Waves Buffet Restaurant

Overall score: 77/100

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Please NOTE: The Chameleon is switching to a first person writing style from this review onwards (June, 2014)

Sometimes, just sometimes, the idea of visiting a buffet seems like a reasonable one. On this occasions, in the company of work colleagues who liked to indulge in a bit of glutinous feasting, I opted to join the group at Waves Buffet Restaurant. The $55 all-you-can-eat option for the night seemed feasible, especially since my day job provider would be picking up the bill. 

THE EXPERIENCE

The place looks clinical. As I approached the vast open entrance, I remember thinking "...geez, this feels a bit like an airport lounge eatery..." but nonetheless we were greeted by a smiling host and seated quite promptly within a manner of about one minute. On this evening the restaurant was rather quiet, at about 20% capacity, which made it all the better as a full buffet can be a very uncomforting experience, as witnessed by another recent "buffet" trip. My group was seated a small hike from the action, which wasn't such a terrible thing, as it allowed us to have a bit of privacy to part take in our various small talk sessions.  

The staff were wonderful overall, but no one really went out of their way to go the extra mile either. The tables were routinely cleaned slightly later then they should have been and the chef behind the requests counter was cheery enough but again, service that is typical these days in most decent restaurants. 

THE FOOD

As I mentioned, the place looked clinical, which was actually quite a positive for a buffet; cleanliness can never be overrated at such an establishment and it felt very much that at this place, there was no place for second rate food to hide.

Without going into extensive detail about all the food, which was of various consistency, I'll touch on a highlight and a lowlight. The highlight was obvious and jumped out at me with two hands; I happened to find tucked away in a corner, the most delicious pork belly! It was a large serving, thick and full of flavour, prepared just as pork belly should be. It was juicy, sticky, full-on flavour punches that kept on coming. The lowlight was definitely the prawns. Flavourless, textureless and very much a disappointing part of the evening for me. When a buffet which prides itself on it's seafood presents such disastrous prawns, the main staple, it is indeed a negative stain on what was an otherwise fine offering all round.   

OVERALL

Waves offered plenty to sing about in a clinical, no nonsense buffet. Overall the food was fantastic and well worth the $55 I paid. A slight blimp was the lack of atmosphere and the flavourless prawns. I think I would visit a few more of the Gold Coast's notable buffets before returning to Waves. 77/100

Bazaar

Overall score: 83/100 

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Buffet dining, in a way, is admitting defeat. Let The Chameleon explain. Dining experiences are far and wide, and at different times of the day or different occasions, a suitable dining option is required. A buffet thus fits into...which one? The correct answer is of course all of them; it can offer options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dining for two, or 50. With a varied menu on offer from a basic breakfast bar, through to a full smorgasbord (which is very much what you get at Bazaar), The Chameleon has to wonder how right the food can be with such variety. And more often than not, his hesitation has proven correct with bland offerings that were not far off from Sizzler levels. He approaches with caution.  

The Bazaar however has changed his perception...somewhat. As you see, another dimension has entered the fold.     

THE EXPERIENCE

Bazaar is located inside the QT hotel, a glitzy venue but let's be honest, The Chameleon couldn't help but think back to any number of motels with a 'restaurant' attached and images of the Carousel began haunting his thoughts. These were quickly dismissed however, as when he slithered up the staircase he was greeted with a friendly staff member and instantly, he knew this was going to be a different dining experience. 

As he was shown to his seat, The Chameleon couldn't help but notice a glaringly obvious  fact; it was very very busy. So much so in fact, that you almost needed to pack a lunch just to get to the buffet section, traversing, if not climbing over and bumping into other guests along the way. This got to a point where The Chameleon at one stage got out of his seat, raised his little head high above the crowd and scouted out a route prior to his quest to get another delicious plate. So a piece of advice Bazaar: Bulldoze/redesign an entire level of your hotel to fit in more customers. Perhaps a trip to Sizzler for inspiration (not for the food). And while The Chameleon is having a go at your layout, it's noteworthy to add that you have tucked the actual business end of this dining experience into a nook! A nook for all those people! The Chameleon also suggests a police officer strategically placed to direct the flow of traffic. 

In all honesty, Bazaar is a wonderful place, very well decorated and a great dining experience albeit very busy and a little bit squashy, some design lacking. Perhaps initially the designers didn't think it would be this popular. 

A quick word about the staff; The Chameleon really appreciated the chirpy friendly nature of the staff here. Smiling, joking, catering to your specific needs is a refreshing change at a buffet. Well done Bazaar. 

