Taj Mahal in Argyll & Bute

Four small pieces of chicken in each curry 8 inch round nan bread and chicken pakora smaller and thinner than chips terrible

Good food and very good service. We were one of only three tables being served so service was quick. The food was pretty nice and good value for money compared to other restaurants in Bowmore. Atmosphere was a bit off as the tables were a little too close to each other so we could hear everyone else's conversations.

An unexpected gem! After finding every restaurant fully booked on a Wednesday evening we tried here. Not only were they very accommodating but the food was delicious and reasonably priced. The naan is the best I've ever had. They're not licensed or allow alcohol in though.

Awesome Indian dishes with delicious flavours. Friendly service and good atmosphere.they Don,t have license for alcohol and also not allow any alcohol. If u want to enjoy Indian food u should try this .

Het ziet er ongezellig uit maar het eten is goed. Smakelijk en zeker niet pittig. Weet niet of dit typisch Bangladesh smaak is.

If you’re looking for friendly and delicious Indian take-away on Islay, this is the place to go! The staff are kind and generous, and the food certainly hits the spot. The duck is highly recommended, as is the sag paneer and mango lassi. Especially on Mondays, when so many restaurants on Islay are closed, this is a great option.

I was visiting the island for a long weekend. We had booked a table for my Dads birthday on the Saturday night. They cancelled our table with 1 hours notice. We had to book something else very quickly. So decided to try out the Takeaway on the Sunday night. We waited a hour for our order. We got home and our order was wrong. My Mum phoned try and get another curry only to be accused of being a liar. My sister had to walk down to the Takeaway to prove that our Order was wrong. I have to say that it was the worst curry I have tasted. The owners really need to learn how to communicate and speak to their consumers. Please Try the coop for a better curry when visiting Islay!

Specially booked for a family birthday. Cancelled with less than an hours notice. Decided to give them another chance before we left the island and order a takeaway. Big mistake! Waited for an hour for our order which was still wrong. Phoned to explain and the little man who answered my wife basically called her a liar and was arrogant and cheeky. The food we did get was absolutely rubbish, sweet, tasteless and horrible. Please avoid and don’t waste your money. I would advise to you to go to the coop and get a ding dong curry it will be more tasty and far far cheaper and you won’t have to get abuse from the cheeky wee gentleman on reception.

Really delicious meal for My son and I. Though they were busy with takeout meals they were very accommodating. Both meals were exceptionally good. A lovely balance of flavour and fire. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced meal, I would recommend highly.

Travelled over from Dumbarton for Islay Half marathon, and had planned to have a meal in the restaurant. I had called at least a month before to be told you dont need to book, just turn up. On turning up we were told at 8pm we are not serving meals, and something about takeaway only. There were customers in the restaurant, with the open sign on, so this made no sense. The attitude of the individual was pretty dismissive even though we explained about distance travelled, and previous instructions to just turn up. Overall would not consider using this restaurant. I have been to Islay many times before and find the folks friendly and helpful, certainly not this establishment!

Came all the way from Dumbarton for the Islay half marathon, and decided to try this place after being told we could just walk in any time and get a table. Arrived to then be told that they stopped serving at 7.30pm for sit down meals. Not good enough and won't be going back.

They tried but failed on so many levels. Starters were unfortunately way below par, tasteless. Main courses were distinctly poor with only the Chicken being tender, rice was fine but the sauces were seriously awful. Absolutely nothing like they should have tasted, infact overly sweet to the point of being sickly and uninspiring. Don't waste your time or money. The Co-op curries are far superior compared to what we got served. Extremely disappointed.

Tonight I bought a chicken Bhoona, rice and nan from this lovely wee restaurant. I expected it to be ok but not exceptional, but how wrong I was. The Bhoona was absolutely delicious and was perfectly balanced and packed with flavour, a veritable feast for the taste buds and my tummy. I have eaten Indian food in many big cities throughout the UK, however I can honestly say this is the best. This place is a little gem so it's a pity I go home soon, but maybe not for my waistline !!!! 10/10 and keep up the excellent work.

