Review: Trying the 20+ new dishes available for Chinese New Year at an Eastbourne town centre restaurant

Buffet Time in Terminus Road has been running its Chinese New Year menu since January 20 and its last day will be on January 29.

As someone who grew up in Hong Kong I have always loved Chinese New Year, so when I had the opportunity to get into the spirit with this new menu I jumped at the chance.

Buffet Time’s business director and chef Song Zhang said he wanted to serve more traditional dishes for Chinese New Year this year.

He added: “We kept cooking food for European customers for what they originally know about Chinese food but this time we took a more traditional approach.

“We want to bring some different culture, some different cuisine to Eastbourne.”

The restaurant has introduced dishes from different parts of China, including some which have never been served at Buffet Time before.

This was something I noticed straight off the bat. I am not sure if I have seen some of these dishes outside of Asia before, but it was fantastic to see some of my childhood favourites right here in Eastbourne.

General manager Solon Sit, who spoke about how the restaurant considered closing because of the pandemic, said: “This Saturday (January 21) was the busiest Saturday we have ever had. Eastbourne residents love it. We had a rabbit costume, because it is the year of the rabbit. Kids love it, customers liked it, so the reception from Eastbourne we have appreciated a lot.”

Mr Sit and Mr Zhang said the Szechuan spicy chicken had been the most popular dish from the Chinese New Year menu.

The dish was arguably my favourite as well, along with the roast chicken, ‘mouth watering’ chicken and ‘Mr and Mrs Kwok’.

If you like spicy food you will fall in love with the Szechuan spicy chicken. The Szechuan pepper has a great taste and the spicy sensation is really unique – please do yourself a favour and try it if you get the chance.

The roast chicken and ‘mouth watering’ chicken also reminded me of my childhood. There was a roast chicken dish I used to get as a child from a local restaurant in Hong Kong and I am always over the moon when I find something similar. The secret is a combination of Chinese spices which do not overshadow the chicken’s natural flavour.

‘Mr and Mrs Kwok’ really surprised me. I am not sure if I have had this beef dish before but the flavours were unbelievable and the spice was perfect.

Most people don’t get puddings when they get Chinese food, but they are making a big mistake. The desserts on offer for Chinese New Year reminded me of home and I think there is a gap in the UK market for Chinese pastries. The textures are very unique, but the flavours are subtle and work together really well.

Overall, I know that many British people will be a bit scared to venture out with slightly more traditional Chinese dishes, but there is nothing to fear. ‘British Chinese food’ takes inspiration from these traditional dishes and I think people might start seeing the cuisine in a different light once they see what is on offer from different regions of the country.

The new dishes, as named on the restaurant’s website, are:

Mr and Mrs Kwok

Glass noodle salad

Mock fish fins soup

Mouth watering chicken

Mussel salad

Roast chicken

Mandarin cabbage

Dumplings

Chief special meat balls

Spring blossom

Black bean ginger ribs

Szechuan spicy chicken

Fortune gift

Golden harvest

Treasure bowl

Typhoon king prawn

The taste of good luck

Too sweet to handle

Chinese chestnut cake

Osmanthus cake

New year cake

Radish cake

Chinese pastry

Big smile

Rainbow rice pudding