tables as there was plenty of space available. Despite not being full this did not detract from the atmosphere.The food was great. My partner even e mailed them afterwards as we adore their delicious prawn toasts and the chef e mailed back.I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves chinese foodJust one slight complaint-the flush mechanism on the ladies' lavatory is strange and temperamental-could be embarrassing but I'm sure that could be sorted
HADLEIGH12 . 2013-02-17
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I have been to Kala Red a couple of times recently as part of a small group and both times have been excellent. We had a lovely round table which is perfect for a group as you can all chat easily.The food was plentiful and you get large portions of the rice! The drinks service was brilliant and we were never left wanting as the staff were all very observant.The food is really tasty and arrived quickly.
wienman02 . 2013-01-12
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We've been drinking in Kala Red for years - love the free prawn crackers! But have never eaten there. The place was deserted, only one other table ate while we were there, but the food was first class. Chinese is so often a greasy mess with dishes all tasting the same, but this was really good. Drinks were pricey, but the service and food more than made up for it.
j5183v . 2012-10-20
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Fantatstic lunch menu choice which we use regulary. The e staff are great and meals really tasty. the nice thing is you choose how to make your meal up by choosing the type of meat / fish, the sauce and the choice of rice or noodles - simply brilliant
Alastair D . 2012-09-23
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I bit of a mixed bag, is it a restaurant, a bar, night club. Ok for lunch but the location attracts some rowdy types weekend evenings.
Tickythebull_12 . 2012-09-19
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Brilliant lunch menu where you get the choice out of a variety of meals.At lunch time when I have been in it's always been quite busy but the food is great and always hot.I've been to chinese places before at lunch time and sometimes the food is nowhere near as good as it usually would be in the evening but this is certainly not the case here!Will certainly keep returning!
NaomiEmma . 2012-09-14
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I love it here, the food is lovely and the staff are great. They have a lunch time menu where you can make your own lunch so that you get exactly what you want. The service is quite quick so if you only have an hour for lunch you will have enough time to eat here.
Suzy K . 2012-07-29
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My sister introduced us to this place. They have a set menu deal at lunch time, plus other Thai and Chinese food available. I am no great fan of Chinese food normally, because it tastes so synthetic. However, this place does good food that is tasty and the set menu is a good deal at lunch time when you don't want to spend too much. If I hadn't have been introduced to this place I would not have considered it from the outside, as it doesn't look very inviting. The interior could also be spruced up. They do evening food and a disco, but i have never been to that. I just wish the staff would SMILE! They did have a friendly waiter, but he is not there anymore - probably got the sack for being too friendly! The food is good, though, so don't let the lack of smile put you off. At least it's reasonably priced for tasty food.
julie v . 2012-06-08
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Situated in traffic free Bank St the restaurant part is up stairs and is a relaxing atmosphere with excellant food , cooked to perfection.Varied menu with excellant choices ,service very attentive. Good steamed dishes -sea bass perfect with ginger and spring onions best in Town.We have never had any problems here at all staff very pleasant and helpful always carring.
John C . 2012-05-31
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This is a restaurant by day (chinese- that does a good lunch time deal!) and by night is a lively bar with a dj! Very popular and always packed!
Nx88 . 2012-02-28
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Yes, it could do with a lick of paint and yes - downstairs on a Saturday night is more of a club - but upstairs still serves a wonderful meal and the staff were fantastic when we visited. Would recommend.
Danny B . 2012-02-19
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The food here is good, its a bit of a party place downstairs at the weekend thats the only down fall. The food is good and they also do a bit of Thai
Charimian-b . 2012-01-27
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Very tasty food, their Chicken satay is the best I have ever found. Good lunch time (12-5) deal where you can choose a starter, which meat/veg and sauce combination you would like and a side (rice/noodles or chips) all for £5.90.Not too much of an atmosphere during the day but worth it for the delicious food at very good prices. Service is decent. Been here at least 10 times and never had any problems.
OliviaGray . 2011-12-08
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This is my first review and fortunately it's a positive one. I have been to Kala Red several times and always enjoyed it and this time was no different. The food is good, the portions are generous, the prices are very reasonable and are tremendous value for money. The waiters were polite, fast and dealt with our requests quickly and cheerfully.The one thing that can be a bit annoying is the insistence of constantly having MTV playing on the big televisions and piped through the speaker system. Kala Red is a busy bar at nights, but maybe a different choice of music would have been more apt.
FSR1977 . 2011-11-26
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Kala deserves its recognition and true reputation. The food was absolutely delicious. We (2) ordered 4 different mains plus 2 types of fried rice. Everything came at the same time in perfect temperature. Flavours of each dish (chicken, pork, beef, prawn, egg rice, spicy rice) were spotless!
MartinH17 . 2011-06-10
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Went in for lunch and ate from the day time set menu - had a starter, main and drink for comfortably under £10. The graan thai curry was fantastic and my girlfriend had the duck which she describes as "absolutely gorgeous". I understand they have won local awards for their lunch and can certainly see why. The staff we polite and happy (something you don't see in many restaurants). Altogether very impressed!
idrisjohn . 2010-12-14
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Visited here last week in a party of 11. Firstly I noticed that the pictures on the restaurants website are clearly from some time ago as it appears quite chic and classy, however the reality is it's seem better times and the decor is very shabby indeed. The chairs are velour and have a variety of stains on them, the toilets are unisex and in poor order with broken toilets seats and shabby fittings. Then it goes further down hill - The service was extremely slow - it took twenty minutes from ordering to get a drink delivered to the table (we sat on the upper level). Then the food which was very poor and not even good enough for take-away in my view - on leaving they attempted to add a 'surcharge' or service charge which we refused given the food/service - they were clearly unhappy about this. Will not be going back in a hurry!
Zoethehusky . 2010-10-18
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We have been here several times and have always enjoyed the food.We had the set meal B (Shanghi Blue) which was £17.30 per person with a minimum order of 2. Food was very well cooked and presented and more to the point there was plenty of it! The prawns were delicious. Even though it was supposed to be for 4 or more we ordered them as extra.Downside for us was the lack of wheelchair access. The restaurant is upstairs and although they can serve you downstairs, this isn't possible on a Friday or Saturday night.
scruffykaz . 2010-09-09
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I have had numerous visits, always come away very pleased, had a wide varity of dishes to share with our groups at a price which is reflected the quality of both food and service.
adbmaidstone . 2009-07-20
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I have to say, the food (the little we had of it) was very nice, however the portion size was absolutly ridiculous, less than half a tray of each main meal, apart from the rice. It is very expensive for the portions that you get. I have been her a few times to give it the benefit of the doubt, to see if it was a one off but each time they are getting smaller and more expensive. I will not go again. It is a shame as the food is genuinely nice. I often eat chinese but have never paid so much for so little. Very disappointing.
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