Water Margin, Harlow

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Excellent
Standard of Menu	Excellent
Atmosphere	Good
Standard of Service	Excellent

Advantages:	Affordable, great views, good atmosphere and well trained staff
Disadvantages:	None that I can think of

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

When a work colleague of mine invited me for a night out on her birthday, I did not hesitate in saying ‘Yes’ on condition I was not working that particular evening. Luck had it that my rota would not only see me off that evening but also off the following day. The moment I found out, I spoke to my fellow colleague to find out all the details.

The Water Margin in Harlow Town Centre was mentioned and thinking it was just a bar, I was like ‘Yes, I’m most definitely up for a night of drinking’. Only after speaking with a few people who had been before, I found that it was not a bar at all, but a Chinese Buffet Style Restaurant and I loving to eat out & loving Chinese food, it still didn’t change my decision to go.

**Getting There**

Getting to the Water Margin is not all that difficult, if you live in the surrounding areas, there are plenty of buses which can take you to Harlow Town Centre, and then it is just a 5 minute walk to the Water Gardens from there.

If you decide public transport is not for you and are travelling by car, then there is a car park not to far from the restaurant itself. There are also plenty of other car parks in the town centre and no matter where you park; you will only ever be just a few minutes walk away.

**The Setting**

For those of you, who don’t know Harlow Town, then let me explain that it is a rather large town north of London, in fact over the past few years it has grown immensely to the point it could be considered a small city. The town centre is blocked of to transport leaving pedestrians and shoppers alike to wander round the area in a safe environment. The centre is full of retail outlets, fast food places, bars, a market, plus plenty of other amenities.

Recently, Harlow Town Centre saw its shopping facilities expand out toward the Water Gardens that are situated at the south end of town; this is where the Water Margin is located. Facing south, the Water Margin looks over the water gardens with its nice green picnic areas and water features. You get a nice view of what I call the not so ‘concrete city’ of Harlow.

**Atmosphere**

I find the atmosphere here to be pleasant and relaxing. We went on a quiet night where there was only a few other tables in the restaurant. The whole size of the place is very large and spacious indeed. I could imagine that when the restaurant is packed out, it is very lively with everybody chatting around the buffet stations before returning to their table.

Although it is not the brightest of places inside, the low light setting does make it very tranquil. They do play light classical music inside at a very low level which just adds to the mood of the place.

**My Experience**

I arrive at the Water Margin around 7pm waiting for the birthday girl to arrive along with a few others. 7 of us in total then head inside to be greeted by a polite Chinese lady who asks how many of us there are. She told us to wait while she set up the table and sure enough, within a few minutes, she returned to take us to our table.

We sat down and she asked us if we would like our drinks to be placed on the bill or if we would prefer to get them ourselves. We decided it would be better to get our own drinks because not all of us were drinking and the cost of the food was all the same for each person. Once the decision had been made she filled out the bill and left us to our own devices.

The bar is situated at the entrance to the building. And guess what? The birthday girl and I decided that this would be where we were going to head first. We decided to get a round in for everyone to save them all from going to the bar. The prices for drinks here are not over the top, it’s around £2.50 for a pint, depending on what you drink and around £2.80 for a shot plus mixer. All soft drinks are around the £1.00 mark.

Once we returned with the drinks, we decided to head to the buffet stations. This is situated slap bang in the middle of the establishment, allowing everybody, no matter where you sit, easy access to the food. Here you will find everything you normally find in a Chinese restaurant, crispy aromatic duck, sweet and sour chicken, you name it, it is all here, even deserts.

On a separate buffet station in the same area, is a section where raw meat is placed, this is so you can take it up to the counter and have the chef cook it how you like it, right in front of you. A nice touch I think.

Once we had all got what we wanted, we headed back to the table and all sat down to eat, once finished a waitress came straight to the table to clear any plates leaving our table clean so we were able to go get some more.

**Opinions & Facts**

I think something I should mention about this particular restaurant, is that it is a buffet. You pay one price for the food, then you can eat as much as you like, I managed 8 plates of Chinese including desert, so I think got my monies worth.

The prices vary depending which day of the week you go. From Sunday to the Thursday, food is priced at £12.80 per person. On Friday and Saturday, food is priced at £13.80 per person, but on these days you do have more of a choice with regards to deserts. If you ask me, the £12.80 I paid for my food is a fantastic price to pay for an ‘as much as you can eat’ buffet. Even £13.80 is a good price. I must have eaten around £40 worth of Chinese that night, so its definitely good value for money.

One of the things I noticed was that when we arrived at our table there was no cutlery or place settings as such, personally even though it is a buffet, I think a place setting is a nice touch in any restaurant, but although there wasn’t any, it was all at the buffet station. I guess this in general makes it easy for the staff and all in all is not that much of a hindrance to the consumer.

I have to say that the waiting staffs here are exceptional, certainly well trained that’s for sure. The moment you finish your plate or drink, they will be straight over to clear it, allowing you to get up, grab a fresh plate and go back to a clean table.

Something I mentioned to my friends while in there and I will say it again here, is that I feel the plates on the buffet station are on the small side. It would have been nice if they were bigger so that all 7 of us could’ve taken some food back to the table to have our own separate buffet on the table. Although this was not a major let down, it would be nice to see that in the future.

Should you wish to put your drinks on your final bill (unlike us); the waiter/waitress will take your order at the table and bring them over to you. Paying the bill is done at the bar once you have all finished; this is something that is becoming ever increasingly popular with restaurants.

*My Overall Opinion**

Having never been here before, I did not know what to expect apart from what people had told me. In my opinion, this place is a fantastic establishment to dine in. Whether you are a couple, family or even a group of friends on a night out this makes the perfect start to an evening.

Not only do you get the friendliness and politeness of the staff along with great service, you also get fantastic views overlooking the Water Gardens (if sat near the window), all the Chinese food you could ever want and fantastic value for money.

Having a raw food section where you can take it to the chef and tell him how you would like it cooked is a very clever idea indeed as not only will you get what you want and how you like it, you also know that it is fresh.

There is never much chance of you not getting what you want (as long as you like Chinese food) because there is so much choice, including vegetarian options, and the moment a dish runs out on the buffet station, the staff are prompt at replacing the stock.

Although we didn’t book our table when we went, I advise anyone intending to go at the weekend does, as I have heard that this establishment gets incredibly busy during this time.

I will most definitely eat here again in the not so distant future.

Water Margin Harlow
1-2 The Water Garden
Haydens Road
Harlow
CM20 1AQ
Tel: 01279 422088

**Overall Rating: 10/10**