Food Review: Calcutta Brasserie

Take Me to Church

It's been a long, long time since I attended church on a Sunday. In all honesty, it probably goes back as far as childhood years, curiously attending Sunday school. My parents aren't religious but I always wanted to know what it was like to go. This week I left my usual Sunday routine, including my staple roast dinner and went to church.

But, this church is not the choir kind, for Calcutta Brasserie, a former 17th-century chapel is better known for serving up curries than choirs. Hence, the sacrifice on my part, giving up my Sunday roast to check out their Sunday buffet; which for those of you who know me is not something that is given up easily (shhh... I had one on Monday instead.)

As we walked up to the brasserie, my friend Amy and I were in awe of the stunning venue; a former 17th-century grade II listed chapel and were curious to find out whether the interior would be as breathtaking.

Spoiler...it really is! 

With high ceilings, holy murals and a chapel area made into seating booths (it is a restaurant after all), the internal interior did not disappoint.

It was a real wow moment taking in the interior, as you can see from the picture I sneakily took of Amy…

After a mix up with our booking and a little waiting time, Amy and I checked out the other section of the restaurant, which has original chapel fittings and large chesterfield sofas; giving a relaxed vibe you would expect in the study of a large house.

The restaurant is decorated with ornaments and various trinkets, including the elephant shown below (we all know from my Whipsnade Zoo posts I sure love elephants). It was also interesting to see old pictures of the chapel's former life as a college.

We were pleased to be seated in the grand, high ceiling section of the brasserie, giving us an elevated view of the of restaurant and buffet.

We ordered our drinks, selected our choice of naan bread and sauntered our way over to the buffet.

The buffet is priced at £13.95 per adult and includes a selection of best-loved Indian favourites.

To start, there are popular choices of onion bhajis, poppadoms as well as tandoori wings. Amy and I both loved the lamb shami kebab, a great starting dish and ideal served with the salad selection. The sweet chilli chicken was a close second, with small succulent pieces of chicken on the bone and marinated in an onion coated sauce.

The mains followed suit, with Indian favourites including chicken tikka masala and Bombay potatoes.

I had to remind myself that unlike my friend Amy, I wasn't eating for two as it's too easy to pile the plate when dining buffet style!

We both failed in our quest to try out the desserts, which we gazed upon with our full bellies. We had to admit the profiteroles did look tasty, maybe next time!

Overall

The buffet is reasonably priced at £13.95pp and caters for those seeking best loved Indian dishes. Although on this occasion, I had an inkling for something a little more adventurous and whilst there were no complaints with the food, perhaps I should've chosen something from the a la carte menu.

The self-serve of the buffet meant we could take our time and retrieve our courses when we were ready (it was Sunday after all), though, we found it did detract from the customer service element of our dining experience.

I would recommend dining at Calcutta Brasserie for the unique venue alone, which is nestled in the heart of historical Stony Stratford. Regretfully, this time around I wasn't as wowed by the food and service as much as I was by the outstandingly picturesque venue.

Prior to attending the Sunday buffet at Calcutta Brasserie, I had heard of their Dining in the Dark evenings; soon to return in the winter. It goes without saying, this event sounds like a fantastic way to tantalise the taste buds and test the senses, whilst dining in the spiritual venue. I look forward to returning later this year to check out this event.

Calcutta Brasserie

7a St Pauls Ct

Stony Stratford

Milton Keynes

MK11 1LJ

Website: http://www.calcuttabrasserie.co.uk

Tel: 01908 566577

What do you think of the venue and how does this match up to be your local Indian? Let me know in the comments box below.

Thanks for reading,

Jaz

xoxo

*Please note I was invited by Calcutta Brasserie to review the Sunday buffet in return for my honest opinion. All views and photos are my own.*

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