Give me a choice between a la carte and buffet, and I’m almost always going to pick the latter. Buffets invariably end up sacrificing quality for quantity, and my rather measured appetite is illsuited for quantity. That being said, buffets definitely have some merit. They’re great for large groups – especially corporate lunches featuring diverse individuals with distinctive pallets. They’re also less risky, and unless you walk into something unusually terrible, you’ll surely find at least a couple of dishes that you like. A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to review the buffet at Cascade. Thankfully, it wasn’t much of a challenge to spot dishes I like in the sizeable Cascade buffet.
Cascade is slender but spacious. The muted cream shade of the wall is contrasted by the pastel coloured upholstery and bright oil paintings. If you reach the restaurant before it gets crowded, you can even hear the gentle burble of the artificial waterfall.The Cascade buffet was recently revamped. I was told that the spread has been slightly decreased as the new focus is on only keeping dishes that patrons actually want and making sure they truly dazzle. The emphasis of the new ‘Spices Unlimited’ buffet is on serving the kind of food that’ll be appreciated by the local palette.
As much as I love my cold cuts and cheese, I’ve to admit that these are invariably the slowest moving section in a buffet in Hyderabad. Cascade has retained its cheese platter, but there are no cold cuts and a majority of the salads had been fashioned to appeal to the Indian palate. There is a Mezze station that serves Pita Bread with Tatziki, Muttabel and other dips. There are three live counters in the buffet, and the same focus on local palate is apparent in the first two. The first live counter was serving Dosa and Paniyaram while the second one was serving Indianised Calzone pockets and Chicken Quesadillas. The final live counter is a bit bizarre – a sushi counter, but with only Veg Sushi!
Vegetarian appetisers included Kothmir Vada, Fried Idly, Crispy Corn, and Potli Samosa. The non-vegetarian section was populated with Shanghai Chicken, Pepper Fish, Chicken Nuggets, and Fish Tikka. All the dishes were picked from local street food, popular Indian munchies, and Indo-Chinese appetisers. Both the Fish appetisers were fiery and spicy. South Indian options in the main course included Veg Koorma, Sambar, Cabbage Pooriyal, Kodi Koora, Hyderabadi Fish Curry, and Biryani. After the heavy and fiery appetisers, I wanted to stick to something light yet delicious for the main course. I filled my plate with the flavourful and juicy Lamb Ossobuco, creamy Potato Lyonnaise, and a slice of Poached Fish in Thousand Island Sauce.
The desserts counter boasted of over a dozen dishes including Indian sweets like Balusahi, Mohanthal, and Rasmadhuri and European classics like Cheese Cake, Brownie, Swiss Roll, and Chocolate Truffle.
The revamped Cascade buffet is on the right track. The spread is decent and all the preparations were up to scratch. Couple this with the classy ambience, and you’ve something that sounds quite appealing. The veg appetizers overwhelmingly focussed on tiffins and snacks. They were all quite delicious but I’d prefer to also see a Paneer and Mushroom dish on the list. The Cascade buffet is usually priced at Rs. 1285 AI, but you vouchers are currently available online for Rs. 899 AI.
