Tag Archives: Restaurant

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A Global Food Lover’s Fantasy – The Rocking World of Red Hot World Buffet

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By Lakshmi:

Have you ever had disagreements in your family in terms of where to go out to eat?  Ever get each person saying they want to eat a particular type of cuisine or want to go somewhere specific which no one else is in a mood for?  It certainly happens to us.  So, on a recent trip to Cardiff, when friends recommended we MUST (it was pretty emphatic) eat at Red Hot World Buffet, we made a point of seeking it out.

Located smack in the city center, the restaurant’s claim to fame is that for one price (9.99 pounds per person on a Saturday for lunch), you can eat a buffet filled to your heart’s content.  Now a lot of restaurants advertise that, but what is promised here is a buffet encompassing Indian, Thai, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Italian and Mediterranean food.

As soon as we entered, we noticed the restaurant was packed and bustling with activity.  We got seated within a few minutes and then came a journey that I have to say has not been commonplace.  Walking slowly towards the appetizers area, I knew their claim of serving an assortment of cuisine was absolutely spot on.  This was not some token, obligatory check the box with one dish dedicated to each cuisine but dishes upon dishes and stations dedicated to each specialty.

For a foodie, this was a fantasy come true….but it was also tremendously stress inducing.  ”Oh I wish I had not eaten breakfast” , “Wait, how can I try everything here?” “I’ve always wanted to try this…” my mind was a smorgasbord of questions.

Each dish we ate tasted fresh and authentic.  From the freshly piped hummus served in dainty cups with an olive slice at the top to the fiery hot Thai green curry, from the potatoes with mustard to the pizza with jalapenos, from the mango souffle to the chocolate cake, the list of dishes was totally satiating.  We ate our way through multiple rounds and left incredibly content and happy.  Our only complaint on a cold day was that there was no place close by that we could retire for a nap!

If you think we are exaggerating about the choices, simply take a look at their menu in Cardiff that we partook.

http://www.redhot-worldbuffet.com/restaurants/cardiff/buffet-menu/

We have subsequently discovered that the restaurant has multiple locations throughout the UK.  To get more information on their locations, click here:

http://www.redhot-worldbuffet.com/

If you’ve had a similar dining experience, we’d absolutely love to hear from you.

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Late Night Hunger Pangs Lead to the Discovery of Nanoosh in New York

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By Lakshmi:

One evening, I was missing Siddhi and decided to meet up with her in New York City.  We caught up over coffee and a long walk. At 9:00 pm both of us were hungry for a late night snack.  We were passing by Nanoosh, a Mediterranean restaurant near NYU and on impulse walked in.

Like many restaurants in the area, we had passed Nanoosh several times and it always seemed to have the right combination of ambiance, food and people having a good time.  Since it was pretty late, we were one of a handful of people in the restaurant.  At this hour, we were “supposed” to have a snack not a full-blown meal, so we decided to order a Hummus Plate with warm chickpeas and whole wheat pita along with mint tea.

I’m not sure if it was the long walk that had made us hungry or the fact that the hummus was so good, but we really loved the freshness of the food and finished every bit of it (no…not even a crumb of pita was left behind).  Looking around, we saw people enjoying a quinoa salad (have I mentioned I am the queen of quinoa and eat it regularly), falafel and lebneh.  Isn’t life unfair?  I find a place with so many vegetarian options and chose to go there for a late night snack instead of a full-blown meal.

But, we will be back to savor more of their organic, good for you mediterranean food.  And this time, we have promised ourselves to go in hungry.

Build your appetite by just looking at their menu by clicking here:

http://www.nanoosh.com/menu/

Full south indian meal Source: komalavilas.com
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Komala Vilas, Singapore – Excellent, Inexpensive Dining

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Full south indian meal
Source: komalavilas.com

By Lakshmi:

By now regular readers of Paupers would recognize that we take immense delight in our trips, whether it is an exotic destination half a world away or simply savoring a new dish locally.  And when a beautiful tropical locale meets up with some amazing food, the delight is quadrupled.

Our trip to Singapore was a high on many fronts.  We loved the fact that this tropical island was the best amalgamation between the east and west.  We delighted in the city’s cleanliness, the people’s friendliness, gaped open-mouthed at how expensive it was to own cars and of course loved eating our way through the city.

Throughout our stay, Komala Vilas, a tiny restaurant dedicated to authentic south indian food became a frequent stop.  The first time we went to this famed Serangoon Road based outpost, we were surprised at how small and busy it was.  It was still early in the day and people were hustling for breakfast and coffee.  We got a table for two and in a matter of minutes, there were others seated at the same table.

The place had no fancy menus, no fancy waiters, no frills.  They just served really good southern indian cuisine.  So that morning, we had idli’s (steamed rice dumplings) and vadas (deep friend lentil balls) and we were literally smacking our fingers.  And that’s not where our delight ended.  We got the bill and felt ashamed that they were charging us this little to eat to our hearts content.  We left a tip for the server and he gave us a look like we were crazy.

On subsequent visits, we tried multiple items ranging from their dosas (rice and lentil crepes) to a full-blown lunch plate which filled us to the brim.  Each time, the food was consistently good.

On one such visit, we were seated next to a local couple who had a very nice conversation with us.  As we were leaving, they asked us what our New Year’s plans were.  When we mentioned that we planned to ring in the New Year in Penang, they took down our hotel name and said they would call us.  A week later, the phone rang in our Penang hotel room and we got invited to a New Year lunch with our new Singaporean friends and their extended family!  And we kept in touch with them long after our initial bonding over dosas at Komala Vilas.

We have had many a family member and friend go back to the restaurant and have yet to hear a disappointing story.

Komala Vilas is located at

76 / 78 Serangoon Road
Singapore 217981
Tel: 6293 6980

You can look at their menu at:

http://komalavilas.com.sg/ourmenu.html