A Visit To Cosmo World Kitchen In Sheffield
Published On Thursday 19 Sep 2024 by Sticky Beak
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When it comes to food, there’s no such thing as too much choice, right? Cosmo World Buffet and I have this philosophy in common, so imagine my excitement when the invitation to dine at the Sheffield venue came through! The timing was a bit nostalgic for His Nibs and I too; nearly 5 years to the day was when we dropped Fledge off at University in the Steel City. No doubt there will be an influx of freshers and their families at Cosmo in the coming weeks and why not; I mean, where else can you literally find something for everyone?
Now, I know a lot of folks give Cosmo stick for their ‘beige’ food and I was on a mission to not only fill my plate (s, let’s be real, I wasn’t going to just have a single plate of food, was I ?!!), but to fill it with healthy choices. Before all that, though, we had to get to Cosmo Sheffield. Yet again, it was into the trusted jalopy and up the motorway, and then grabbing a spot at Q-Park Charles Street – a mere stones’ throw from the venue.
In common with the other Cosmo sites we’ve visited, there is a front reception area that you confirm your booking at and take a seat if your table isn’t ready yet. Given it was the weekend, it will come as no surprise when I say that the seating area was packed to the rafters. Saying that though, we were taken through at our allotted time – I should just point out that at peak times you are restricted to 90 minutes of dining (which is plenty of time, in all honesty).
The main dining area is a large expanse, broken up with open display shelves and vertical light stacks, and in front of you is the multitude of food stations from around the globe. All the Chefs were busting about, either cooking or replenishing dishes, and the diners buzzed around like bees around their hive. Wherever you looked, there was someone filling their plate: young children, teens, young adults, families, grandparents; every age group was there at Cosmo World Kitchen, eager to sample the plethora of delights.
Having got our drinks ordered (and pilfered some cutlery off an empty, adjacent table as we hadn’t got any on ours!), His Nibs headed off first to see what tickled his taste buds, returning shortly with a plate laden with all sorts of stuff: Vegetable Samosas, Peri Peri Chicken and Spring Rolls. On the first sweep of the food stations, The Man is like a kid in a sweet shop! This initial recce is all about satisfying that craving for crunchy, instantly tasty treats and his picks certainly did this, their pastry outers golden and crisp, and the Chicken gave a blast of spice that quieted the palate’s need for excitement.
Leaving His Nibs to chomp away, I headed off in search of tasty treats for myself. I didn’t have to look first: the Sushi Counter was straight ahead and spilling over with a feast of temptation. Vegetable, Seafood, Fish and Chicken Sushi Rolls were perfectly rolled and displayed beautifully, along with pickled Ginger and Wasabi – both of which I popped onto my plate. I selected some Squid Nigiri, Crabstick Futomaki, and Vegetable Uramaki and they were all delicious; more importantly, my healthy option mission was off a to a fab start. Go, me!!
As I was nearing the end of my first plate, The Man went off in search of more. No visit to Cosmo is complete without having something from the Teppanyaki station on your plate, so The Man had Chef cook him Steak and Scallops there, enhanced with Chilli and Garlic Butter. As well as those treats, he added Cumin Lamb, Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onion and Pad Thai Noodles – all from the ‘Asia’ section of the restaurant. No lack of flavours there then, chap! The inclusion of vegetables added a nice bit of crunch to his choices, and it wasn’t long before his plate was cleared.
Upon his return, I wandered off again, in search of colourful, healthy, tasty dishes and, having had a bit of a wander around, came across the salad counter. Some fancy-looking ‘Black Fungus’ caught my eye (they were Garlic-pimped Mushrooms, very scrummy ones, as it turned out), so I popped some of those on my plate, adding cooked, Whole Prawns, verdant-toned Seaweed Salad, Crabstick Salad that was a gorgeous rose-pink colour, Tomato and Mozzarella with Pesto, and a Mixed Olive and Sundried Tomato Salad. No need to say that my plate looked like an edible rainbow, and the tastes and textures were superb; everything was chilled and fresh – I just wish I’d thought about a little bowl to put the heads and shells of my Prawns in; as it was, I used a napkin and put that on my plate to be cleared away.
I should just mention the team members that were looking after the section we were in: Lillie and Umesh were total superstars!! Nothing was too much trouble, and they were both really polite and friendly – top marks to them for customer care. Whenever our plates were empty, they were soon there to clear them away and ask if we needed any more drinks or cutlery.
Three-plates Paulie (The Man Birds’ new nick-name!) had found the Crispy Shredded Duck, Pancakes, Hoi-Sin, Cucumber and Spring Onion and had returned triumphant with these treasures to savour. Honestly, the grin on his face was brilliant – you’d think they were solid Gold!! The Duck was nice and moist, with a great depth of taste to its flesh and the crunchy vegetables contrasted well in the soft pancake. Not to be outdone, I also headed out for my third foray around the culinary world.
For my final savoury choices I had gone for Crispy Squid Rings, Grilled fresh Pineapple, Cucumber and Spring Onion and, proud of myself for being healthy, decided to search out my beloved Bao Buns. If you’ve never had Bao Buns before, they are like delicious little pillows of yumminess; the buns are steamed to make them soft, and filled with a custard-like consistency filling. They really are delicious – and I love them!
Those of you who have already gone to any Cosmo World Kitchen will know that the dessert selection is mind-bogglingly large, and the Sheffield site is no different. Usually, I go all-in for the Fizzy Cola Bottles (as Sid, the manager at Derby, will attest to), but having gone off-piste from my usual choices, I decided to keep the theme going and scooped the Eton Mess in to a bowl. Well, now that meringue and I have rekindled our mutual love, it would’ve been rude not to partake…and it did look incredibly tempting with its swirls of red fruits nestling among the pale whipped Cream and Meringue pieces. I’m pleased to say that it tasted just as good as it had looked in its chilled display ‘boudoir’.
Up until now, my [usually non-existent] will-power had done me proud - so much so that I wondered if I’d been abducted by aliens and had radical brain-altering surgery done - and I felt absolutely no guilt whatsoever having scoffed the Eton Mess, or the small piece of White Chocolate Rocky Road that I’d also ferreted out like a Truffle Pig! But I’m all about balance, so fresh Red- and Green-Grapes and Watermelon wedges took their place on my plate, too. His Nibs had unashamedly gone for the ‘fully paid-up, card-carrying member of the Glutton Club’ approach with his dessert selection: think cakes and pastries of all colours and flavours, and you’d be bang on the money!
Both of us were stuffed, funnily enough(!), and felt that we’d got value for money; you do pay more at peak times, and be aware that the prices don’t include drinks. All the information about pricing - and children do eat for less - is on the website www.cosmo-restaurants.co.uk Simply click on the ‘restaurant’ button and select Sheffield.
Hot Wings given here; we’d happily visit again.
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