We saw the adverts for the Ponderosa and thought the prices were too low for it to be any good...but a friedn said the food was good so we gave it a try...and are we glad we did! We went for lunch...you pay for your choice of meal as you go in. There are a couple of levels and the refillable drinks are charged seperately- we went for the entry level basic buffet.
We were greeted by our server who showed us to our table ( a large Florida diner style room with banquette style seating arrangement in low backed booths) brought our drinks and cutlery and showed us the range of food available. We were stunned by the variety. There was a choice of : a variety of soups and salads - and when I say salad I mean lettuce and various other green leaves, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, corn, beetroot, croutons, potato salad, eggs, diced ham, diced chicken, turkey, beef, shrimp, crab sticks, several kinds of coleslaw and a whole range of dressings. There was hot buffet section with several kinds of pasta and an equal number of sauces with and without meat. There was a meat section with chicken cooked in a variety of styles: fried, barbecued, lemon, jerk and a selection of other meats. Abd a vegetablke slection with every kind of paotao style dish you can think of...and a few you probably never considered,...there were baked potatoes, fried potatoes, plain fries and coated fries, mashed potato, onion mash, parsley mash, mustard mash, mash with ham or with cheese..and then vegetables of every kind imaginable....
and if that wasn't enough there was a whole area dedicated to dessert ...with puddings, pies, and tarts, cakes, donuts, cheesecakes, muffins and pastries, custards and jellies all served with optional cream topping and spinkles...and then there was an icecream factory dishing out icecream with a variety of sauces and toppings.
Apparently there is an art to buffet style eating and we didn't know it. The tourist guides even print a guide to surviving the buffet! Overall it was great value and a superb range in comfortable (but not plush) surroundings and the staff were just wonderful. We would definitely go back..and next time we'll pace ourselves!
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Jan 8th, 2007
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