To always be disappointed by takeaways

[FizzyPink]

We’ve massively cut down on takeaways recently but as it’s a Friday I thought it would be nice to order one.

Got a Turkish from Deliveroo from somewhere close by with 4.7 out of 5 stars and it was just so disappointing. It was totally tasteless and verging on cold. I ordered a mixed hot starter selection instead of a main and it looked like something you’d get from the Tesco frozen section at Christmas.

Thinking back I can’t remember the last takeaway I really enjoyed and thought was worth the £30 spent with the exception of an Indian which I always love but DP not so much

I think maybe I like the idea of it rather than the reality of feeling like I could have made something much tastier for a third of the price

We have some decent Indians and an ok pizza place. The chinese are dire nowadays. I do not know where they get the meat from but it is horrible. I'd love a decent salt and pepper ribs with seaweed but the last couple of times it went on the bin straight away. I've given up ordering.

I never am, but that's because I order from the same takeaways I've been using for years and know them now, and obviously I know the food is great.

To be honest, the only nice takeaway we’ve had since lockdown was McDonald’s on the day they closed in March every other takeaway ended in instant regret. In fact I probably only enjoyed that McDonald’s as it was the last bit of normality we had at the time!

@hopingtobedally
Far too much sugar in the mung beans though, the ricotta will have them obese in seconds and OMG not enough protein.

We have amazingly tasty takeaways here.

I feel very guilty to not be supporting them now they've reopened, but I'm now on a diet and most of them don't have any nutritional information available, so I can't plan around them.

Even though I enjoy cooking it's great to get a takeaway now and then coz you have to do minimal, if any tidying up afterwards.

But you have to pick and choose takeaway places carefully. I can never manage to do all the different Indian or Chinese dishes at home. Or fish & chips as good!

However, deliveroo need to sort out their insulation better as food is often tepid.

Actually, I think places that just do takeaway are better than restaurants.

I never learn. We don't have them that often, but periodically I crave either Chinese or fish and chips. but I always regret it. For a start, nobody delivers here and it always takes ages if DH goes out to get it. I know this. The distance from our house to the nearest takeways hasn't changed in the 20 years that we've lived here. It is completely unreasonable for me to get annoyed with DH over the delay. But I am always terribly hangry by the time he gets back.
Then I wolf it down and do generally enjoy it, but within an hour will be suffering from hideous indigestion which will keep me awake all night, swearing never to eat the stuff again. Well, not until the next time DH says "Fancy a takeaway tonight?" that is. I really am that stupid.

Hmm it depends really, sometimes what I want is something I don’t know how to replicate at home to taste the same rather than culinary excellence per se. Eg pakoras, chicken tikka, Peshawari naan from the Indian, lemon chicken or salt and chilli ribs from the Chinese, or Lebanese. I want a Lebanese now, the place we go is a bit far for a takeaway though :(

We had a lovely Turkish one tonight. Spicy chicken shish with rice and lovely Turkish bread and salad. Even all our normally fussy teenagers love it. It is healthy too although some oil in the rice but generally healthy.

That’s why I love Turkish/Lebanese so yummy but still pretty healthy

I only ever order from one Thai takeaway. I have ordered twice during lockdown. They were ok, not as tasty as I remembered, and I couldn't finish them whereas before I'd have eaten all of it because I really enjoyed the taste. I was looking at my bank statement recently and saw it came to £45 including delivery. I will not be ordering again.

YANBU. Restaurants being closed really highlighted the fact that nothing tastes as good as it should when it has been sitting in a box.

We've got a few local phenomenal Indian ones that do the street food style starters.
When we occasionally deviate from those they are utter shit.

I could have written the OP myself. I never enjoy takeaways as much as I think I will (or should from the cost), and I feel the same about almost all restaurant meals as well. But I also never seem to learn either so a disappointing takeaway is followed a couple of weeks later by the same again. Or maybe it's not that I don't learn, but the alternative is too grim (cook it all myself, forever, DH doesn't cook). Usually a takeaway is initiated by the DCs (and they usually seem to enjoy them so that's good).

I don't like too much salt in food, or sweetness in any food that's not desert (that should be savory) either so I'm probably hard to please.

The one thing I have learned is never to buy ready meals from the supermarkets - I've looked at the ingredients in them, and the nutritional values (or lack thereof) etc and then tasted them and I never buy them.

Occasionally I have some really nice fish and chips when we're away somewhere. Very occasionally. And it's really just the chips haha.

Not unreasonable at all. This always happens to me

I love a good burger meal now and then. I have ordered indian but its NEVER good. My mum is an authentic indian cook and nothing compares to traditional homemade indian curries. I have started to cook myself now and its fab. Highly reccomend. Rule of thumb... if your curry looks red or has a layer of oil then its no good!

Being in this pandemic has made me realise.. Mcdonalds is dry, tasteless crap! Being re- united with it was a severe dissapointment!

@hopingtobedally

Ahh Mumsnet- where nobody ever enjoys anything other than a homemade mung bean and ricotta cassoulet

This made me laugh way too much, but then I may have gone over the MN quota for vodka in one night

Ive enjoyed all the take aways ive had during lock down, we have a good pizza kebab place, a couple of good Indians and the best chinese in the city right by us.
I did venture out to an unknown and ordered a Caribbean meal last week which was tasty and good value for money but quite salty and the meat comes on the bone which im not too keen on.
I would never order Turkish because i find it very dry and i think thats why it goes cold quickly.
Im so sick of cooking and washing up I would eat anything right now.
There are only 2 of ua which makes it cheaper and we usually have left overs to heat the next day.
I will probably order a chinese tomorrow.
I wish i had a Korean place near me.

Chinese restaurants are dire, there are so many lovely Chinese dishes but they all offer the same greasy crap.

My local chippy is owned by an Italian family and they make amazing pizza at a fraction of the price of Dominos or Pizza Hut so I do indulge more than I should. Apart from that I always feel horrible after a take away because I know I have spent so much money on food that is not worth it.

@sorrymrjackson
The MN vodka quota is just glancing at a bottle, anything else and you're a raging alcoholic.

Ahh Mumsnet- where nobody ever enjoys anything other than a homemade mung bean and ricotta cassoulet

🤣 That made me laugh.

The only takeaways that always go down well here are Pizza and McDonald’s. They’re always the same, you know what you’re getting. We also have Indian or Chinese sometimes but they’re so hit and miss even from the same places.

This is my life. I'm always so disappointed by take out. I'd rather just cook because 9 times out of 10 it will be good haha.

I'm so with you on this, on my no cook Fridays a takeaway was part of the week. But constantly the food has turned up cold, sweating and tasteless, and let's not forget expensive.

I cooked a massive amount of curries in the week, then boxed them up and froze them. I did invest in an Indian cookery course which has paid for itself many times over.

When the lockdown loosens a little more I'll do another course perhaps Thai or something. I think you have to be in the mood to cook sometimes so when I am I go full force, batch cook and get on with it.

Perhaps this is the way forward for many people?

I just know when I'm splashing out 40 notes for a tasteless takeaway, for the same money I can cook up a storm of beautiful food. That reminds me there is some beautiful beef madras in the freezer, I may just pull some of it out for defrosting for tonight's takeaway!

I would rather cook it all myself. I generally make it better 🤷🏼‍♀️