 This restaurant
review was conducted on July 18, 2009
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. |
