Having reviewed two Chinese restaurants in Lynn, I thought it was about time to make it three.
I drive past the Royal Gourmet restaurant – an all-you-can-eat buffet – most days on my way to work, every time thinking I would like to try it out, so when it was my turn to do a food review, I knew exactly where I was going to visit.
I booked a table for 6.30pm on a Friday night for my partner Brandon and I.
Upon entering, we were greeted at the bar and shown straight to our table, It was quite quiet with only four other tables being occupied.
When we first sat down, I was a little disappointed to see there were no complimentary items on the table, unlike similar restaurants I have previously been to.
But the disappointment soon disappeared, as we went up and and helped ourselves from the buffet.
The way it was set out was very nice and it was easy to know what to do. There was quite a lot to choose from so there was definitely something for everybody.
I went for duck wraps, chicken balls, seaweed, chicken with Thai sweet chilli sauce, mushrooms, beef curry green beans and Thai crispy rice noodles.
Brandon chose duck wraps, seaweed, chicken balls, chicken with Thai sweet chilli sauce, prawn toast and chow mein.
Once we had sat back down with our food, a waiter then came over to us to ask what drinks we wanted, we both just ordered our go-to drinks – a glass of Coke (£3.20 each), which came quickly after.
We both thought the food was very nice: it was full of flavour and was not greasy or oily. We could not fault it at all.
After having two plate fulls, we did not have room for dessert, but the dessert was also all-you-can-eat, with a wide range of items including ice cream, jelly, Swiss rolls, mousse, profiteroles and more.
Overall we very much enjoyed our meal at Royal Gourmet. From first impressions I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but when we got inside and were eating, we were impressed with how nice the food was. The restaurant is definitely on the top-end of my list of places I would go back to.
Royal Gourmet is open for its evening grand buffet from 5.30pm to 10pm Monday to Saturday and Sundays from noon to 10pm. It also does a lunch buffet from noon to 3pm Monday to Saturday. Prices vary depending on what time and day it is. A takeaway service is also offered.
Rating out of five:
Food: We liked the idea of going up and helping ourselves, and the food tasted very nice with no faults. *****
Drink: We just had Cokes, nothing too exciting but can’t go wrong and there was a good variety on the menu. ***
Decor: The decor was quite plain and simple – it could do with a little more brightness and more welcoming feel to it. ***
Staff: The staff seemed friendly and were about if you needed them, but it didn’t feel like they were watching you eat. ****
Price: The total was £52.20 for all-you-can-eat buffet and desserts and two drinks which I think represents good money compared to if you were having a take away at home. ****
