The Chef's Table at Red Hot World Buffet
A couple of weeks ago an interesting invitation arrived in my inbox. The Red Hot World Buffet in Manchester wanted me to come along to a meal at their Chef's Table with a few other local bloggers. Of course I replied yes. I've never actually visited the Red Hot World Buffet before so it was a great opportunity to find out more about it.
The Manchester branch of Red Hot World Buffet is the flagship restaurant and is one of seven in the UK.It expanded in 2012 to offer a second floor for dining, which is where the Chef's Table is located, and also offer a breakfast buffet there! The restaurants offer up to 300 dishes from across the world and the aim of the Chef's Table was to introduce us to a range of different cuisines.On arrival we were greeted with their signature Red Hot cocktail which was a thick, icy treat. It contained, amongst other things, triple sec and a whole blended plum. It was deceptively alcoholic I think and was very easy to drink. The fruit gave the consistency of a smoothie or slush puppy and it really was delicious. This is one of the drinks which has been created for the new cocktails and mocktails menu in the restaurants.
Our chef for the night introduced himself and his team and, as each course was presented, both the dish and the accompanying wine were introduced to us and explained how they complement each other
Our menu for the night was:
Amuse bouche - Hand rolled fish sushi
Entrée - A selection of traditional Indian street food
Fish course - Seafood risotto
Main course - Chicken teppanyaki prepared on an Oriental grill
Palate cleanser of fresh sorbet
Dessert - Pancakes served with a variety of delicious toppings
Petits fours - Mini crème brȗlée, brownies and cheesecakes served with fresh coffee
I've eaten at a number of different buffet restaurants over the year and usually found them fine, not excellent but I was really surprised by the high standard of the food we ate at the Red Hot World Buffet.
Our starter - Hand-rolled Sushi - was lovely (left photo). Beautifully presented and with exceptionally fresh ingredients. The wasabi-spiked soy sauce was a real treat and offered just the right amount of salt and fire to accompany the sushi. It was some of the best I've eaten in Manchester and,when I revisit the Red Hot World Buffet, I know I will have to drag myself away from the Sushi counter!
Next we were treated to a Potato Tikki, an example of the Indian Street Food available in the buffets. This was served with a delicious spiced sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds which provided a delicious pop of sweetness to counter the spice.
The fish course was Seafood Risotto, I was slightly apprehensive about this one as I can't eat mussels, even though I love them. My fears weren't realised as the risotto contained prawn, salmon and squid. It tasted wonderful, flavoured well with a creamy sauce and flakes of parmesan. It was easily as good as similar risottos I have ordered in Italian restaurants.
The risotto was followed by Chicken Teppenyaki which featured chicken, spring onion, greens and pak choi in a delicious, sticky marinade. The dish was quite light, and ordinarily, I would have preferred it to be served with rice or noodles but it worked well as a dish featured on a set menu in this way.
Our next course allowed us a small breather with a palate-cleansing Raspberry sorbet which was beautifully presented in a martini glass filled with ice. It was really refreshing and prepared us well for the desserts to come.
Our first dessert was American-style pancakes with a choice of toppings, I went for white chocolate and raspberry which was a lovely combination, the creaminess of the chocolate sauce and the sharpness of the raspberries balanced well.
Following this we were treated to an assiette of desserts, all of which were rich and indulgent and the perfect end to a lovely meal, some very pretty petit fours and a wonderful Amaretto Coffee.
I had a great evening at the Red Hot World Buffet and really enjoyed every aspect of the Chef's Table meal. The company was fantastic and the wines chosen to complement each course matched well. I'd definitely recommend the quality of food as a very good reason to visit the Red Hot World Buffet, I'm looking forward to visiting to have the full buffet experience and I'm going to take Red Rose Daddy with me next time.
If I've inspired you to visit you can book using this link and claim a discount until the end of June.
