Quantity is the key at help yourself buffet (From Swindon Advertiser)

Quantity is the key at help yourself buffet

3:26pm Thursday 3rd November 2011 in Reviews

EAT AT: @fusion, Shaw Ridge Leisure Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon SN5 7DN. Tel: 01793 877075

Open: noon to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 11pm. Closed Mondays

All you can eat for £12.50...but would you want to fill up? BARRIE HUDSON finds out

NOW under new management, @fusion is a Chinese/Asian buffet restaurant in a large pub setting.

For £12.50 a head, a customer can make as many trips as they wish to load their plate, and with drinks coming in at about £3 for a pint of beer or lager, a measure of spirits or a glass of wine, the restaurant offers good value.

Arriving early one evening, we watched as @fusion gradually filled with families, groups of friends and the occasional lone diner, perhaps on their way to a night shift or from a day shift at one of the many workplaces nearby.

The staff are friendly and helpful; we waited less than half a minute to be seated, and were soon presented with the extensive drinks menu. Perhaps because the restaurant has only recently come under new management, this is currently in the form of photocopied sheets, but I assume they’ll come up with a laminated and more aesthetically pleasing version before long.

The great thing about buffets of this kind is that they offer people the chance not only to eat their favourite dishes but also to sample items they were always intrigued by but hesitated to order a full portion of in case they regretted it.

Between us, my dining companion and I managed to work our way through such old favourites as spicy shredded beef, szechuan chicken and – my all-time favourite – crispy duck in self-assembled pancakes with added seaweed, cucumber and soy sauce.

Other dishes we tried ranged from ribs to mushrooms in garlic sauce, and the range of other sauces catered for tastes ranging from mild to hot.

Tending a buffet such as this, especially at quieter times before the evening rush, involves making sure supplies are topped up and – where appropriate – hot.

Certain dishes at certain times during our visit could have been warmer, but staff were clearly doing their best to keep problems to a minimum.

It’s also worth pointing out that customers are welcome to alert staff if they come across a dish they would prefer to be hotter, provided they don’t wait until the end of the meal to do so.

All in all, @fusion is a worthy part of the restaurant scene in this part of West Swindon, and boasts enough variety to make it an especially ideal choice for families or groups of friends.