Lucknow has recently been winning at the buffet scene with several new places popping up to provide our bhukkhad hearts with a generous spread. Yet, we still have to come across a place which can stand true to all that we Lucknowites have come to expect from a good buffet- great food, comfortable-inviting ambiance and a killer price point. The recent buffets have mostly been way too focused on luxury to provide us with something beyond a jumble of dishes which are average, at best.
To end our food woes and bring us a whole new buffet extravaganza, a new place has popped up in the heart of the city, Hazratganj. Called the ‘Uppercase Diner’, this place has everything we have been looking in a buffet and we don’t want to rush things- but they just might be ‘the one we’ve always been looking for’.
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The buffets starts with a selection of ‘Amuse Bouche’ or ‘palate pleasers’ which are considered a tell-tale of the Chef’s original style. The amuse bouche includes a welcome drink which will be followed by fruity pani-puris (fruit flavoured gol-gappas that are a modern twist on the Lucknowi classic) with flavours such kala-khatta, guava punch and mango masala.
Then you can relish the amazing chat counter which will have a options such as palak patta chaat, dilli wale karare aloo, dahi bada and papdi chaat which would change with the day.
We all know that the star of any buffet is their starters section, which honestly, is the biggest draw any buffet has for us. The starter menu here is pretty amazing, they have a plethora of starters which you can pick from and we have to say the selection is mouth-watering! For the vegetarians Uppercase Diner offers shami kebabs, dahi kebabs, hing matar kebabs, honey chilli potatoes, Cajun potatoes, lal-mirch paneer, malai paneer, crispy corn and veg spring rolls.
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While the non-vegetarians, can enjoy all that and schezwan chicken, chilli chicken, basil chicken, Amritsari fish, grilled fish parcel and steamed fish parcel. Of the above mentioned dishes, each day, patrons will be able to taste four vegetarian and two non-vegetarian dishes depending on the day of the week.
The restaurant also offers vegetarian and non vegetarian soups as well as salads, so you won’t feel that a necessary portion of your meal is missing. Uppercase Diner also offers a selection of dals including makhani, banjara and fry as well as Amritsari aloo, dum aloo, veg jalfrezi, methi makai malai, miloni tarkari in palak gravy, butter chicken, chicken korma, dhaba style chicken. And for the nawabs of Lucknow they also have Hyderabadi chicken biryani and a hyderabadi veg biryani. They also have an assortment of Indian breads and a variety of condiments to tickle your tastebuds.
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For the desi Chinese lovers in all of us, Uppercase also offers a selection of Chinese dishes including hakka and chilli garlic noodles, burnt garlic or nasi goreng curry, veg in schezwan curry, chicken in schezwan curry, veg in black pepper curry, chicken in black pepper curry, chilli paneer and chilli chicken.
Coming to the grand ending, the necessary sweets, we’ll have to say, the dessert section at Uppercase Diner, wins big-time. From your essential gulab jamun, kheer, phirni and shahi tukda and pastries to the more exotic puddings, mouse of the day with options including thandai mousse and mango mousse and our favourite the brownies, the place has them all and we cannot deny the fact that the desserts here won us away. You have to try the brownies here, they are perfect blend of fudgey and cake-y and we love their signature layering.
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If you’re wondering why we’re going ga-ga over a simple buffet place, hear this- the entire selection of food we just described will be available at a price of ₹399! Yes, you heard that right. For ₹399 you’ll get all that and more!
The delicious food and the desserts here have us drooling. Add to that the amazing price point at which all of the dishes are available and you won’t find a better buffet place in town.
Uppercase Diner also serves some mouth-watering American dishes with an A-La-Carte menu, so if you don’t feel like jumping on the Indian bandwagon, get yourself some fries, a cheeseburger and call it a day!
Address: B-2, Raja Ram Kumar Plaza, 75, Hazratganj, Lucknow