THE FOOD

This buffet scores highly on urbanspoon, as well it should. The food, for a buffet, was outstanding. In fact almost all offerings would have gone down favourably in most dedicated restaurants and the variety naturally, was great. But it was more than that; the offerings included stuff like paella, on the spot cooked steak, dumplings, pasta, etc. etc. it was the way a buffet should be.

The highlight came as a surprise. The Chameleon ordered a freshly cooked steak and when he saw what arrived on the table, his heart sank. A piece of thin, flimsy slither of a beef sat, albeit very well presented on a wooden serving board, staring at him. Inside, The Chameleon cried. However, when he tasted what was supposed to be a rare steak, the flavour and texture hit him much like a wrecking ball hits a derelict building. It was superb! AND, even though it was so thin, it was cooked rare! This was by far the highlight, although the steamed dumplings weren't too far behind and let The Chameleon reiterate, this was at a buffet. The rest of the food was of a high standard, the only thing letting the culinary experience down were flavourless prawns, but there was plenty to offset this small mishap. 

A final note; the wine, while on the expensive side, was very nice and a great one on offer to diners.  

    

OVERALL

So this brings The Chameleon to an indifferent conclusion, a dilemma if you will. An outstanding buffet from the food perspective, the best ever actually. Offsetting this is the obvious by-product, a LOT of dinners and unfortunately, to such an extent that it was a significant annoyance. At a quality buffet, come people and come busyness. The cost too was high, something that entered the equation regarding the score. Something to think about Bazaar. 83/100   

Carousel

Overall score: 59/100

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Restaurants come in many guises and Carousel is, in a typical way for many regional restaurants, one of those that is semi-detached to a motel. Carousel is simply a rather small dining room, fitted with very simple decor and a number of separate dining areas allowing reconfiguration for groups large or small, for casual dining or even for those who are interested in hiding a little bit in a corner somewhere and not draw attention. A bit like The Chameleon. 

THE EXPERIENCE

First impressions were not positive. While The Chameleon is sure the motel is a very nice place to stay overnight, the Carousel restaurant is small and appears 'intimate', but it just doesn't work. There is hardly any parking, yet the Chameleon has never had trouble finding a spot to park his ride (this was approximately his fourth visit), confirming that Carousel is the type of restaurant where you probably don't need to make reservations. 

The staff were excellent. 'Chirpy' is the only way The Chameleon can describe the overall vibe from the waitresses, and the waitress who served The Chameleon did a very good job recommending dishes. Carousel presents as simple and uncomplicated, and although this can be an advantage for some venues, the small size of this restaurant required further thought into the decor. While there were some things to look at around the room,  and the chandeliers added a touch of class, the lighting was just all wrong and the overall feel suffered as a consequence of this simple approach.  

THE FOOD
It pains The Chameleon to say that once again, a Toowoomba based restaurant has delivered uninspiring and discordant food. 

Things started well; the entrees were presented briskly, getting The Chameleon's hopes up that he may finally give away his third 80-90 score for Toowoomba. And they tasted good, very good in fact. While simple and 'no frills', The Chameleon's taste buds soared when he sampled the very well made bruschetta; it was fresh, the right acidity, the right amount. If the meal had finished then and there, The Chameleon would have walked away a very happy camper. Unfortunately, some disappointments followed.  

The Chameleon ordered the special, which on this particular day was the salmon. The Chameleon often orders this, as it's a great litmus test for most restaurants. It was somewhat pricey on the menu, but then again, so is everything else at Carousel. When it did come to the table, the waitress remembered where I sat (and obviously what I ordered) and kudos again to the friendly staff. The salmon was actually quite good in places. The skin was crispy and 'just right', but the flesh of the fish was cooked inconsistently. Some parts were nice and juicy, while some of it was way overcooked. The sides were minimalist and when you see a small piece of fish, you expect some fill; The Chameleon did not get his money's worth on this night. Unfortunately there was very little and regrettably nothing outstanding on the plate.   

When the dessert was sampled, The Chameleon's heart sunk, as he knew the final score would not equate to that wonderful bruschetta at the start of the evening. The dessert, which The Chameleon won't name (because he has forgotten what it was called), was very poor. Dry was the only way to describe the biscuit portion and there was not much of the ice cream to balance it out. In retrospect, had he covered the biscuits with the ice cream and waited slightly longer, it may have worked, but seriously, The Chameleon does not go to restaurants to cook, that's the Chef's job!

OVERALL

Carousel started promising little, rose to great heights early on, but unfortunately faded somewhat dismally by the end of the evening. The food was barely passable and hence very much overpriced for what The Chameleon consumed over the evening. Another case of an expensive 'once visit' motel restaurant in regional Queensland. 59/100