Katherine MacAlister heads down to Wa! for curry in the unusual location of the Kassam’s cinema complex

I will never take Mr Greedy away on a cruise ship. The all-day buffets would probably kill him, and, unable to refuse the generous breakfast buffet, followed swiftly by lunch, tea and dinner offerings, would need to be carried off when we finally disembarked.

Buffets have therefore never been my thing, associating them in my mind with gluttony, and having travelled round the USA and seen humanity gorging themselves silly on the all-you-can-eat offerings, nothing has altered my perception.

So no, not a big buffet fan. They still conjure images of bad wedding fare – sausage rolls, cocktail sausages, battered chicken, brie wedges and crisps, an orange fuzz stretching into the distance, like a heart attack on a conveyor belt, as far as the eye can see.

But then came Pradumna Walimbe who opened Wa! and threw out all my out-dated preconceptions.

Situated light years away from the curry heartlands of Cowley Road, on the site of the former Aziz Express at the Kassam Stadium’s Ozone Leisure Park, it may seem like an unusual location, but then this is no ordinary Indian.

First of all the food is organic, locally-sourced wherever possible and all made freshly every day. Vegetarians, vegans and those requiring gluten-free food are also brilliantly catered for, without detracting from the regular meat eaters.

Second, much of the profits go to Curry With A Cause, an educational charity in India. In short, you eat benevolently, not that I‘ve ever needed any encouragement.

And yet the doubts were still there. Could Wa! deliver despite the hype? Was the standard of food going to suffer for its credentials?

Would it be up to the impossibly high standards of its cousins on the Cowley Road or lose some of its charm and authenticity through its good intentions?

No, is the short answer. Wa! utterly holds its own while charming you into the bargain – a clever, subtle and effective conversion.

Situated just to the left of the cinema complex elevator, the redecorated interior is light, airy, elegant and sophisticated, a clean contemporary space in stark contrast to the flock wallpapered and carpeted curry houses of yesteryear.

It means there is already a much more varied clientele in situ – families, groups of women, older diners – those unnerved by late-night, lager-fuelled diners knowing that Wa! offers a safer haven.

Led to our table, our waitress explained the Wa! concept and showed us around the impressive buffet. which offered everything from the crispy hot plate of samosas, poppadoms and bhajis to a full range of meat and vegy curries, naan breads and pickles, rice and dips.

The sizzling platters had to be ordered separately and were then brought to your table.

Given a plate, off we went to the 50-dish extravaganza which enabled us to try a bit of everything, proving conclusively that we all have different tastes and heat preferences.

My two friends for example loved the whole boiled egg curry, not something my stomach would want to revisit.

Definitely tourist strength, I would have liked a bit more fire in at least a scattering of the food, and better descriptions on each buffet dish ticket so we could really understand what we were eating.

Oxford Mail:

  • There are 50 fresh dishes to choose from daily at the Wa! buffet

Neither were there many surprises in the vast Wa! line-up.

But in terms of choice, effort, display, flavour and quantity, Wa! is a colourful and inspiring alternative to the chicken tikka masala days, and bearing in mind that most of us are the least adventurous in a curry house, usually opting for an old favourite, this is a good way to go experiment.

Despite the best attempts of the dessert station, full of enticing looking jelly and chocolately mousses, there was however a film to be watched and ‘an elegant sufficiency’ to be digested.

So while from now on I will be watching films at the Kassam accompanied by a pre- or post-movie curry, my views on cruise ships remain resolutely the same.

To paraphrase Steve Redgrave, if anyone sees me anywhere near one, they have my permission to shoot me.

THE ESSENTIALS

Wa! is at Kassam Stadium’s Ozone Leisure Park, Grenoble Road, Oxford, OX4 4XP. wacuisine.com/wacurry

People: Pradumna Walimbe
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 5pm-10.30pm
Sat and Sun noon - 10.30pm
Prices: Lunch adults £8.50- £9.50, under-10s £4.95-£6.95, under-4s £1
Dinner: £13.50-£14.50, under-10s £6.95-£7.95, under-4s £1
Parking: Lots in Kassam car park