The Best Indian Buffet EVER!

Kismet
98-100 Buxton Road, Heavily, Stockport
SK2 6PL
Tel: 0161 480 4470

Phenomenal! There’s just no other word to describe our Sunday buffet experience at Kismet on the Buxton Road, an unassuming looking restaurant sat alongside the busy A6 in Stockport, choked up more than ever this particular Sunday afternoon thanks to road works.

As car after car pulled slowly past, their occupants looking more than a little fed up I wanted to run out into the road and shout ‘Just pull over, park up and join us.’

We’d heard good things of the place but had somehow never managed to fit in a visit before. But with the kids terrorising their grandparents in a caravan in North Wales for the week, we decided it was time to check it out – and are so we glad we did.

Only one other family was inside dining when we arrived around 3pm and, as we were shown to our table by our friendly waiter we glimpsed the huge plate of tandoori chicken, and bhaji they were piling onto plates of fresh salad. It almost made us wish we were only there for the buffet menu.

We ordered two cokes, having partaken of rather more alcohol than we should have the night before (when the kids are away, mum and dad will play!) and were immediately brought our drinks and a basket of freshly cooked poppadoms with the usual chutneys to enjoy.

Munching our way happily through crisp, warm poppadums dipped into the mango and yoghurt chutneys and a fresh onion and tomato one (no lime pickle for me, its one taste I just can’t tolerate), I asked what the form was for the buffet. We were told that our starters would be brought over next, after which we could help ourselves.

Not expecting these, we couldn’t believe it when we were presented with the piping hot dish of tandoori and pakora chicken, onion and courgette bhajis that the other diners had been tucking into a short while earlier. The bhaji were hot, crispy and delicious dipped into the remaining chutneys. The tandoori chicken was superb and plentiful, with two pieces each, perfect with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice from the wedge provided. The pakora chicken was perfection.

By this time the restaurant was filling up and as we moved onto the buffet our waistbands were already feeling the strain but how could we resist? All piping hot, we had a choice of six different curries including a spicy chicken madras and a creamy, beautiful chicken korma as well as a rhogan josh and a lamb and potato karahi. The accompanying Bombay potatoes were as freshly cooked and piping hot as the curries and the chana masala with its al dente chick peas was out of this world. For those with a bigger belly there was also nan bread to mop up the sauces.

Our meal finished with a plate of fresh orange wedges and a shared serving of Shamai, apparently a Bengali version of an Indian dish known as Bombay pudding made from rice vermicelli noodles cooked in milk. Suprisingly lovely, especially served with fresh cream, it was like the Bengali equivalent of my mum’s rice pudding.

An amazing feast with wonderfully cooked, fresh and fantastic tasting food that is miles ahead of most buffet offerings we’ve experienced, our meal at the Kismet was made complete by great service. When we saw a framed Great Moor Junior Football Club shirt (our son’s team) with the Kismet logo on the front it made our day. It seems the restaurant sponsors one of the older age groups.
Things got even better when we were given the bill – just £17 which included 3 cokes. The buffet costs just £6.95 a head (£4.95 for children), runs from noon until 10pm every Sunday and is possibly one of the best value dining experiences we have ever had.