What more could you ask for ? It was such a surprise to find a great Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant on the island. The place has a simple, unassuming frontage and inside the decor is plain and simple but there’s nothing plain about the extensive, interesting menu with lots of dishes I had never tried before. The staff were terrific explaining the menu and making recommendations and even though the place was packed with a great atmosphere, our food soon arrived. In fact at one point, even though we didn’t think we had been waiting for long, a waiter came out to apologise for our wait and to explain that our food would be ready in 3 minutes, wow, I have never had that service even in top restaurants. We ordered the Islay Special Tandoori which was excellent and the Peshwari naan was as good as we have had anywhere. All in all I thoroughly recommend this place so if you are in Bowmore, give it a try.

Went there because they were the only restaurant available without a reservation. Seated promptly since we were the only customers other than take out. We were a group of four and the one appetizer came out quickly. After that, it was a forty five minute wait for our food. We had chicken korma, chicken tikka masala, butter chicken, and a vegetarian dish. Unfortunately, we had been to an Indian restaurant in Edinburgh that was fantastic for comparison. The sauces were all bland with the only flavor coming through being coconut. The amount of chicken was amazingly small and the rice serving which is extra also small. The three chicken dishes were warm at best with the vegetarian dish being the only dish served hot. The Peshwari naan was a total disappointment. I think a rookie cook could grab a cookbook, follow the instructions and make better food than this.

The food was top class, Naga Special - hot but not overly so and very tasty. Not great decor and no alcohol licence but the food more than made up for it.

All good. Was last here 10 years ago, owners have changed but the food is still great. Current owner very helpful and chatty. I’ll be back!

Ordered takeaway from here. It was good, had better, had worse. It thought it was “decent”. Would recommend.

The food was lovely and the staff were helpful and polite . I would recommend a takeaway from here xx

Vegetable Nan bread had no vegetables in it, but the Nan itself was actually very good & not saturated in oil like many Indian food places. The chicken dansak was superb.

This had new owners in 2018, food improved vastly then. Back now in 2021, now we are allowed to travel and unfortunately this owner has passed away this year,but his son is now running the restaurant & takeaway. Food is still very tasty, starters are...

Ordered a takeaway for 3. My Chicken Dhansak was swimming in oil, had very little chicken and tasted bland and not sweet & sour like a typical Dhansak. The Lemon rice that I had with it was a small portion compared to my friends pilau...

Thus was a little gem of a place found to eat whilst on holiday. Great food, great service. Best butter chicken I have ever had. Wish the could deliver to my home or even Upton Park.

we don't normally eat out of our comfort zone, but the food and service were nice and handily a few hundred yards from our bed and breakfast

Had a last minute meal here today as everything was full. Definitely should advertise more as we would haven chosen to come here first! The food was some of the best we have had in any Indian restaurant and the staff were all friendly. Recommend...

Had a lovely meal here, to be honest we only went because we couldn't get anywhere else, but so glad we did as it was a lovely and reasonably priced meal. Service was very good too. I would definitely recommend.

Honestly this is as good if not better and certainly cheaper than any of Glasgow’s city curry houses .. beautiful pashweeri Nan ..the best ever .. excellent .. The restaurant is immaculate and taking your own wine /beer makes it a first class economical dinner...

Just had a really tasty meal at Taj Mahal in Bowmore. Our first night on Islay. My husband had chicken vindaloo, which was very spicy and hot, with lots of chicken - just the way he likes it. I had tandoori mixed grill, which arrived...

I ordered a takeawy for 14 people , I was very impressed indeed , It was on time and excellent for both veggies and meat eaters .

Would definitely recommend when over in Islay. Great service, very tasty curry and good value. One of the best outside Central belt of Scotland!

Excellent and fresh Indian food cooked to perfection by friendly and welcoming staff. Garlic Chilli chicken and Tikka mixed grill were amongst the best we have tasted anywhere. Would highly recommend a visit.

Fantastic food in this little restaurant nestling in the heart of Bowmore. With un-fancy decor and clean lines the cuisine is what shines. Friendly service from our (originally) Bangladeshi host made it all the more pleasurable. The lamb jalfrezi was one of the best I had tasted for a long time. The chicken bhuna was beautifuly cooked and much enjoyed as was the chana masala. Peshwari nan melted in the mouth and vegetable pakora was succulent and not mealy or starchy. Excellent.What made it even better was that the restaurant is licensed - with Tiger beer and Wine on offer. We really fell on our feet here on our first night in Islay and heartily recommend this restaurant.

