2 /5 OK: recently visited the Hyatt buffet on Camberwell New Road. From the outside, the place looked very nice, the interior seemed beautiful, and the food looked very appetising. That’s why I decided to come back and ordered two takeaway portions for £5 each.
They advertise themselves as an all-you-can-eat buffet, but in reality this is not the case at all. When I took two takeaway boxes, I decided that I didn’t want to mix the food. I wanted to put couscous, rice and some vegetables in one box, and meat in the other.
One of the staff members followed me, as if she was going to help, but that turned out not to be the case. After we put rice, couscous and vegetables into the first box, I wanted to put meat into the second one. She put just one small piece of beef in it and said that I couldn’t take any more, because I’m not allowed to take only meat.
I was confused and said: how is that possible, if you’ve just allowed me to fill one box only with rice and couscous? I simply didn’t want to mix the food.
Again, this place presents itself as a buffet — meaning you should be able to take whatever you want, as much as fits into the box. It then turned out that some pastries can only be taken one per type, although this is not written or stated anywhere. I paid for the salads separately — £3 per box.
She tried to stuff more cabbage salad into the box, didn’t let me serve myself, and overall behaved in a way that looked very unpleasant and unwelcoming. Lebanese restaurants are usually known for their hospitality, but unfortunately not in this case.
Honestly, it felt like if you eat there, someone would sit and watch you to make sure you don’t take an extra piece of meat. So please don’t call yourself a buffet — or clearly state the rules and say that everything is limited to one item.