I was a bit worried about this reservation because my husband, although less picky than when I met him, can still be picky. We arrived early for our lunch reservation, because we were hungry. It wasn't a problem and we were taken in before we could even sit down at the outdoor tables. I think the buffet area of Tusker House is designed nicely. I like the open air market feel of it. The hostess did a nice job of explaining how the buffet worked and how it was laid out.
We were seated towards the back and on the left, if you are facing away from the buffet. I (think) I'd read that this restaurant can be rather noisy, so I was glad to be seated away from the main area. Granted we were eating an early lunch, so it wasn't as crowded, but I didn't find it to be loud at all. Our waiter was Rudji (pronounced Rudy) and he was great. I believe he was from Indonesia. I ordered water again, I was very thirsty, and I didn't want to waste any calories on a drink. (I'm trying to eat healthy.)
So, off we went to the buffet. Following Julie Andrew's advice, we started at the very beginning. I glanced at the selection of breads and assorted chutneys and hummus, but did not take anything. I also did not take any of the deli meats or cheeses.
Now, let me say that I was totally excited to try just about everything they had to offer. I think I can safely say that between my husband and I we tried just about everything, including the kids buffet.
Side note: the signs above the buffet items were helpful, especially for my husband who at times would like elements of a dish after he tried it, but not know what they were because they were new to him.
I don't have perfect recall, but I know the first thing I put on my plate was the Tunisian Couscous Salad (I LOVE couscous.) I also took some Green Bean and Onion Salad and Curried Rice with Golden Raisins. Noticing the pile up of carbs on my plate, I think I took either some Seafood Stew or Tandori Tofu, or a little of both.
Tunisian Couscous Salad: I liked it a lot, I thought the flavors were very nice.
Green Bean and Onion Salad: I liked this, but there was a bit too much oil for me, still very nice flavor though.
Curried Rice with Golden Raisins: This dish was good, I did not get seconds. Not because it wasn't tasty, it just wasn't as good as some of the things I had, so I didn't want to waste more "room" on it.
Tandori Tofu: I did not like this. I had read that some did not like the texture of the tofu, but mine seemed firm and nicely cooked. I just didn't like the flavor, too sweet for me.
Seafood Stew: I really liked the first batch of this that I got, I did notice some sweetness that I would have preferred be savory or spicy.
Corn Dog Nuggets: I like corn dogs, so I got two nuggets, and wished I hadn't. They were good, very good, but I've not had a lot of deep fried food lately, and after having so many things that were flavorful, it wasn't worth it.
Second Plate:
One Slice of Pork Loin: I really liked this. I VERY rarely eat pork, and am quick to say I don't like it. I really enjoyed this however, it was very nicely cooked, juicy, and moist.
One Slice Coffee Rubbed Sirloin: Good, not as good as the pork. I didn't notice a coffee flavor at all. My slice was not fatty.
Vegetable Samaosas: I wanted to try these because I'd never had a samaosa before. I didn't really like it, I think it's similar to the corn dog nuggets, I really don't eat a lot of deep fried things, so when I do now, I can really taste the oil. I do know that prior to eating healthier however, these would have been a real favorite.
Chutney: I'm sorry, I don't know what it was called, but it was the one on the same stand as the samaosas that had corn and red and green peppers. Through some food overlap, I found I really liked this with the pork.
More Seafood Stew: This helping of seafood stew was not as good as the previous, the scallops had an almost metallic taste, so much so that I very discretely spit into my napkin. I NEVER do this, but only did so because I was actually slightly afraid of the taste.
Salmon Filet: I really enjoyed this, very nice and flaky and not at all soggy.
And now to to the two stars of this plate:
Saffron Infused Root Vegetables and Cabbage: OMG I LOVED THIS! To start this was a very pretty assortment of vegetables, I loved all the colors. Second, the flavor was absolutely wonderful. I've never had anything with saffron in it, but apparently I'm a big fan. It also had chickpeas in it, and I love those.
Marrakech Couscous: This was truly a love at first bite dish for me. I told my husband I would have been happy just eating a giant bowl of that. If anyone has a recipe I'd love to have it. I felt the couscous was cooked well and had a tomato basil flavor, and the vegetables on top just added layers of flavor. I liked this a lot more than the Tunisian Couscous Salad, which I still felt was very good.
