It’s probably fair to say that our previous review and score of Shiraz would not have inspired many people to sample the food there. However, we had to return after several people mentioned how good the food was.

Décor

Shiraz is a large restaurant that has a unique look. The Persian rugs that adorn the walls to one side help to give the place a warm feel. With quirky upside lamps (and plenty of them) the lighting is unusual too. That’s the beauty of this restaurant and why it continues to go from strength to strength (no – not just the lights!) but the fact that the décor, the food and the atmosphere are totally different from anything else you can experience in Milton Keynes – and by some way too.

Food

Friends had been raving about the buffet so my partner and I decided to give this a go rather than opt for the a la carte menu. This is great value at £14.

We quickly chose a bottle of Santa Serena Rose (Chile) which was very reasonably priced at £11.50. This is described as “off-dry” due to the delayed reaction of that crisp,“dry” feel. This is a lovely fruity and refreshing wine. Almost as quickly as our wine arrived, so did some lovely, hot Persian bread. This is similar to naan bread and proved a perfect accompaniment to our starters.

When you approach the “U” shaped buffet area you have one side serving desserts, one side for starters and one for mains. You have a fabulous choice of food and we decided to try most of the dishes. The shredded chicken and potato (tastes a lot better than it sounds) and the humus (lovely and fresh and not overpowered with garlic)  were absolutely outstanding. The fresh bread, which I have already mentioned, is cooked at the back of the restaurant in the open kitchen. We used this to dip into these tasty starters.

We also tried the falafel, which were not overly dry and had a lovely texture. We were only sampling these for you the reader, so we didn’t do the following; which is to take three of these (or more) with a little helping of yoghurt and wrap them in some of the bread – delicious!

We grabbed a couple of the spicy chicken wings which were very hot and probably not ideal for everyone but the chicken itself was delightful and well cooked. There were olives and pasta available, giving you a wide selection of healthy, yet very yummy starters and a wonderful combination of flavours. Do not be put off by the look of the dolme – stuffed vine leaves with rice and herbs. This is another healthy and tasty option – albeit, one that does not look great on the eye.  

There are less main courses to choose from than starters but the quality of the food is still very much in evidence. I opted for a few minced lamb kebabs with saffron rice. The kebabs were beautifully cooked and the rice is exceptional – incredibly tasty and fluffy – an absolute must! My partner opted for some of these and also sampled some of the stew, of which, there are a few varieties to choose from.

The beauty of buffet means you can pace yourself and we decided to take a slightly longer break than usual before sampling the desserts. There is, quite frankly, a strange looking mixture of sweets to choose from but this is what Shiraz is all about – offering you a completely new experience. The coconut parcels with pistachio nuts were a treat, as were there sweet pastry. I didn’t overly enjoy the Persian rice pudding – which was very sweet with almost crunchy rice in evident but I totally adored the Persian cake. My partner commented she could “taste roses” and sure enough, Persian rosewater is part of the ingredients. This was fantastic cake – a real treat to savour and a perfect end to our meal.

Atmosphere

As mentioned, Shiraz does occupy a vast amount of space and it’s layout does mean it will be quite very early in the evenings when less people are dining. However, there was a fantastic buzz about the place when the belly dancer began to perform in a near-packed restaurant. She was brilliant! Some of her moves left us asking “how?” and she moved sublimely around the restaurant that was now full of beaming smiles (both male and female diners I should add!). Once again, her dancing was all part of the unique experience that you really do need to savour and experience at least once. If in the months ahead you do not treat yourself to a night out at Shiraz, then you really are missing out.

Service

The service was both polite and friendly. The staff need to be a little more forward when it comes to diners who choose to eat the buffet. We were told very little about what was where. Although I knew what I would be using the bread for, a simple gesture explaining some of the ways to enjoy it would help put some diners at ease. That said, in many restaurants, when you order buffet, you tend to be forgotten – not at Shiraz. The team work there way around the restaurant to ensure everyone has what they need.

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