Charlie Choy's Pan Asian Buffetworks

[stapsdoes101things]

It's stonefox84's birthday on Wednesday, and so she got ten friends together last night to go out to Charlie Choy's, a restaurant in Woking (it's just next Victoria Arch, behind that huge rusty sculpture thing). The restaurant is on the first floor, and downstairs is the 'Lotus Lounge' - which was rather a pity from our point of view, because the sound goes straight up and makes conversation difficult.

The idea is similar to the all-you-can-eat sushi conveyors: take what you like the look of. There are two differences: firstly, there are no conveyors. The food stands still, and you move. Secondly, it goes rather further than sushi. Chinese, Indian, Thai, pretty much everything. Plus pizza and chips. 'Marco Polo's revenge,' said countertony.

I began with a small portion of stir fry (the ingredients are set out in trays, and you pick what you like, and then they cook it for you - I had noodles, prawns, carrots, and cabbage, in a medium spicy sauce - which wasn't very spicy at all). Next, a little Thai green chicken curry - this was in big old vats, and you helped yourself. After that, chicken tikka, and a rather fantastic peshwari naan.

Puddings were less appetising: I had a little jelly and some peach slices. They brought out a birthday cake for Sarah. I have just eaten my slice; it tasted much like any other supermarket birthday cake.

We then moved on to cocktails. Woo woos were obligatory for the first round, unless one was driving, or Methodist, but I followed mine with a bellini. It was reasonably pleasant, though wouldn't be my default cocktail of choice. That said, it didn't exactly match the rather snobbish description Wikipedia gives. If I find a place that offers a bellini made with peach purée and prosecco, as opposed to peach schnapps and champagne (as advertised in Charlie Choy's menu), I shall try again.

Charlie Choy's would be a fantastic place to take people known to be picky, as the choice is wide, and obvious. The food was pretty good, on the whole. It's a pity it was so noisy and cramped.