LIKE many young children, our two would often plump for plain food like pasta or chicken nuggets and chips when faced with a restaurant menu.

But fortunately they seem to have developed a taste for spicier dishes as they’ve grown older. Just a few weeks ago my teenage daughter asked if we could try the Gurkha Oriental Palace near Poole Quay to celebrate her birthday.

Although it doesn’t have such an eye boggling selection as similar all you can eat buffet style restaurants, there was enough choice of Chinese, Indian and Nepalese food to keep our party of six happy.

And because there weren’t quite so many options, it meant that each dish was constantly topped up and refreshed and didn’t look or taste as though it had been stewing under the heating lamps for too long.

Some of dishes were good (the chicken tikka, pork ribs and chicken satay in particular), at worst some were average, but overall it was good enough for everyone to go back for seconds and even thirds!

My son who is the only one in the family who has a sweet tooth felt the range of desserts was rather limited – fruit salad, a gateau and some other creamy concoction compared to other places, but he thoroughly enjoyed the ice cream.

The service was excellent too. The staff are friendly and attentive and keen to get customer feed-back which is always a good sign.

We were presented with a quick questionnaire to complete at the end of the meal.

There is also a more relaxed atmosphere (some all you can eat places can be a bit hectic) and the restaurant, although it’s not palatial, is modern and light and just a short walk from Poole Quay.

All in all it was a very pleasant evening and good value for money – particularly if you have two hungry teenagers in tow.

My Gurkha Oriental Palace bill:

  • £12.95 per person x4 £51.80
  • Bottle of Cobra x2 £9
  • J20 fruit juice x2 £5
  • Total: £65.80