Delicious takeaway meal from here last night, curries were incredibly rich and creamy, rice was to die for too! Waited for 25mins which considering they were busy wasn’t bad at all, had a little stroll around Bowmore as we waited. The guy behind the counter was so friendly too :)

We discovered the Taj Mahal restaurant by accident a couple of years ago while killing time waiting for the ferry. My brother and I went in for lunch. What a find !! The food was outstanding. I couldn't believe the quality of the food in a small town. We were back on Islay on Saturday the 5th of June for a short break with family from Glasgow. We told the rest of our group how good the Taj Mahal was the last time we were there. We booked a table and off we went..... they never let us down. The food was wonderful and the service was perfect. The food quality is as good as anything I've had in Glasgow.... in fact.... it was better. Well done guys, keep up the good work and we'll see you the next time we're over.

We went here and were not 100% after reading reviews. Was delighted with our choice...Food was great.!! It is strange some places get bad reviews and you wonder...what do people want?! Food was very fresh, and reasonably priced, good portions.. Excellent choice for vegetarian choices. Highlights for us was the vegetable paratha, samosas and paneer dish. Relaxed music, warm and Shah, the manager, was very friendly. Toilets fine and clean. Some decor a bit dated but so what. Food was good...They were organised with Covid with sanitiser at entrance and whilst tables looked about a meter apart the manager said he was sitting folk at every other table... I don’t know what people want - it’s a shame they have some mixed reviews- I would say give it a go...a welcome change on Islay from scones and Cullen skink!

Food was nice enough and reasonable portions however no heed at all to COVID 19 situation ie no hand sanitiser, tables not even 1m apart albeit not busy when we were there, staff friendly but no use of masks or social distancing.

and Tasty food. We were happy and well fed at a reasonable price.3 of us shared mixed pakora, chutneys and poppadum.My Akbori Chicken Masala was great, arriving in a great sizzle on iron plate.The chicken Methi with zinging fenugreek was very good, as was the sag bhaji. Singha beer was suitably chilled.Friendly and courteous service who happily put our leftovers in takeaway containers for tomorrows lunch.Only one other table taken, but takeaway service was busy.We had a fun evening.

Just DON'T go!!! It was VILE, pure and simple. Seriously save your money!!! Whoever says it is better than rating One needs their head looked at!! No Contactless facilities- CASH only during Covid 19?????

As it was the weekend before Christmas, we were the only customers for dinner. The food is good and the service is kind. The only problem is that they do not sell wine to accompany the meal. But this problem can be selected by purchasing a bottle at the hotel's bar across the street!

Wow amazing indian food. It's like eating in a desi resturant. I've been to numerous Indian restaurant across Scotland but found this one amongst the best and its value for money as well

On an island surrounded by so much culture and amazing products, this restaurant really stands out... not in a good way. To call this Indian food is an insult to anyone who has ever eaten Indian cuisine. Very reasonably priced meal special (for a reason) a starter, popadom, side dish, main dish, vegetable dish, rice and naan all for less than £21. Sounds great? It isn’t. The service style is very relaxed, so relaxed in fact i would say it’s almost non-existent. The food is not worth the wait you’ll have to endure upon your visit. All in all, not good. I won’t be back!

Now if there's one thing I love more than my family, it's Indian food. However, this is not Indian food. This is an imposter, like one od those men in a busy city that try and sell you a mixtape... We all know your mixtape is an empty CD!I left with a severe worry I had developed chrones disease during my visit... But you know what really hit home the most? The sympathy.I felt a deep sympathy for the building this inexcusable mess that it inhabits. Ironically, we could analogise this if the building were my intestines and and that taj mahals food was there service. Painful, quick exits, gritty textures and disappointment worth screaming about.Tikka Masala tasted like a dodgy trifle my uncle made one Christmas, however, he didn't use gristly chicken. Coconut rice was coco-not nice. Peshwari was total pesh.I sit here writing a review from what used to be my solemn place, crying out "damn you Taj!" in between spicy sprays of sadness.Only come to this restaurant if you suffer from blocked bowels or if you have started to feel guilty about not spending enough time with your toilet seat in the last couple of years.Never again. Go to Peatzeria accross the road, the puns match the quality.

