Smarter than your average buffet (Flaming Dragon (Sheffield))

Member Name: mdhughes03

Product:	Flaming Dragon (Sheffield)
Date:	01/08/09 (120 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of variety and reasonably priced

Disadvantages: Not so kind to the waistline

I must admit to being one of those people who thought that Valley Centretainment could manage pretty well without yet another restaurant and when I heard a Chinese buffet was one of the newest offerings I must admit to not being overly excited. I have often found these types of restaurants to serve sub-standard food which is rarely at the right temperature. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting first class authentic Cantonese cuisine here, but a decent sweet and sour would be good.

For me, Flaming dragon defies this pre-conception. Firstly this is no ordinary buffet. Yes, there is the usual array of dishes perched on a hot counter with some extra curry thrown in to try and please us English folk. However, visit on an evening and experience two further dining experiences: the teppan-yaki and Brazilian Grill. The Brazilian grill is just a large barbeque it would seem, served to you by a waiter who will wander amongst the tables with a freshly barbequed joint of meat on a spit. He will then carve you your very own slices right at the table. Each time I have visited the choice has been pork and it has been incredibly tender and full of flavour. The teppan-yaki offers various fish, seafood and meat which will be grilled to order in front of you or delivered to your table for you. These additions really lift the restaurant above its other buffet competitors.

The food in general is better quality than other buffet restaurants I have visited and there is more variety of dishes than usual. There are also lots of condiments and items on the salad bar to accompany your meal and duck pancakes available all day, not just to those customers paying more for the evening buffet, which I've found to be the case elsewhere.

Having a sweet tooth, it is the desserts here that win it for me! There are several different types of jelly and milk jellies on offer, along with slices of cake and biscuits. There's the obligatory Mr Whippy ice cream machine and sometimes even Jelly babies. But then.......the sweet cabinet!! I know it's something of a vestige of seventies dining but there's something about seeing your pudding twirling around on those little glass shelves that makes you feel like a kid in a sweet shop. There is usually at least one type of gateau available. However, my young-at-heart other half ended up with a dessert of cookies and ice cream with a side dish of Jelly babies and milk jelly. There's no accounting for taste is there?

At the time of writing the lunchtime price is £5.50 during the week and £6.50 at weekends. The evening price is £9.90 and £10.90. However, under 16s receive a substantial discount on this price. There is also usually a promotion running between the restaurant and the cineworld cinema nearby. My latest one is for £3.99 weekday lunchtime buffet.

There are some eastern beers available and a decent cocktail menu to accompany your meal.

All in all this has been a great time for me whenever I have visited. If it weren't for trying to squeeze into a wedding dress then I'd pretty much eat here all the time!

There are also flaming dragon restaurants in Birmingham, Nottingham, Castleford, Gloucester, and Worcester.

Summary: A great value restaurant