With the Mother in Law visiting and my skills as a Domestic Goddess somewhat lacking, there was only one option - take her out to an 'all you can eat' buffet so that she doesn't need to eat for the rest of her holiday!

Buffet Island was the place eventually chosen which is a half hour journey from our home, but well worth the short trip. It is advertised as being one of the largest Chinese buffet restaurants in Staffordshire which surprised me as I wouldn't imagine there would anywhere bigger in the county! The restaurant was huge, with every inch of space carefully planned to fit in as many tables as possible.

The restaurant is situated just off the Milehouse roundabout going out of Newcastle (under Lyme) town centre on the Liverpool Road. There is a car park surrounding the restaurant which you would expect to be ample as it's not particularly small but, at 8pm on a Saturday night, we ended up circling the car park for quite a while before a space became available. There are notices inside saying that overspill parking is available outside the garage/Subway over the road, although it might have been more helpful if those signs were visible outside!

Inside the restaurant was absolutely packed with a party of 28 waiting for their table to become available in the bar/seating area. As a pre-booked table of 3, we only had to wait for a waiter to seat us for a couple of minutes. Drinks order taken, we were left slightly bemused wondering quite how the set-up worked although we quickly headed over to the food and worked it out for ourselves - grab plate, pile food on and eat! It would have been no great hardship for the waiter to say 'Help yourselves to food whenever you're ready' or something similar, so that it's clear that you don't need to wait for plates to be brought to your table. I noticed other tables looking a bit hesitant on arrival and glancing around trying to work out the process. The staff were very, very busy but the restaurant seemed to be run with great efficiency and it was just people doing what was needed quickly, rather than people running round in a blind panic! This does mean that it can be difficult to attract attention to place repeat drinks orders or ask any questions, but dirty plates seemed to be cleared away within the blink of an eye.

On to the food... The restaurant is entirely self-service hot buffet with no option to order from a menu at all. The food counters were well laid-out to ensure that there should be no queuing or bottle-necks forming and, probably because of the sheer number of customers, food was constantly being replenished and everything seemed hot and freshly prepared. There was an area where certain items seemed to be freshly cooked (to individual tastes) which was set aside slightly from the main buffet area.

Starters were plentiful and there was plenty of choice, even for a fussy seafood-eating vegetarian like me. The vegetarian spring rolls were lovely and I enjoyed the hot mushrooms too. Some of the items weren't to my personal taste but there is where the idea of a hot buffet comes into its own, as you don't feel obliged to eat something that you're not keen on and can just try little bits of everything that takes your eye and go back for seconds of the best stuff! I wasn't too keen on the Sesame Prawn Toast, simply because it contained far too much prawn for my tastes and was a bit 'meaty.' I'd imagine this would be a bonus for most diners though and it indicates that there hadn't been any scrimping on the ingredients front. The prawn crackers weren't exactly melt-in-the-mouth fresh, as you'd usually find from a made to order Chinese restaurant, but were certainly pleasant enough and not at all stale.

There was lots of choice for the main course although I found the vegetarian options plentiful but somewhat uninspiring. (Lots of variations on the good old stir-fried veg!) Nonetheless, it was tasty and enjoyable and I had plenty to see me more than satisfied. My husband and MIL particularly enjoyed the Chilli Beef although both commented that it was very hot. The usual selection of classic Chinese restaurant dishes were available with plain chow mein, chicken fried rice and egg fried rice on ready supply.

The best, and most surprising, aspect of the food on offer was the array of desserts available. I find pudding in Chinese restaurants is usually a bit limited - with banana fritters and ice cream being the standard fare. Buffet Island had a massive selection of gateaux, fresh fruit, puddings and even a chocolate fountain available. My Mother in Law particularly enjoyed something resembling a Rice Krispie cake but I was too busy eating a selection of fruit to try any. Before I sound too virtuous, I should probably admit that I'd already eaten two gateaux and the fruit had been dipped in the chocolate fountain! Admittedly, the chocolate fountain tasted of cheap cooking chocolate but I'm a girl of cheap tastes and found it palatable.

All in all, we all enjoyed our Buffet Island dining experience. The food cost £14.50 per head with children eating free, although we'd left our little darlings at home. It's not the sort of restaurant that you'd choose to go to for its relaxing atmosphere and ambience, as it's very busy with a lot of activity and swift turnover of tables and you aren't going to get a personal level of service given the nature of the restaurant. For a good value Chinese meal and the opportunity to try out lots of new dishes and walk away feeling absolutely stuffed, it can't be faulted.

Buffet Island, Milehouse, Liverpool Road, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire. ST5 9HP.
Telephone 01782 633 663