Phad Thai Hinna: another Sunday buffet reviewed

We know how nice it is to have a nice buffet on a Sunday with the kids and this is why Stavangourmet has reviewed several Sunday buffets including Akropolis and Mikado.

This time, we went up to Hinna, next to the Viking Stadium (the new stadium) to try the Sunday buffet of Phad Thai Hinna. This restaurant is quite popular during the week and of course when there is a football match but this Sunday, it was quiet.

Sushi opening offer: 8 pieces for 120 NOK

Also, this restaurant is now starting to serve sushi and as an opening offer, the prices are quite low. For some reasons, my wife was offered to try two pieces (maybe because she is Japanese or maybe because they guessed we were reviewers) and she liked them which is a very good sign. 

Back on track here are some photos of the buffet:

The buffet costs 300 NOK per person and is free for children under 3. Coffee, tea and dessert are included.

The overall quality of the buffet was good, we particularly liked the thai soup (not on the photo but included in the buffet), which was a chicken soup with cream and Thai vegetables. It was particularly enjoyable as it was freezing outside (Stavanger weather...). The normal white rice was also better than on average in Asian restaurants in Stavanger and the spring rolls seemed home made and were nice too. The red curry was also quite good but beware it was spicy (as any good curry).

The service was good too so the only drawbacks are that this restaurant is a bit isolated (not so much to do in this area on a Sunday) and that the price is a bit high (but again, coffee/tea and desserts are included).

Buffet part 4: Bølgen&Moi

Date of the meal: 20/05/2012
Number of people: 2 adults and 1 child (2 yo)
Order: 2 Sunday Buffet
Total price: 690 NOK (345 nok per adult)
Other restaurants proposing a Sunday buffet: Akropolis and Mikado (Alanyal has unfortunately stopped serving a sunday buffet).

In my review of Bølgen&Moi here, I was explaining how Bølgen&Moi was a good restaurant but with the problem of being a bit slow to serve food. I was also explaining that even though it was a quite formal place to eat in the past, it had become quite informal recently. Well, it seems that the restaurant has decided to rectify both points by offering a Sunday buffet. This means that the food is ready when you arrive (no more waiting time) and the price is probably in order to become again a formal place to eat, which may be a shame, as it was quite practical for families with children to come here after or before a visit to the oil museum.

Today the weather was nice so we got a lovely view of the sea/bridge/harbour from the restaurant.

The buffet includes breads, salads, warm dishes, cheese and desserts. Today there was quite a lot of choice for breads and salads. There was some ham, chorizo, salami and pate (lever) with bacon. The warm dishes were pork with bbq sauce, sausages, meat balls with tomato sauce and bacalao. As a side dish you had boiled potatoes. There were two types of cheese including blue cheese and for desserts, the choice was quite wide, with for example fresh fruits (apple, figs, raspberry, ...), carrot cakes, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate mousses, and a strawberry mousse.

As the buffet will not feature the exact same dish all the time, it would be useless for me to comment on every single dishes. I would simply say that the salads were good and diverse (pasta salad, tomato salad, vegetables only, with some fish, ...).

The main dishes were a bit disappointing: the pork was a bit dry and the bbq sauce was a bit bitter (I actually found it interesting but my wife did not appreciate it). The sausages were nothing particular (not bad either). And the bacalao was quite salty (but that may be the way bacalao is supposed to be). The potatoes were quite good but was the only side dish option.

The cheese and the cakes were good. I particularly liked the chocolate cupcakes which really tasted chocolate (nowadays too many chocolate desserts only taste sugar). The fruits were also good and were giving a little refreshing touch to the meal.

All in all, I think the buffet is quite nice but a bit expensive. The main dishes were a little under the quality of the rest of the buffet but that may change over time (if I understood correctly, they do not intend to serve the same dishes every weeks).

As usual, your comments are welcome. You can share this review or give it a +1 mark, that would keep the team motivated for the future reviews.

Sunday buffet - Part3: Alanya

**** Update 19/05/2012 ****
I have just been told that Alanya will not offer Sunday buffet anymore. That was a sad news. I let the review here just for information purpose.
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The third part of this Sunday buffets review will feature a restaurant that is a little less well-known than the other two but in my opinion a good alternative: Alanya.

