Sri Mahkota

I’ve noticed a couple of Sri Mahkotas around Auckland and this place was packed, so expectations were very high coming to this place.
My expectations were immediately dashed. Instead of greeting us as we came in, the manager stepped outside and curtly told us the place was full. Thankfully, we had booked in advance, but it was a terrible first impression. Then I noticed that my plate was dirty. Then I saw a dropped takeaway lid get picked up off the ground and given to a customer.
I looked around me, saw how full the place was, and held onto the hope that the food would be excellent. It wasn’t. We ordered the lemon fish, mee goreng, fried tofu and the oyster omelette. Everything was unexceptional and coated in what tasted like old oil. Apart from the oyster omelette — the oyster omelette was basically salt with an egg garnish.
The only really ~good~ thing I could say about this place was that the food came out extremely quickly. This place was cramped, the service was poor, and the food was really, really average. Avoid.

I really want to give this more stars but I’ll explain why its not a 4 but more like a 3 star.
We wanted a quick cheap local bite midweek with friends. I had been recommended the lamb curry which is their signature dish. Tucked down the back of a semi industrial, semi commercial block off the main road it sits alongside a few Asian (Korean) eateries. This place is tiny with barebones ambiance.
I phoned ahead at 6.10pm to reserve a table for four at 7.15pm we arrived 10mins early and the place was packed… There was one table (for 5) that was empty. But instead of just seating us the rather dower manager explained it was reserved for a group of 6 who booked for 7.30pm and ended up ushering us to stand outside and wait in the cold since there was not even room inside to turn around… I was appalled and at this point Sri Mahkota was about to get a 1 star first review… not a great start.
After about 5mins outside he waved us back in and seated us at aforementioned empty table. Explained that the other group cancelled, without so much as an apology… I was a little huffy and needed a drink but this place is BYO and we didn’t come prepared… to top it off they didn’t even stock diet coke or zero.
The Menu has big pictures and basic ingredients but if you didn’t know what sambal paste or assam sauce the menu remained half foreign.
The waitress (also sans smile) was easy to flag down to take our order. She didn’t carry a notebook or paper but I rattled off half a dozen dishes and to her credit she managed to get everything right, no problem…
The food came up really quickly and it was good redeeming even! Really big bold round hearty flavors and generous well balanced portions. We had the Assam Prawns which if you can handle shell on (=messy) is totally worth it… Sambal Chicken which was super tender. Beef Rendang which has lovely fresh lemongrass flavors and wonderfully coconutty without being oily however the meat was just a touch too dry. We also had some vegetables and lovely fluffy buttery roti to sop up the wonderful rich thick curry and sauces.
The bill was just over $ 90 for four (including soft drinks) this place is packed mid week with a pretty high table turn over so you know the ingredients are fresh. The service is subpar even by Asian restaurant standards. But its cheap and its fast… If you’re arriving with more than two and not really big on waiting call in advance… not that it makes much of a difference :/​
I can’t say I’ll be rushing back but the food is good, and I do recommend it… However this neighborhood has too much competition for this type of cuisine, and some of them get the service aspect much better.