The Real China

Went there tonight with a bunch of friends. The buffet looked impressive. For starter, I decided to go for the ever-popular duck pancakes. Sadly the pancakes were all stuck together, and cold, as was the shredded duck.

I then went for a soup - there was no label. so I assumed, by the look of it, that it must have been sweet and sour chicken. Well, I don't know what it was but I didn't like it - and nor did my Chinese friend!

The rest of the buffet was like these starters - bland. The chicken satay sauce was watery, the chilli dishes not spicy, and so on. Desserts were OK but only a chocolate cake and some fruits were available - I was sad not to see the banana or apple fritters mentioned on the menu.

Along with this, the restaurant was very cold. That day, the temperature outside was about -2C - when we left, we felt as it if it might have been warmer outside!

Pregh (Unverified), 08/02/12

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My family went to eat at The Real China at the Oxford Castle on Sunday for the buffet. I felt the price was high for very mediocre food. What really disappointed me about this restaurant experience were the signs on the tables - stating that they have the right to charge extra for food left on the plates. I went to the buffet two times due to the first trip ending in disappointment because a couple of the chicken options tasted terrible, and then I wanted to get more of the pork and noodles that weren't available the first time - which were refilled by the second time I went up. With the uneaten chicken left on my first plate, I spent the whole time wondering if I was going to get charged extra for it being there.

diner (Unverified), 27/09/11

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I found the restaurant difficult for vegetarians as they have no labels as to what is veggie friendly so one could inadvertantly eat meat.

They had also run out of change.

Saffron Costello (DI User), 02/04/11

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This Chinese buffet is quite well situated within the Oxford castle. The interior though somewhat cheap and impersonal has less of the fast food feel to it than other "all you can eats". They have a bar that serves OK-ish cocktails as well as the normal selection of beers and spirits.

Most of the food is fairly decent - it's probably been sitting under the heat lamps for a while but that's what you expect from a buffet, and they don't let any of the containers sit empty for too long. There is a decent selection of meat and veggie dishes, a couple of soups and some tasty duck pancakes. My main quibble would be that the sweet and sour and satay sauces taste watered down to me, almost tasteless.

They usually have a decent selection of desserts; custard and banana, a few ice creams and some slices of cake. On my first visit they had some chocolate and fudge sauce for the ice cream which was great for the kids but they seem to have given up on that.

All in all it's an OK buffet but at £13 per head perhaps a little on the expensive side, if they sort out their sauces I'd probably go back.

Henka (Unverified), 03/09/10

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