(the restaurant may be difficult to spot: the entrance is on the right of the picture but the restaurant itself is located between Søstrene Grene and Vierdal Avokatfirma AS)
The restaurant is named after a city in Turkey and people having been living in Stavanger for a long time will generally tell you about a fire that took place there. In 2006 the whole building took fire but today the restaurant is beautiful and you will not see any trace of fire.

If you don't really know the Turkish cuisine, the Sunday buffet is a good way to discover it. You will find a wide choice of starters and generally 3-4 main dishes and 3-4 side dishes (rice, fries, calamar rings, potatoes...). As dessert, the buffet includes some fresh fruits.

Something really nice about this buffet is that all the dishes are presented with a small tag giving the name of the dish as well as its composition.

Every time I have been there, they had a varied choice of main dishes (lamb/chicken and fish for example). Those dishes are not always the same, so can go there several times without getting bored of them.
I have composed two plates to give you an idea of what you can eat:


As I am not an expert of Turkish cuisine, it is difficult for me to really comment about the quality of the food but I personally enjoy it. I find the restaurant beautiful, the staff nice and warm and the food is varied and original. A definitive recommendation, especially if you don't know the Turkish cuisine and are not afraid to taste something you are not used to.

Sunday buffet - Part2: Mikado

Another restaurant to propose a buffet on Sunday is Mikado, a Chinese/Japanese restaurant near Magasinblaa.

The buffet is composed of Chinese dishes, Japanese sushi and a variety of desserts.

Let's begin with the chinese part. There are generally 3 fried dishes (sweet sour pork, deep fried scampi and another one) and 3 -4 other dishes, for example, meat balls, a curry-base meal and some satay skewers. As side dish, you can get fried rice or fried noodles. I think there was some white rice once but I did not find it last time I was there.

There is also some soup, not always the same (I think they alternate between Pekin soup and Won ton soup). So, the choice is quite wide. The quality is not bad either but I would not go as far as saying that I am impressed by the food. It is good, but not overwhelming.

Concerning the Japanese sushi, I must admit that it is better than expected. Many sushi places I know that are hold by Chinese people are really not that good but in Mikado the sushi is well made. Even my wife who is Japanese enjoys it :) The choice is also good and they are quick to refill the ones missing.

Other than that, you will find some salads and some nicely presented smoked salmon

Finally, if you are still not full with all this, you can aim to the dessert part composed of various cakes, fruid salad and puddings. Coffee/tea is included in the buffet

All in all, Mikado is a good alternative for a Sunday buffet, especially because of the choice. It is also the only buffet presented here that includes dessert and coffee/tea. On a side note, the restaurant is difficult to access for strollers or people on wheelchairs. For children, a popular activity is to go watch the several fish the restaurant has (even had som lobsters in the past).

Sunday buffet - Part1: Akropolis

Several restaurants in Stavanger offer a buffet on Sunday. I decided to gather some info here as I never saw any compilation or list of restaurants that propose it.

Let me begin with the well-known greek restaurant Akropolis. The buffet offers a great variety of dish.

On the "starters" table, you can get:
- a mushroom soup with bread/garlic toast
- a vegetable salad and feta cheese
- some vine leaves (many people don't know what it is and don't try it. I don't love it but I like to have some when I go there)
- some fried vegetables (peppers, eggplants, ... I really like it)
- some home made tsatsiki
- some kind of spicy tomato puree
etc...

On the "main dishes" table, you can get:
- 2 kind of moussaka (I think 1 is moussaka and the other is lasagna but I am not sure)
- some gyros meat (kind of meat you get in kebab/greek/turkish sandwich)
- some nicely spiced grilled chiken
with:
- rice/small pasta that look like rice (I also like it)/calamar rings

For children, you also have french fries and sausages.

I am sorry but I could not get photos of the buffet as many people were there last time I was there. In stead I took some pictures of some plates I have composed from different components of the buffet:

All in all, a good buffet, a nice variety and the restaurant decoration makes the customer feel he is in Greece (especially upstairs). On the + side, we also find some original dishes I haven't seen otherwise in Stavanger (vine leaves, small pasta that look like rice). The soup is highly appeciated when the weather is cold and rainy, and when the weather is warm, the vegetable salad is nice. On the - side, I would say this buffet is rich in meat, so vegetarians, or people who like fish better may not be satisfied with the choice.