Nestled among one of the busiest locations in Kolkata, Mainland China – Gurusaday Road is the first of its kind serving authentic Chinese cuisines to the hungry and contemporary food lovers. Recently, I visited Mainland China to try their wide buffet spread @Lunch with my office colleagues – bunch of 14 people.
Reservation:
Reservation is a must in this restaurant and that too if you are planning to take more than 4+ people in a Buffet Rajeev_Vermacially on Holidays and weekends. Reservation over phone will be greeted by a sweet lady and they do cater to birthday party and occasions to make them even special.
Parking Space:
They do offer valet parking and have their own private parking space.
Ambiance
On weekends & holidays, you will find the place bustling with people. The manager will greet you to your table. The place is quite airy with tables and the bar counter aesthetchandru021y placed. At times, you may feel difficult to ooze around given the number of people moving around. They do offer a private dining experience in a small coveted place which can fit 4-5 tables. Nothing to boast about. Overall 3/5 in terms of ambiance.
Service
I personally did not feel the service up-to-the mark for this kind of top-level-restaurant chain. At times when the place is fully packed, waiters fail to attend and cater to people’s need. But for the Food Lovers like us, we are more interested in the food than the service. Therefore, it is better to self-service yourself and help yourself to the food. :) Overall 2/5 in terms of Service.
Food
Last but not the least the food, after all it all burns down to one thing at the end– The Food! Quite a sumptuous buffet spread I must say for Rs.600 (Approx).
For Starters, they had a wide variety of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Salads & Soups will amaze you. Chicken starters (Sweet & Spicy Crispy Chicken) were finely cooked and served hot. If you are lucky, they will serve you with Live BBQ Chicken Dishes. Dim sums, how can you miss them in a Chinese Buffet menu? Both Veg and Non-Veg dim sums served hot with chutneys are the best in class here. Really mouthwatering I must say. Shanghai Spring Rolls are a must try for starters. They are so beautifully prepared that you will definitely go for more. For Starters, I would rate them a 4/5.
For Main Course, they served Crab Steamed in Butter Garlic Sauce, Fish in Chinese Parsley Sauce, some chicken dish (forgot the name) and Prawn dish. The Crab was prepared to perfection – so succulent from the center. Chicken dishes in Main Courses goes well with the Steamed Rice and Rice Noodles they serve. A 3/5 for Main Course.
A Meal is not complete without Desserts and it is completely worth mentioning. Wide array of desserts to choose from starting from Chocolate Soufflés, Chef Special Mouthwatering Pastry’s to 4 varieties of Ice-Creams topped with Chocolate Sauce. They also serve fruits, darshans and sugar-free pastry for diet conscious foodies. Why worry about a few more calories when you actually have added so much already? :) A 4/5 for Desserts.
Overall, a perfect dining experience at Mainland China. I would rate it a 4/5. The only thing that was missing from the menu was the authentic Chinese punch that I was expecting! None of the dishes and I repeat none had the Chinese punch to it. Maybe next time, I will go for A-La-Carte… :)
P.S. If you do want to savor the actual taste, please try eating with chopsticks.