Third Plate: The "Best of Plate"
Couscous Marrakech, Root Vegetables, Salmon, One Slice of Pork with Chutney.
Fourth Plate: The "I didn't try that yet Plate"
I like to be thorough, and at the time I didn't know we were coming back, so I wanted to try more things. I know four plates is a lot, but this plate had literally, one bit of each item.
-Jollaf Rice: I don't know why I didn't expect to like this, but I ended up really liking this.
- Pearl Couscous: I liked the texture of this, but I didn't think it was very flavorful.
- Tandori Tofu: I gave this another shot because I really wanted to like it, and eat it, as I like tofu so much, but it was no use, I just didn't like the flavor
- Basmati Rice with Almonds: I don't remember this so well, I think it was sweet, because I was ending my meal I didn't mind as much.
- Bread Pudding: I love bread pudding, but I was getting very near full, so I had just a tiny piece, it was very good.
- Dark Chocolate Cup with Strawberry Mouuse: I thought these were very cute and it tasted very good. The mouuse was just sweet enough to blend well with the dark chocolate.
I don't recall everything my husband got because he stayed with me for a bit, but inevitably moved to the children's buffet. For any adults who might be hesitant, he was not the only adult at the kid's buffet. And all of this was not all on one plate.
Cooked Green Beans: He liked these, and so did I.
Caesar Salad: He also liked this.
Cornbread: LOVED this, I know because I got more than "It's good." He said it was very moist and didn't crumble as you tried to eat it. This would be one of the most frequent recurring dishes on his plate.
Cape Malay Curry Chicken: He really liked this chicken, which I think surprised both of us. He was surprised he liked it because he had curry once and really didn't like it. He didn't realize it was curry chicken until he took his first bite, I think he either saw the word chicken and took it, or just saw chicken and took it. Either way I'm gad, he got at least two helpings of this.
Basmati Rice with Almonds (and I think Golden Raisins): I hadn't seen him pick this up, but he said: "I like the flavor and what's in it, but I don't like the rice, it's not done enough. I like the rice cooker rice better." He isn't big on nuts either, but he liked this. I had a proper "AW!" moment when he was excited about the fact that you can get golden raisins at the store.
Mac and Cheese: He liked this but didn't get seconds.
Corn Dog Nuggets: He really enjoyed these, probably even more so because we don't buy corn dogs when we're home.
Salon Filet: My husband does not like salmon, or at least he thought he didn't. I think, similar to the case of the curry chicken, he took this without realizing what it was (aside from knowing it was fish.) He liked the salmon, wasn't too fond of the veggies and tomatoes on top, but he liked it enough to have two chunks of it.
Coffee Rubbed Sirloin: He liked this, but his piece was a little fatty.
Mashed Potatoes: Very good, not as good as Le Cellier he said, but good.
Potato Wedges: Also very good and not too greasy.
Desserts: My husband has a huge sweet tooth and he had quite a few things for dessert including:
Oatmeal Cookie: Very good
Chocolate Chip Cookie: Not as good as the oatmeal
Donuts: Not at all stale.
He may have had more, I can't remember.
There were plenty of other desserts, and not that it matters so much, but I thought they were cute. I also thought it was a good idea, you might not want a whole slice of cake, but just a bite or two. I think it's also a good idea when factoring in kids much easier for them to get something themselves without making a huge mess.
We LOVED this. Both of us. It is now a must-do for us. Obviously we thought it was good enough to go back to a second time. It certainly exceeded my expectations not only as a buffet, but also for food and service. The buffet was kept very clean and there was always someone right there, in case you needed help or had a question. Everyone was very friendly, but not at all fake. Items never seemed to sit too long. The selection was great and the price was a really great deal, in our opinion. Most of the things I didn't like were simply not to my taste, not poorly done.
Rudji, as I said was great. He kept on top of our drinks and cleared our plates quickly. He also asked where I was from, and spoke a little Korean with me after I told him.
Part of our being so enthralled with Tusker House may be that I didn't have super high expectations going in, and I don't think my husband did either. I liked going for lunch as well. Animal Kingdom is never a park we spend the whole day in, and one we always go to first, before hopping elsewhere. It's also very spread out, so by late morning, you can work up a nice appetite.
: He is picky, his tastes have expanded since we met, he eats his veggies now and survives on more than pizza, fast food, and cereal. He loves pizza, sweets, and steak. 
we were very fortunate on our trip.
