Gourmet Gardens, London

I’m hovering between 3 and 4 stars on the Gourmet Garden, because it can be just what you need in the right circumstances.

Yes, it’s a Chinese buffet restuarant. You know right from that point that it’s not going to be haute cuisine. But, of its type, it’s pretty good. The restaurant itself is recently refurbished and quite modern inside. It’s only a block and a half off Oxford St but is quite quiet (on weekends, anyway; I’m guessing it’s packed at weekday lunchtimes).

The buffet is heavy on meat and heavy on being deep-fried. Not recommended for vegetarians of any stripe. Quality was average, which makes it better than many of the Chinese buffets you’ll find in Soho. If all you’re looking to do is fuel up for some Oxford St shopping, this might be just the ticket.

The price is exceptional. The all-you-can-eat buffet is £7.90 in the evening. At lunchtimes it’s less than £6. If all you want is a single takeaway container then it’s less than £4. That, my friends, is a bargain.

The Gourmet Garden does have a menu, too, so if you wanted to order a la carte you could though I’ve not tried it.

They’ve got a karaoke room downstairs that I assume can be booked.

Upstairs looks like it can become bar-ish at night. There’s a decent range of spirits on the shelves.

Gourmet Gardens is a Chinese buffet restaurant a few minutes walk from Ofxord Circus up Great Portland Street.

The decor is rather classy, for a buffet restaurant. Sort of urban, oriental suave with a sense of airyness and cleanliness. And we all know that’s slap bang next to godliness.

However, the food is nowhere near godliness. It is slap bang next to mediocrity. It’s alright, don’t get me wrong, it’s perfectly edible. Some of the dishes are even mildly pleasant, but the overriding taste of all the dishes on offer (actually not that many) is of deep fried blandness.

The lamb was particularly fatty, and the chicken wings appeared to be the same as you’d get in any generic ‘insert southern state of America’ fried chicken shop.

The sweet and sour chicken was nice though. And the crispy duck pancakes were great.

There was no dessert option, which wasn’t a disaster. There were also a few veggie options which were more interesting than the meat dishes, veering slightly off the bland track.

The value though, is very good. The dinner buffet is £7.90, which is one of the cheapest in London, and excellent for the area. So, it’s alright for what you pay for. Especially as you can have as much as you can fit in your face.