This restaurant serves one of the best buffets in NCR

There was a time when sector 18 market in Noida was a “happening” hangout place for us. There were latest coffee shops, the best of restaurants, a very happening Centre Stage Mall and of course, Elevate – the famous night club. But at the heart of the market was a hidden gem; subtle yet luxurious, at the same time possessing a strong character. That gem is Radisson Blu MBD Hotel. While the market seems to have lost lustre, this hotel hasn’t.

Perhaps it is befitting that at its heart, Radisson Blu MBD Noida hides a gem of a restaurant named S18 — an homage to the glorious market where the hotel is located. (This is the restaurant from where the Chef Ranveer Brar rose to fame)

While most restaurants at posh hotels tend to go overboard with style, S18 hots all the right notes, architecturally and gastronomically. The spacious seating and lighter tones of colour make it appear subtle and pleasant. And when it comes to food, it is not only aesthetically appealing but even tastes heavenly.

But what’s most interesting is that unlike most restaurants where the a la carte is the hero while buffet seems like the neglected star, at S18 the buffet is actually exquisite.

The selection includes two varieties of soup, 12 kinds of salads, 5 varieties of continental main course dishes, 6 Indian starters, 6 Indian main course dishes, two types of biryani, a live grill station, and my favourite — a whooping 16 types of sweet dishes! In the main course, there were two surprise dishes: parval ki sabzi and arbi (colocasia). I haven’t seen such vegetables included in an exotic buffet! The food is simply spectacular, making it one of the best restaurants serving buffets in Delhi NCR.

A few must-have dishes that I couldn’t get enough of were: mutton burrah kebab, bharwa seena, rogini tawa macchi in the Indian starters section. In the main course, the mutton pepper fry was rather sensational. The Continental main course was absolutely irresistible with dishes like chicken breast and grilled lamb chops.

I’d strongly recommend going slow on the main course so that you may indulge in the desserts.

We couldn’t help but congratulate the chef for getting everything balanced to perfection.

Price: Rs 1695 for lunch buffet