All you can eat dining venues don’t tend to feature on my blog. Not because I haven’t visited a few in my lifetime, but more because they just don’t tend to be very good. The food tends to be quantity over quality and they’re just not very pretty to look at are they? So when I was invited to Royal Nawaab, I was interested to see what it would be like.
Royal Nawaab is on the A6 in Levenshulme, so not too far away from my house. I have driven passed it many times on my way to and from Manchester and couldn’t really tell you why I have never been. From the outside the building looks like black glass and is really modern. There is a large car park at the back, which is welcomed on the busy roads around Levy! Inside, the venue has a large reception area with grand velour chairs and a pretty fountain. Upstairs there are several event spaces and I can imagine this grand reception is just perfect for welcoming guests to a wedding.
The dining room is vast and seriously bustling. I visited on a Monday early evening and was surprised by how busy it was. Lots of families were enjoying the food and it is perfect for a large groups as everyone can get up and eat exactly what they want, when they want. We started with some poppadoms and mocktails. They don’t serve alcohol but have a great selection of mixed drinks so you won’t even notice.
As with most buffets, you help yourself and there is a vast selection at Royal Nawaab. There is a huge salad bar, followed by a large selection of starters and at least 10 curries with all the sides. There is a small selection of English dishes for those who are dining who don’t like spicy food and a really impressive dessert selection.
One huge bonus to Royal Nawaab is how clean, tidy and organised it is. At other buffet restaurants I always find that the serving areas are messy with food splattered on the sides. Having a busy serving area where customers help themselves, this doesn’t really surprise me, but at Royal Nawaab the staff are constantly clearing up to make sure the food is as well presented as it can be in a buffet environment. The same level of care has gone into the food and it is seriously tasty. The Chicken Wings were plump with a crispy skin and a gentle amount of heat. Something a lot spicier were the Lamb Chapli Kebabs, which had a serious amount of instant fire heat to gently numb the mouth. The flavours were there though and the meat was softly tender.
All the food at Royal Nawaab is halal, cooked in a Pakistani style so it was a surprise to see some Chinese dishes on the buffet! It is a lovely option to break up the Indian food if it isn’t really your thing. The Spring Rolls were really quite good too so worth adding a couple to your plate.
I tried my usual order of Chicken Karahi, which I really enjoyed here. A light heat with a touch of sweetness in the sauce with soft and tender chicken. I am one of those really annoying people who always orders the same thing from an Indian takeaway and this is a great way to try new dishes that you wouldn’t normally choose from a menu. I really enjoyed the Lamb Haandi, which is a dish I had never heard of. Similar to the flavours of karahi, There are more herb notes that make it less sweet but a dish I would definitely order and eat here again. There are a few options of rice and several different types of naan, the sesame one being my favourite and seriously moreish. It is thinner and crispier than the standard naan but those sesame seeds give it a little bit of crunch and a touch of earthiness. Absolutely delicious.
Unlike any other buffet restaurant I have been too, Royal Nawaab has a huge dessert selection with traditional Indian options and some English dishes too. The Trifle was a little bland but then we tried the Gulab Jamun with Kheer. Wow… the gulab jamun have a sweet and sticky sauce on the outside but they are quite savoury in the middle to balance out that sweetness. The kheer is a cardamon heavy rice pudding and the creaminess with the doughnut like texture of the gulab jamun was insanely tasty. We were too full to manage any but the ice cream selection is seriously impressive. No granulated rubbish here! The strawberry was very popular with other guests and, like many of the dishes, it is on the list for next time I visit.
The buffet costs £17.95 and you can eat as much as you can manage for that price. The service is exceptional and we were made to feel incredibly welcome. I can’t wait to go back.
Royal Nawaab, 1008 Stockport Road, Manchester, M19 3WN.
I was invited to dine as a guest of Royal Nawaab and were not asked to pay.
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