14 October 2013

Restaurant Review - Wing Wah (@WingWahWorld Wolverhampton) [By @cinabar]


Recently we had a bit of a family trip out to Wing Wah, a buffet restaurant in Wolverhampton. Our branch is situated of the Stafford Road in Fordhouses, but Wing Wah is a chain with branches all over the Midlands. They cover food from many locations and sell just about everything from pizza through to curry, and pretty much every other region in between!
When we arrived I did think that it looked a bit like a Pub from the outside, but the minute we walked in I realised it was actually a bit of a Tardis, with a massive open plan restaurant inside. We were seated quickly and ordered drinks that arrived promptly, so we decided to tuck in. It was very modern inside, and the choice was breath taking. I had a bit of a nosey around, and tried to work out where to start. My eyes were immediately drawn to the puddings but I controlled myself and decided to peruse the starters.


I was quite excited to see a good range of sushi and loaded up my plate. I added a spoon of wasabi and looked for a small dish to pour some soy sauce in, but as there weren’t any I just sprinkled some on. Next to the sushi selection I notice some Mediterranean goodies, so also added some mozzarella and tomato salad, and a few olives for good measure. It’s a world buffet so I’m allowed to mix my regions. ;-) By the time we were back at the table a finger bowl had arrived which I could see was going to come in handy!


The sushi was beautifully presented and fresh and tasty, the wasabi sauce was quite runny and not quite as strong as I'd normally go for, so I loaded on a bit more than usual to get the horseradish high. Once we had finished our starters I was impressed how quickly our finished plates were whisked away keeping the table tidy.




The main course choice brought along another decision and I decided to have curry. Our favourite local curry house closed recently, so I was looking forward to testing their selection. I chose a selection of dishes, Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Rogan Josh, Spiced Baked Fish, rice and a slice of naan bread. The first thing I noticed was that both curries were of a medium spice, they had a good tingly heat without being too hot. The chicken had a good sauce; it was creamy with a hint of tomato sweetness but nice warmth from the chilli.


The lamb dish was slightly stronger in heat, but still a medium, full flavoured and with a good rich fragranced sauce. The fish was mild, it had a delicate seasoning in order for it not to overpower the base flavour, I enjoyed the fish so much I went back for more!


After our meal we were starting to feel fairly full so decided to explore the desserts. I had already spotted the pancake station and the chocolate fountain so knew what I was going to be trying! Sadly there was no member of staff at the pancake station so I asked the lady I’d seen using it before if she would serve me, she agreed but finished sorting the cutlery for a few minutes longer before coming over.


It is a little thing but I think they would benefit from keeping it manned constantly as everyone seemed to be struggling to find someone to serve them, at one point in the evening I saw a customer trying to cook his own pancakes on the hot plate and him being shooed off it by the manager who then took over (for a while)! I filled my pancake with some summer fruits, dipped a marshmallow on a stick into the chocolate fountain and picked up a few other bits that had caught my eye and returned to the table to tuck in. I felt like a child at a fair ground!


Well one thing is for sure you can't complain about the selection! Again I ended up with a mix of goodies from Eton Mess through to pots with fruity mousse and even jelly. To be honest I wished I left more room for dessert, as the child in me wanted to try everything. Everything that I had picked was delicious and the pancake really was the highlight, I only usually have them once a year but I wanted to go back to the stand almost straight away and order another with a different topping.
I asked our guests what they had thought of their meals and got mostly positive happy responses. Spectre had enjoyed his dinner and loved picking up lots of different goodies from different regions to try, he thought the Piri Piri chicken was fab, and loved the Salt and Pepper Chicken, saying it was the best he'd ever tried. Spectre's dad had ventured as far as the pizza bar and seemed to enjoy a slice of pepperoni pizza. My mum had gone for the Chinese selection, and enjoyed the beef in black bean sauce as had Spectre’s mum and both would recommend it. Spectre’s mum thought the selection was fabulous but did note that some of the dishes were empty and she thought the odd item wasn't quite hot enough by the time it had come back to the table. The only other issue was the ladies toilet was on the floor above the restaurant; and inside it without warning was a male waiter trying to fix something, I can't help thinking they should have put a sign up.
All in all we had a fab meal, and were blown away by the selection there is literally something for everyone! You can't complain when it comes to value for money either, the meal for five of us cost £72 and that included drinks. If you are lucky enough to live near a Wing Wah I'd heartily recommend checking it out.
By Cinabar

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