Myself and my husband, Frank had the displeasure of dining here one evening. Frank considers himself a bit of a vindaloo expat and I can say on behalf of him that this was, frankly, not even a curry. It was 5 morsels of what seemed to be grouse breast in what can only be called a packet sauce of korma by Uncle Bens. Further to this the ‘naan’ we received was chewy and crunchy at the same time. Over cooked and inedible. The chef was rude and didn’t accept our complaint that this was not up to standard. Poor show all roundSusan, and Frank, Matthews

Our party of 7 had a great meal here - we ordered a wide variety of dishes and all were very tasty. Service was excellent - very attentive young waiter who responded very well to one of our party who had a food allergy - made triple sure with the kitchen that all would be OK with dishes ordered and he informed us which ones to avoid because of the allergy. Great to see that some restaurants take potentially dangerous allergic reactions seriously.Warm plates were an added nice touch! The boss/chef came out from the kitchen to make sure everything was fine - a very genuinely warm and friendly person.

Food was served hot, but was pretty mediocre. Had saag, Dahl & chicken tikka masala. Samosas were disappointing, arriving in some kind of egg roll shell.

We enjoyed our dinner couple of times during our stay here. They only accept cash! The food quality and service is awesome!

Immer sehr leckeres Essen und sehr nette Bedienung. Keine Reservierungen notwendig. Leider nur Barzahlung!

Wir waren zweimal dort und waren begeistert von der Qualität der Speisen und sehr abwechslungsreich für wenig Geld.

My friends and I visit Islay every year for the whisky festival and are absolutely in love with the place and the people.

In this small capital town of Bowmore, there are few eating places outside of the hotels. The Taj Mahal Tandoori Restaurant & Take Away is well situated, a two minute walk from the town's famous eponymous distillery. It is a restaurant run by Bangladeshis and offers a diametrically opposite cuisine to what the traveler can otherwise find in this location. The place is large and well lit; the male staff are friendly and adapt the intensity of the spices based on the diner's preferences. The food was utterly disappointing. As with many dishes from the Subcontinent, the presentation lacked finesse -- the bowls were jammed with food. The colors were unappetizing - a sure sign that it was overly spicy. I found the two dishes I ordered -- fried rice to be bland and a mixed meat and vegetable dish spicy hot to an extent I could not enjoy it. The diet coke was tepid. No credit cards accepted. It was an unwelcome foray into ethnic food in this remote, pretty region of Scotland where the restaurant seemed totally out of place. But it had a steady stream of local customers!.

Good selection of food choices, good service, timely. Food acceptable but nothing to write home about.

The restaurant is terrible. The head chef is maybe the worst person in the food industry. He doesn't know how to cook and talk to clients. They are running an Indian restaurant but they are neither from India and nor do they know how good Indian food tastes like. The girl at the reception who looks like a local person is rude as well. She takes the order over the phone with a promise of food being ready in 40 mins and upon reaching the place, we were told that they'll take another 1.5 hours to give our food. And the order was just few naan breads. The rude chef comes out and tells us that he'll not give us the order anymore. It's the worst Indian restaurant we've ever visited.

La carte généreuse offre des plats typiques et variés d'une authenticité remarquable. Les portions servies sont très généreuses. Le restaurant offre également ses plats à l'emporter.

The food here is fantastic! All of the authentic Indian flavour you could ask for. Chef was also so friendly and treated us to some extra dishes. Great meal all around!

This place is amazing. All four of my family members were blown away by the flavours of our main dishes. Great vegetarian options as well and delicious sides and starters all at reasonable prices. Would highly recommend eating here. Be aware it is cash only.

Many of the other reviewers "ding" this tasty restaurant for the atmosphere. On a small island like Islay, the fact that there is a curry house at all was enough for us. Certainly not like walking into a London or Edinburgh establishment, but our expectations were met.

We were looking for something a little different that pub food, and the food and service here were good. They don't accept credit cards, but there's an ATM just down the street. If you want something with a little spice, be sure to ask for recommendations. The chicken chile marsala was pretty good.

Quite disappointed. The retaurant itself is asthetically very poor & could really do with a total revamp.No atmosphere, no wine, only beer. The food was ok but could be better. Staff very friendly & good service though.

The best part of the dinner was deciding to leave most of the food in their respective dishes. Everything was over cooked and what was supposed to be butter chicken looked like split pea soup. It was swimming in butter and the taste was indescribable!

