This evening a small party of six ate at the Cosmo restaurant in Belfast’s Victoria Square. According to their own website,
COSMO, is a critically acclaimed Pan Asian restaurant chain that’s opening restaurants all over the UK. The secret of our success is providing delicious freshly prepared food in stunning restaurants and prices that offer exceptional value for money.
Delicious Food
There is a wide variety of food available from many cultures around the world with a particular emphasis unsurprisingly to Asia. They are always looking for more recipes from China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Mongolia, Singapore, Vietnam, and India. The food served this evening was very good and there was plenty of it.
Stunning restaurant?
Personally, I am not so sure that the restaurant in Victoria Square could be called stunning. It was certainly very pleasant but stunning this evening was not the word that I would use. There was a wait of about forty-five minutes in the lobby downstairs before reaching the table which we were then told we were to vacate by at least 8.30p.m.
The party made their several ways to and from the food which is laid out in many buffet areas. Some of us went up more than once per section of meal. The desserts were particularly fun including the jelly cubes.
Rushed over indulgence
Overall, whilst I enjoyed the food, the overall ambience was as one of our party put it, a cross between an airport departure lounge and a food court in a shopping mall. With the time limit on the table, and the unlimited food that can be eaten, I found myself wanting to eat really quickly each time that I got back from the buffet. The price of £13.99 was not that much more than we would be prepared to pay for food in another local restaurant. Almost as soon as you finish the food on one plate, it is whisked away by the almost ever-present army of waiting staff. This encourages you to head up again and pick more food.
I’ve come home, having enjoyed the food but not the experience or ambience of dining in Cosmo. I’m glad that I have done it, but it is not going to become a frequent haunt. On the way home, the menu at Victoria’s near the Law Courts seemed enticing. Perhaps I’ll try there next.
Cosmo Belfast
Location:
R5 Victoria Square, Belfast BT1 4QGTelephone 028 9023 6660
Fax 028 9032 9600
Gyronny Herald 