Trying The All You Can Eat Sunday Buffet At Gurkha Kitchen, Nottingham
Published On Sunday 20 Nov 2022 by Sticky Beak
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You can always rely on one thing to guarantee Fledge putting in an appearance when she’s been a bit scarce: food! Mummy Bird suggested we go out for Sunday lunch, but something a bit different to the traditional British Roast, so His Nibs did a bit of poking about on t’interweb and came up with the all-you-can-eat Sunday Buffet at Gurkha Kitchen near Wollaton. We booked a table in advance to avoid disappointment and, after picking Mummy up from her nest, headed down the motorway in the direction of Nottingham.
There is no shortage of parking at Gurkha Kitchen and we managed to snag a spot near to the entrance. If I’m being perfectly honest, the building doesn’t look that remarkable but, trust me, when you step inside you need to have a moment in order to take the beauty of the restaurant in! There are dark beams on the ceiling, contrasted with white walls, but it’s the opulence of the dark red feature walls and banquettes combined with the plethora of ornate temple deity statues and large vases of flowers, that really take centre stage. Lots of nooks and crannies house tables and chairs so, although it is a sizeable venue, it isn’t just a single bland, homogenised space; it has character galore.
A lovely young chap came and took our drinks orders and we ordered a couple of Naan Breads (an extra £1.50 each on Sunday, which is a special price) to go with the four buffet meals we’d booked. The Man Bird was happy to see Khukuri beer on the menu, he loves its refreshingly light taste. Mummy and I opted for a bottle of pinot Grigio and Fledge had her usual rock n roll tipple of water!
With the libations sorted we headed over to the buffet table, and what a sight it was; a large Lettuce, Carrot and Tomato salad was in one bowl and the herbed, Onion Salad was in another and there were all the usual pickle tray suspects there too. One pickle that is a little rarer is the hot Nepali SP pickle, and this minx certainly has got a kick to it, so avoid if you don’t want to be getting that tingling feeling – you have been warned! On hand to cool things down was a gorgeously sweet Mango Chutney and Mint Yoghurt, so these are what Mummy Bird stuck to as she spooned them on her plate, next to the thin, ultra crispy, Poppadom pieces.
As well as cold starters there was a trio of hot temptations: Chicken Tikka pieces with thick slices of Onion, golden hued Vegetable Pakoras, and a wonderfully fragrant Channa Chat (ChickPea). We all helped ourselves to these delights and were rewarded with beautifully juicy chicken, a superbly crisp batter and vegetable combo and a moreish, earthy Chickpeas. These were so good that we went up for a second helping of them all.
Three types of rice dish were next to the main course curries: fluffy steamed rice, colourful Pilau rice, and Nepali rice which had teeny-tiny bits of Chicken Tikka in it as well as Cashew nuts, Sultanas and spices that warmed the palate. There was also a container of Dall (spiced Lentils with fried Garlic, Spinach and Onions) right at the end of the main section counter, and The Man Bird does love this dish, so he popped a large scoop onto his plate.
There were five main course curries to choose from, obviously with a Nepalese bias, but there was an Indian Jalfrezi (Lamb) as well, though this is described as ‘Madras Hot’ in the menu, so treat it with a bit of caution and respect as it’s definitely on the hotter end of the spice scale. Although, saying that, if you didn’t have much sauce to go with the Lamb chunks, it was much more tolerable. The Lamb was delightfully tender with a wonderful earthy-yet-sweet taste to it, complimented by the still-crunchy Peppers and Onions in this dish.
Vegetarians would have enjoyed the chunky texture of the Gurkha Vegetable Curry, as well as its medium strength spiciness. There was certainly no shortage in the variety of vegetables within this curry, so dead easy to get your 5-a-day in, if that’s what drives you, and it wasn’t lacking in the taste stakes either.
For those who prefer the quieter spice life, then look no further than the rosy-toned Nauni Chicken. This particular curry is one of Chef’s specials where he cooks sliced Chicken breast meat in Ghee to give it a silky rich flavour before adding even more creaminess via Almond s and Cashews. Mild certainly doesn’t mean bland or boring here at Gurkha Kitchen, it just means there’s no Chillies in there to blast your mouth!
Next to the Nauni Chicken was a dish simply labelled as ‘New Chicken’, with the description ‘Coconut, Medium’ underneath. Colour-wise this was very much like a Korma or Butter Chicken dish, i.e. a pale honey tone. As with all its companions, this curry wasn’t lacking in the amount of meat contained within the sauce; Chef is certainly a feeder. There was a definite increase in spice levels, though I would have described this more on the mild end of the scale as it had a sweet edge to its flavour profile on my palate. Whatever, it was definitely very tasty and I’d happily have it again.
Darker in colour and certainly more robust in flavour was the Everest Chicken Curry, described as one of Chef Andeep’s family recipes. Mushrooms, Peppers, Onions and Tomatoes all combined to produce a delectable, thick sauce that bathed the Chicken Tikka chunks and lingered superbly in the mouth. The unmistakeable flavour of Coriander permeated this curry, so I was a very happy lass as I took my first mouthful.
One of the best things about a buffet style meal is that you can tweak it exactly to how the mood takes you in that moment. I was weirdly in the mood for Onion salad and the Nepali Pickle so I kept adding more of these on my plate whenever I visited the counter; consequently, each curry was getting customised to my own palate, both in terms of spice and texture. Mummy Bird used the sweet Mango Chutney and mint Yoghurt to assuage the Lamb Jalfrezi’s heat to her taste, so she discovered more about the versatility of the accompaniments.
Throughout our time at Gurkha Kitchen in Wollaton, our server (a very pleasant young lad) had been nothing but superb; plates were cleared away efficiently and he was continually checking that we were enjoying our curries. In fact, all the team had been lovely from the moment we walked through the door. There were plenty of other tables taken, even though we’d gone towards the end of the afternoon, so clearly this venue has a good local reputation.
Given the quantity and quality of the food on offer, at a price of £14.95 per adult (£9.95 for children), I am very happy to award Hot Wings to this Nottingham venue. Gurkha Kitchen is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but opens 5-10pm Wednesday-Saturday and 1-8.30pm on Sundays (just for the buffet on Sunday). During the week there is an extensive menu to choose from, and we said that we’d want to come back and try the ‘regular’ menu dishes another time. To book your table give the team a call on 0115 9293514 or 0115 9290194
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