RESTAURANT REVIEW: Mr Basrai's - a place you can taste the difference
So the choice of venue fell to her, and to my surprise it didn’t include pizza!
Mr Basrai’s World Cuisine buffet restaurant suited my daughter’s inability to choose anything from a set menu, and has been well received by all my social media friends since it opened last December.
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Hide AdWe arrived on an all-but too familiar wet Sunday afternoon in June, which may have explained why the restaurant was almost empty other than two or three occupied tables.
With a mixture of cafe style tables and soft seating booths at the front, the restaurant felt stark and efficient.
With high ceilings and more staff than diners, this did leave us feeling a little conspicuous while walking around the food areas choosing our first course.
Between the bain-marie rows containing pre-cooked food, the main floor was broken up with fresh cooking areas including a noodle bar and grill station.
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Hide AdYou are literally guided on a culinary world tour as you walk around the self-service area, from Chinese, Japanese and Thai, to Indian, Italian, Mexican and for the less adventurous, British, American and European meals.
There is almost too much choice, and you do find yourself eating some rather unusual food combinations in your attempts to try a bit of everything.
Between us we tried, chicken korma, shish kebab, pizza, Chinese mushrooms, sushi, chicken in kung pao sauce, steak, egg fried rice, boiled rice, chips, garlic bread, salad, the list seemed never ending.
Once you’ve eaten all you can, it is only then you realise there is a wonderful dessert area.
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Hide AdI have never seen so much cheesecake, crème brûlée or ice cream in one place.
The amazing display was also finished off with a chocolate fountain much to my daughter’s delight.
The desserts weren’t just a spectacle, they were, for us the best part of the meal.
As with any buffet style restaurant the food standard does depend heavily on how long the dishes have been on display.
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Hide AdHowever, I saw the staff checking the dishes very regularly, and from previous experiences the quality here was very high with only the odd dish slightly below par.
During the weekend the price is a little more expensive than midweek deal, yet at just under £50 to feed a family of three along with drinks it seemed reasonable enough.
Sadly, our visit ended on a slightly sour note thanks to the curt member of staff who could barely crack a smile or acknowledge me during payment, which was in stark contrast to the staff who had served us during the meal.
Despite this, Mr Basrai’s is well worth a visit and I’m sure the family and I will visit again.