Having had two bang average bar meals in Bridgend on previous nights (frozen chips with everything), I decided to give the Taj Mahal a try for a carry out. I had been here for a sit down meal some years ago and whilst the food was OK I found the place dreich and dreary with a pervading musty smell. I'm pleased to say that it has been renovated and brightened up considerably and that the food is first class. I'm no connoisseur of Indian food but the chicken chasni with mushroom rice that I had was very good and plentiful and very reasonably priced.

Sehr freundlicher Service und sehr schmackhaftes und gutes Essen. Nicht zu scharf. Große Portionen und ein gutes Preis-Leistungsverhältnis. Wir kommen gerne wieder.

Very good Indian. 2019 food. New owners. Check them out. Been to many many restaurants and many Indians but let this be a challenge to the other restaurants on Islay to level up their dishes to the flavours of today.

We were very happy with our takeaway last night. Taj Mahal's Chicken Passanda and Lamb Kashmir were creamy and delicious. The Preshwari Nan was freshly made and kept warm in a foil-line bag - the coconut almond, and sultana combo were perfectly sweet and flavorful. The boiled rice was just right. Staff was friendly and courteous. Next time, we will order above £25 to get a free side dish like a Bhaji (boiled potato or cauliflower) or try their set meal for 2 persons.

Outside the Cities we don’t expect a lot of innovation in Indian cuisine. So step forward Ali and Shah amazed to find Naga chillies from Bangladesh that we have never seen outside London. That aside, warm welcome clever menu and great food. An Island Gem. This would hold its own anywhere. Looking forward to our next visit. And we can’t recommend it highly enough.

Average curry house, the only one on the island so definitely worth the visit! Good menu and resaonable priced.

Amazing food! Not one complaint in our party, my leftovers boxed up to take away, best passanda ever. Very friendly

Its the first time that I have been here for a meal and it ticked all the boxes. The chicken was tender, sauce tasty and not watery and the naan bread was cooked to perfection!

We stopped here for take out in between distilleries. The restaurant was not open for sit down dining but allowed us to order from the lunch menu for takeout. We ordered two of the mixed grill , curry fries, and a type of rice. The curry is spicy, fresh, and flavorful, the mixed grill meats were a lot of food and delicious. The food was a great value and the service kind and efficient. We did not expect to have such good Indian food and were pleasantly surprised!

just finished another takeout meal from the tj mahal, the Balti is so tasty, the staff very friendly and helpful... he brought the food out to me as i was waiting in the car, what service. 1 curry did 2 people,poppadums and rice were more than enough for a tasty filling evening meal... well worth a 25 mile drive.

The service was good with friendly staff. The meals were fairly tasty and reasonably priced. They do accept cash only .

Who would’ve thought you could get a great curry on Islay?

Only one waitress on as they thought it was going to be quiet but turned out busier than expected. Sterling work from the waitress and the Chef helped out too so no long waits to be served. Well done! Good reasonably priced curry with fantastic popadoms and relishes.

The owner is passionate about his food and very inventive with flavours. He clearly prides himself on producing everything freshly on site and it shows. Recommended if you fancy some spice and plenty of it !

We called to the restaurant on a Friday evening, staff were very polite, service was very good and the food was great. Fresh produce and good service, if your a fan of Indian food you won’t be disappointed. Thanks to Ali and the staff.

Very nice food with great vegetarian selection. Freshly cooked and tasty. Lovely staff and most attentive. Go back again I’m sure. Worth a visit.

No complaints here, fast service, very tasty. A lot of nice places to eat in islay but sometimes nice just to eat in. I would certainly pick up a meal here again.

Really enjoyed a meal at this old school curry house.

First off, the menu had many regional specialties to choose from. We had two dishes we hadn’t tried before, and both were delicious. The portions are generous as well.

I love Indian food and I eat it at least once a month. I’ve also eaten Indian food all over Canada and the US and in Europe. We came to Bowmore on the Isle of Islay and spent 3 nights there and ate at the Taj Mahal twice. This is honestly the tastiest, freshest, Indian food I’ve ever had. When the chef comes out to recommend what you should have to eat in any restaurant, you know you have stumbled on something special! To anyone spending a few days in the area (we were there for a scotch tour), you have to eat there!

