Red Hot World Buffet, Manchester Reviewed

On a visit to Leeds Mr PC and I were introduced to the world of the Red Hot Buffet. It was pre-blogging days but we both really enjoyed it. Quick and easy food to satisfy most people. Unfortunately we hadn’t ventured to the one in Manchester, and then an invite dropped into my inbox… oh the excitement but also the nerves. How would an ‘all you can eat’ possibly satisfy my ever increasing demand for a decent meal? How could it possibly tempt me away from the higher end cuisine that I have become accustomed to?

Manchester Red Hot World Buffet is their flagship restaurant and the owners, Mr & Mrs Dhaliwal, have a big ambition. Their aim is to surprise and excite the most sceptical people of Manchester. Their concept is a ‘restaurant within a restaurant’; lifting the kitchens from behind the scenes to front of house. Specialist zones include a gourmet burger counter, North and South Indian kitchens, a sushi station, cold-stone creamery, oriental grill and a mediterranean kitchen. Excited yet? You should be!

I was invited with a group of bloggers to sample the delights of the kitchen and to meet the head chef Anurag Bisht. We were greeted with a cocktail that looked a lot like an alcoholic slushie. Now I know my cocktails, you know this, but I found this surprisingly good with a nice glug of liquors and triple sec to compliment a whole blended plum.

We started the night with hand rolled salmon sushi from the sushi station. The wasabi spiked soy sauce was a surprise and gave the dip a lovely kick. The sushi was satisfying too and the rice still had a bit of bite, nothing mushy about this sushi!

This potato tikki was what I was looking forward to the most, I’d never tried Indian street food before and this was beautifully spiced with little gems of pomegranate to pop in the mouth when the spice gets a bit too much. I thought this would be dry but it was lovely and moist.

The fish course was a seafood risotto and this was the surprise of the night! I was expecting a sloppy, gloopy mess but boy, did I get the opposite. A good mix of seafood was complimented with well cooked rice with a slight bite. Just the way risotto should be. Topped with shaved parmesan to bring out the creaminess of the sauce, I really enjoyed it.

For main we had a chicken teppanyaki from the oriental grill. The sauce was still prominent in this dish which, I personally like. This was a simple dish of chicken with pak choi, asparagus, leek and spring onion in a soy and oyster sauce. Just what you need if you are here watching your waist line.

The raspberry sorbet was really tangy and looked beautiful served atop a bed of ice. The pancakes were like mini scotch pancakes which, I had with bananas and toffee sauce. There are a number of options and I wish I’d had the triple chocolate ones. Not because mine weren’t good but because they looked amazing! The petit fours were lovely with soft macaroons and lovely chocolate truffles.

So the overall verdict? Very surprised, the food was really good and cooked well considering the cheap prices that start from £8.49. Perfect if you are in need of good food in a hurry, that is unless everyone else has the same idea!

You can claim a discount too if you book HERE… what have you got to lose?

We dined as guests of the restaurant. This has in no way affected my review which is an honest account of my dining experience.