Review: JRC Buffet Watford

Buffets.

Theoretically, eating as much as you want sounds like a really good idea. In practice, it very much depends on whether you actually WANT to eat the food at all.

Some buffets offering only one cuisine can’t get it right. So does a buffet restaurant offering not just one, but many different options taking inspiration from popular dishes all around the world stand any chance of being good?

We were a bit dubious. But we headed on to JRC Buffet in Watford anyway to find out.

First of all, it doesn’t feel like you are walking into a traditional buffet restaurant. Walking in the door, you are not greeted by hundreds of other hungry people milling around with plates, fighting for the serving spoons and waiting for trays to be refilled (something which I’ve experienced at other buffet restaurants on more than one occasion). Instead, it actually feels like you are walking into some kind of mysterious club…heading past the receptionist, up the stairs, through some double doors and into a finely sculpted lobby with not a steaming tray of food in sight!

Only once you’ve paid your fee (£18.99 a head when we went on Saturday lunchtime) are you escorted by a friendly staff member up another walkway and into a whole new world.

It actually really did feel like that.

The Other Half commented that he was convinced we had left the country and were sitting in a food hall in Hong Kong!

With no windows, and all traces of the outside world erased, it’s easy to see why. The decor and surroundings are all clean, themed and meticulously done to provide a really great atmosphere as you ponder exactly what to eat first.

I guess the obvious place to start would be the ‘starters’ section; we didn’t do that however and went straight for some random nibbles from around the various different counters. Because there is SO MUCH food on offer, it’s a bit tricky to decide exactly what to have – it would be impossible to try a bit of everything. Even though I did try and convince myself that perhaps I COULD at least try one of every dessert…

The ‘starters’ actually all look very similar – they tend to be orangey yellow coloured and mostly fried – examples include chicken wings, mini spring rolls, samosas, chicken nuggets, alphabites and chips. We enjoyed the satay chicken and sesame prawn toast – Little B was quite happy to start tucking in too. I think it was good that there were some more ‘standard kids’ type options available for very fussy eaters as it makes the whole going out for a family meal experience a lot more enjoyable. Having something for everyone, available as fast as you can fill your plate, is definitely a bonus when you have hungry kids with you. Equally, for people who enjoy trying something new, a bit more adventurous or who have a particular favourite cuisine (the Other Half and I both love Thai, for example) then JRC Buffet do that well too. I was impressed with the Tom Yum soup and Little B was incredibly happy stuffing her face with some noodles.

A lot of the food is cooked fresh and then placed in metal trays for you to help yourself, but some food can be picked and then cooked right in front of you too. We decided to give the Teppenyaki option a go and it was delicious. Being picked and cooked in that manner, it does take some time – we had to wait in line for a good 15 minutes as only a small amount fit on the grill at any one time; but as a part of the experience it was worth the wait.

Not all drinks are included in the set price that you pay before entering, but with the massive selection of drinks that ARE included free, there is no real reason to have to pay any extra, unless of course you want some alcohol. We were both totally bowled over by the massive array of free soft drink options available, with the standard draught fizzy pop sitting alongside some more exotic options too.

And then once you’ve fit in all the savoury offerings you can, well, then it’s time to hit the dessert section.

I knew as soon as I saw the chocolate fountain that I wouldn’t be giving that a go. Surrounded by marshmallows and pots and pots of different sweets, it was far too sickly for my tastes and without a doubt exactly what the kids would really, really enjoy. In any case, there were so many other options that I wouldn’t have room for even a mini-marshmallow, because even with the majority of desserts being offered in miniature portions there were still so many to choose from that we could never have got through them all.

I went for some cheesecake, a jelly based dessert and a chocolate mousse, while Little B tried some fruit and a bit of ice cream and the Other Half gravitated towards the Eton Mess.

 

The whole experience took us around two and a half hours, and we left comfortably full. It was only willpower that stopped us from stuffing our faces even more…that, and the agreement that we’ll definitely be back again sometime very soon to try a bit more of the menu.

It’s not the cheapest lunchtime option but for ease, efficiency, and a fuss free family meal with some great food it’s definitely worth going along to and it’s fantastic value. From the outside it doesn’t really look like anything special. On the inside, it certainly is!

To find out more about JRC Buffet Watford, take a look at the JRC Buffet website or follow JRC Buffet on Twitter.