Wok Wok

Duke Street, Brighton Tel: 01273 735712

After a weekend of lager and late nights my body was craving a large dose of wholesome and healthy food. I suspect the nine pints of Stella I'd gulped the night before had stripped my system of any form of vitamins so I decided some fruit and vegetables were urgently needed.

Thankfully, my friends operate a highly successful word-of-mouth network and one phone call resulted in a flurry of top tips, which included the crispy sounding Wok Wok, in Duke Street, Brighton. So, with a gaggle of mates, I limped my way to the trendy new establishment complaining constantly of my weak and feeble condition. On arrival, I collapsed into an outside table and steered my pale complexion to the sun. A concerned looking waitress was quick to recommend Wok Wok's juice of the day, mango and passion fruit, and suggested a fantastic sounding coconut milkshake to my pals.

We sipped our exotic beverages, dribbled over the extensive menu and enjoyed the final minutes of early evening sunshine before venturing inside to a booth-like table. Wok Wok is an ideal summer eating venue. It's airy, light and not at all stuffy. The decor is minimalist yet quirky with primary coloured panels that liven up the mostly neutral design of the restaurant. Wok Wok offers an a la carte menu or a hot buffet, which allows patrons unlimited visits. The restaurant specialises in food from six countries -Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and China.

Spotting Thai green pumpkin curry, stir-fry noodles and vegetables with chilli, ginger and mushroom stir-fry and vegetables with black bean sauce as some of the vegetarian dishes available from the buffet, I promptly made my decision. My friends on the other hand plumped for the a la carte menu and ordered a mass of starters including chicken dumplings, Thai fish cakes, chicken satay and marinated duck.

For my starter course, I loaded my plate with curried vegetable parcels and vegetable spring rolls. Both were crispy and flavoursome, featuring a well-balanced blend of herbs and spices. My only concern in choosing the buffet was that the delicate construction of the dishes may have been lost while the food rested on heaters. I was happy to see the trays were constantly being re-filled with fresh food but I did feel my food lacked the quality of my friend's dishes.

My Thai green pumpkin curry was a little lacking in sauce and had a strong lemon grass-type flavour, which over-powered the more gentle tones of the dish. But saying this, I ate it all quite happily, although slightly regretting not choosing the Thai green vegetable curry which my friend had highly recommended. Although not 100 per cent happy with the buffet I would say it beats a lot of other "eat all you can" deals in town and, if I had to rate it out of ten, I would still give it a pleasant six.

I sampled the other buffet dishes but my opinion did not change. I would say the buffet is a great lunchtime offer but as an evening meal I would stick to the a la carte. My friends raved about their dishes and when I tasted their food I agreed it was delicious. One had Malaysian king prawn curry, which was layered with a rich coconut sauce and featured huge succulent king prawns. My other two friends fought over a plate of Hokkien egg noodles with chicken, which consisted of wide noodles with ginger, chilli, black bean, chinese greens and shiitake mushrooms.

The service was relaxed, friendly and unintrusive. We were given plenty of time to chat, drink, and pick at each other's food before being asked to make a choice about desserts. I couldn't resist a coconut creme brulee which was the best dessert I've eaten all year and my friends struggled through large portions of chocolate cake which they bravely managed to finish.

Wok Wok offers a great social environment to enjoy original and inventive food at a good price. You can pop in for coffee and cakes in the morning, (served from 10am) enjoy an average-to-good quality "eat all you can" buffet at lunchtime, or treat yourself to an excellent meal off the a la carte menu in the evening.

Our Reviewer's Verdict:

MENU: Buffet (with unlimited visits): Starters -curried vegetable and spring rolls. Main course -Thai green pumpkin curry,jasmine rice, vegetables with black bean sauce and stir fried noodles and vegetables with chilli. Dessert -coconut creme brulee

FOOD: Inventive, original and mostly excellent although standard dipped slightly with the buffet.

ATMOSPHERE: Contemporary and relaxed surroundings which were light, airy and open

SERVICE: Enthusiastic, good fun and helpful

VERDICT: I'll be back

TOTAL BILL: Buffet was £10.95 plus £3.95 for dessert and £2.50 for a glass of juice: £17.40. My friend had marinated duck (£5.95), Malaysian king prawn curry (£9.95)and chocolate cake (£2.25)and a glass of juice (£2.50). Meal for two including non-alcoholic drinks: £38.05.