Trying the Sunday buffet at Curry Chef in Whitley
A restaurant’s Sunday buffet is an inexpensive way to find out what the venue is like, and based on our visit to Curry Chef, Whitley residents have something to be proud of.
Tucked away in a parade of shops off Northumberland Avenue, the restaurant offers the bargain banquet between 2pm and 10pm.
The price? £12.95 for adults and £6.95 for under 12s.
It didn’t get off to a promising start
We arrived at 2.05pm, the lights were off and the door closed.
But there was someone inside. We were told that the restaurant wasn’t ready yet and to come back in 15 or 20 minutes.
So we did.
On a cold January day, that wasn’t the best welcome. Thankfully, things warmed up when we went back the second time and we were welcomed properly, offered the drinks menu and away we go.
What is on the Curry Chef’s drinks menu?
The usual beers – Cobra and Kingfisher, with a pint coming in at £6.95.
That’s the same price as a glass of their house red and white wines.
A large soft drink, such as Coke, is £4.95, while a smaller version is £2.95.
Lassi, a traditional Indian drink, comes in sweet or salt variations for £3.50.
There are also other alcoholic drinks, such as whiskies, should you wish to order one.
First impressions of the décor?
Curry Chef is a small restaurant. We didn’t count the covers, but the dining room is about the same size as a lounge so it’s small and perfectly formed.
There were no tablecloths or linen napkins. This isn’t a criticism, after all the over-starched linen can get in the way sometimes … or make you feel guilty if you spill some of your curry on to it, adding to their cleaning bill.
One wall has fairly nondescript framed pictures of the type you’d find in an MFI catalogue 30 years ago. The other has an ornate woodwork decoration covering the whole area, complete with a large Curry Chef logo (which is gorgeous) and some ever-changing LED lights.
Unfortunately, they didn’t fade in and out, instead in the blink of an eye they switched over to the next colour. It was quite hypnotic and if you were facing it quite distracting.
There is background music too, but it is not overwhelming.
Curry Chef’s warm-up … and match winner – the poppadoms
The poppadoms are not included in the buffet price, and instead cost £1 each, with the pickles also coming in at £1 each.
The selection, served in immaculate silverware – well, stainless steel-ware, is: mint sauce, lime pickle, mango chutney, onion salad, red sauce (no, us neither), coconut chutney and a tamarind sauce.
This is a triumph. Each sauce was a unique take, thick, creamy and flavoursome. The tamarind sauce alone worth the price of entry.
It was sad to have to say goodbye to it when we’d finished our appetiser.
How is the buffet at Curry Chef arranged?
In the middle of the restaurant, two tables have been pulled together to create space for the gastrotrays used in the buffet.
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You can go up any time to help yourself and staff are on hand to lift the lids and put them back on again.
The buffet at Curry Chef is all-you-can-eat, but frankly most people will find two visits will probably be enough.
What is on the menu at Curry Chef?
The selection of dishes featured changes every week, so what we experienced will be different to what you will find if you go and visit.
On one side there are sides and starters: pieces of chicken tikka, chicken nuggets, chicken wings, vegetable spring rolls, sag aloo, vegetable bhuna, and a chicken balti.
The other side contained chicken tikka, chicken korma, a lamb curry and pilau rice.
Add in salad and sauces and that’s an impressive 14 different items to choose from, with naan bread brought to the table.
What is the food like?
Let’s not beat about the bush: a bargain buffet means some corners have to be cut.
The buffet is not the same as ordering a main course off the menu, where it is cooked to order and can be tempered to tasted.
So, the sauces are a little watery but not unpleasantly so. The chicken and the lamb was drier that one would wish for, making it a little tougher on the old toothy pegs.
But … the taste is terrific and at £13 a head, the value is terrific. The vegetable dishes particularly showcase the quality that the chef is capable of producing with the sag aloo being a great example, packed with spinach and al dente potatoes that break apart nicely when cut.
Likewise, the vegetable bhuna was nicely spiced. Not too much to be too unpleasant but enough to give it a pleasant kick.
Vegetarians may wish for another couple of dishes for them.
After we’d finished at the buffet, we were presented with orange slices and when the bill came chocolates were proffered. Two unexpected and welcome touches.
While the food won’t win awards, while the meat is a little overdone, no one should come away feeling like they’ve had a bad dinner.
Our bill, for five people, came to £87 – when we got home, we realised they hadn’t charged us for the pickle tray.
It was terrific value for money and we felt we had had an enjoyable meal out.
What is Curry Chef’s Scores on the Doors?
The restaurant was inspected in June 2023 by Reading Borough Council and awarded a three out of five.
Every aspect – food hygiene and safety, structural compliance, and confidence in management, was rated generally satisfactory.
This can be found on the Scores On The Doors website.
Would we visit again?
If we lived in Whitley, Curry Chef would be one of our regular haunts.
There is free parking outside, the staff are friendly and keen to help, and the food is decent.
There is clearly a following for the restaurant: from 66 reviews on TripAdvisor, it as a rating of 4.5 out of five, consistent across food, service and value.
One reviewer said: “Wonderful service wonderful food at a very reasonable price”, while another wrote: “The food was delicious & the staff were professional and friendly”.
Another wrote: “What a superb hidden gem this restaurant is.”
It has a similar score on Google Reviews – 4.2 from 162 reviews.
We can see why.
Curry Chef
469 Northumberland Avenue
Reading RG2 8LZ
0118 975 5777
https://currychefrestaurant.co.uk/
Open daily apart from Tuesdays
Mondays-Saturdays (not Tuesdays) 5pm-11pm
Sundays 2pm-10pm
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