The new JRC Global buffet just launched in Central Square serving a cacophony of cuisines, ranging from pizza to poppadom’s. We went for the lunchtime buffet priced at just £15pp – though the cheaper price was reflected in the choices available to us. They do offer a wider variety in their standard dinner time buffet priced at £25pp.
We headed over on a Monday lunchtime to fuel ourselves in the lead-up to all our essay deadlines. The restaurant itself boasted tropical lush theming with colourful décor, which was fun, though just about bordered on tacky. There were plenty of tables in a separate dining room with a bar and the buffet itself was in the adjoining room, a short walk away.
Both floor and bar staff were very hospitable, and you never had to wait for them to take away your plates. The music was perhaps deducted from the atmosphere because of its high volume and 2016-era radio pop (which was simultaneously nostalgic and jarring). Now onto the main event - the food.
In terms of cuisine, they offered many from all around the world with plenty of dishes to choose from. There was a fresh dim-sum station and a personalized ramen bar, but our social anxiety meant we were too scared to talk to the ramen chef. The selection of East Asian food was impressive with at least 24 different dishes to choose from.
Our personal highlights were the salt and pepper chicken and the sweet and sour chicken. The Indian section had a great range of classic curries with both meat and vegetarian options available as well as unlimited poppadoms and naan bread. It was a shame the sushi bar was closed as we’re both sushi lovers however the cheap price we paid made this less frustrating.
The American-style pizza and side selection, think chips and onion rings, were simple but enjoyable. The variety in the dessert selection was much appreciated, offering ice cream/lollies, pick ‘n’ mix, cakes, and fruit but we were devastated the chocolate fountain wasn’t on! Maybe this was a blessing in disguise as we’d already unbuttoned our jeans by this point.
On reflection, we enjoyed our visit to JRC Global Buffet. The food was good quality and offered a decent selection of different dishes and cuisines. The dessert section was definitely our favourite part because the food was simple yet still delicious.
It is worth noting that lunchtime offers less variety, but this is stipulated on their website. Some of the food was a tad on the colder side which was obviously unfortunate. We would visit again in the future though maybe on a busier day when the full buffet was available.
Overall, we rate JRC Global Buffet a 6.25/10 – a combined average of our ratings.