I have travelled to many places in the world and eaten Indian food in many places...and I shock even myself when I say that I think this (in tiny Islay) is the best Indian food I have ever had. So fresh and tasty. It is very small so if you arrive when they are busy you cannot fault them for taking their time. This restaurant seems like a family labour of love. Everything is made from scratch and that takes time. Relax. Breathe in the fresh Islay salt air. Be patient. It will be worth it. Coming to Islay without eating at this place is like coming here and not trying the whiskey.

This is, without a doubt, the best Indian food I have ever eaten. We would have never expected Islay to have such an incredible Indian restaurant. The food was incredible. The staff is excellent. The chef, who has 45 years experience, came out to recommend dishes for us. We ate there 2 nights in a row! Ingredibly good.

Great food. Excellent service. We had several different meals. Service was very good nothing was a bother.

Couldn’t ask for a better meal. All four of us had different meals and couldn’t fault any of them. Highly recommend.

I did not expect this. A busy evening in Islay and no room at our first couple of choices for an evening meal. We were welcomed into this restaurant and had a simply wonderful evening. We nipped round to the local co-op for a lager carry out and then the food was served. It was excellent and I simply can't fault the service or the slow way the various dishes were presented allowing conversation to develop. We were in the premises for almost four hours and left with a wonderful taste experiences enjoyable interactions and surprisingly smaller payments than anticipated. So happy the 'posh' place turned us away, a great evening, thank you.

Tried to order food was told it’ll be at least 45 mins so thought ok ordered food and had a few beers while we waited, 1 hr 20 mins later food came and it was the worst Indian meal I’ve ever had..... avoid like the plague ....

Went there for dinner and was impressed and all aspects.

The woman at the head of house was a bit clueless. We were not told it was b.y.o.b until we asked after being seated for quite a while. She was smacking her gum while taking orders and seemed quite disinterested in her job. The chef was kind and attentive to our dietary needs and made sure we had several vegan options. This isn’t fine dining as there is paper table cloths but nice to have options in such a small town.

In Islay again, but first time for nine years.

There is limited choice for dining out in Bowmore and we love spicy food, so we took a chance on having a curry at the Taj and were very glad we did.

Ordered a few starters and mains. Great and tasty food. Piping hot when we collected for takeaway and very flavoursom

Visited the restaurant twice while on holiday for takeaways.we had a varied selection all of which were well prepared and great value for money.staff very friendly and the decor much improved.Will definitely return on our next visit in 5 weeks time

We were pleasantly surprised by our meal here - very acceptable food and great friendly service from Rish. The usual menu is all there and the curry we had was very well cooked indeed. The chefs special started - chicken Pakora was very pleasant. Rish (new to the Island) is a great accept and really completed the evening. We wish the whole restaurant well as it develops.

7 men, mixed menu, everyone satisfied, excelleent food and good beer. Recomended! Even the coffee is good.

Do not eat here at all cost ,, cold food , rude service ,, no flavour ,, over priced ,, i highly recommended missing out on this one ,, trust me ,, dirty and disgusting

Three of us dined here twice in three evenings whilst staying in Bowmore on a lads distillery touring weekend. We are all well acquainted with numerous mainland Indian restaurants and have only praise for the quality of food and service here in Bowmore. Highly recommended.

We had been to this restaurant almost 4 years ago but there now appears to be a new owner who cooks some very good Indian food. The surroundings need a little refurbishment (or Would have given 5 stars) but that does not detract from two excellent and most enjoyable evening meals over last weekend. We eat at quite a few Indian restaurants and this is one of the best for the food on offer. It is currently BOYB but they will go out and bring you back a bottle or to of whatever you want.

We had a delicious takeaway from here, staff were helpful and friendly. I had Lamb chasni which was very tasty and my husband had vegetable dansak which had a bit of a kick, pakora was lovely and complimentary bagjis we great.

Safe to say we won't be back someone in authority needs to give this place a visit food was dreadful I'd rather starve than eat out of the place again

Visited the Taj Mahal recently on a trip to Islay, and have to admit it was a bit of an experience.

Other contributors have suggested it might as well just be a take away. Lacking a drinks licence, and - on both our out of season visits - any other customers, that's probably a good idea. Staff friendly, of course, although I'm always looking for the hidden camera, when I request something (fish curry) only to be told they don't serve it because people don't request it!