Nines Restaurant, Cambridge

If there's one thing in life that makes me happy, it's food, and this Saturday night wasn't any different. Nines is a new global buffet restaurant in the Cambridge Leisure Park and although I'm always a bit sceptical about the quality of the food at all you can eat buffets, I'd seen several posts on Instagram which tempted me into paying a visit - at £16 a head for date night, it'd be rude not to.

In all honesty, my first impressions weren't great. We arrived at 8.15pm to a massive chaotic queue and by the time we reached the front desk we were informed that we'd missed our 8.00pm table reservation and would have to wait up to an hour. We decided to wait anyway and 25 minutes later we were shown to a table on a slightly higher level overlooking the rest of the restaurant. You can order your drinks either from your table or at the bar, and then fill up your plate as you wish.

For the price I really wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the decor was stylish and modern and that there were so many different stations of food. A dedicated starters station, Thai, Chinese, Sushi, Roast, Dim Sum, Noodles, Italian, Spanish, Grill, Desserts and many more. There's a really good variety of food from typical English dishes to those from all around the world to suit even the pickiest of eaters. You can find a sample menu here.

In true Shanise style, I went for a bit of a 'Chinese' theme with my food. Crispy duck, satay chicken, lemon chicken, spring rolls, seaweed and peking ribs for starters.

Egg fried rice, noodles, sweet and sour chicken and shanghai chicken for mains (I was disappointingly way too full already). 

On to the main attraction - dessert! I was absolutely amazed at the choice available. There was fresh fruit, sweets, cakes, two chocolate fountains and a whippy ice cream machine!

In the end I opted for a few miniatures and some ice cream!

The food here was actually a lot better than I was expecting and full of flavour. A fun atmosphere fills the restaurants making it ideal for large groups and couples alike. I liked that there was so much to choose from and all of the foods were clearly labelled with a brief description and dietary info. It's best to visit when you're hungry, as I feel like I missed out on so many of the dishes because I got full up too quickly!

All in all, my first experience at Nines Global Buffet Restaurant was a good one and I'd definitely recommend it for a cheap date night. I will be returning in the near future!