Buffet Royale

Buffet Royale

Our last evening in Edmonton for the long weekend had us debating what to eat for dinner, and while doing so, we spotted a sign for all you can eat snow crab.   Normally, the buffet isn't the first choice, but as a few of our 'first choices' were actually closed on Sundays, we said, sure, why not, what's the worst that could happen!   So what if Urbanspoon rates it 38%!


We walked into a nicely appointed foyer, with a rock fascia featuring the name of the restaurant, and were quickly greeted and brought to our table.  It's not the most fancy of places, and a bit dark, but hardly the worst place.  I read later on that it'd been renovated a year or so ago, so that explained the new-ish look.  

Proceeding on to the buffet, there were quite a few things that caught my eye, not least of which included the large Callebaut chocolate fountain, but I did a quick tour of the premises before grabbing a plate.   Other strange notables included a multiple-chicken roaster on the go, a hot dog roller, a nacho cheese/taco stand, and a sundae bar.   The food selection included various salads, some asian-looking cuisine, perogies and other random things like pork ribs and corn on the cob, a large pile of snow crab, and at the carving station, ham, roasted chicken, and prime rib.   Overall, a pretty good selection, for the price.

I settled on a plate containing a slice of prime rib, some ginger beef and stir fried vegetables, a piece of roast chicken, corn on the cob, and some sauteed shrimp.   My sister had also loaded up a big plate of snow crab to share at the table.  The food was mostly either too salty or a bit bland, especially the overly salty snow crab, so it all balanced out a bit - but the star of the show was undeniably the prime rib.   It was tender, juicy, marbled but not extremely fatty, and not at all overcooked like I expected it to be.   I'd say it was hands down better than any of the roasts I had at the average buffet in Las Vegas, and on par with a finer dining establishment where one might order the prime rib only. 

Unfortunately the snow crab was as mentioned overly salty, but it was also far meatier than others I've had, say at the Crab Pot in Seattle.   In the end I had to go back to get another helping of the prime rib, and while talking briefly with the gentleman serving up the roast, he'd talked me into a few more pieces, with the result of me being stuffed silly.

Apparently while being stuffed silly, I still had room for the sundae bar, surpringly enough - but I'd not had a soft serve ice cream for quite a long time.   With the toppings and fruits meant for the chocolate fountain, I couldn't resist.   My sis and niece went with the fruit and fondue, and both mentioned the chocolate seemed a little thin for their liking.

In the end, surprisingly good prime rib, average other foods, but not a bad selection for $21.

Presentation:  6.5 - the sweet and sour pork was WAY too red, but the rest wasn't bad

Ambiance:   6.5 - a bit dark, and I could see how people might not like this, but far from the worst

Service:   8.0 - while sometimes slow, it was friendly and flexible (we'd moved tables as the first one was a bit wobbly)

Prices:   $21 per person