“When you look at all the different areas we have got, we have sushi, pasta, pizza, BBQ, carvery, teppanyaki, grills, desserts, all the Indian cuisine, the Chinese cuisine, ice creams, fresh fruits, canned fruits – you name it, it is there.
“Where else are you going to get a choice like that for the price that we charge?” William Anderson, consultant of westernised cuisine at COSMO, rhetorically ponders in his distinctive South African accent.
While the chef’s statement might sound like an exaggeration, at COSMO it is simply an observation.
READ MORE: Oxford’s The Nosebag ex-owner recalls colourful memories
Anyone who visits the world buffet restaurant on Magdalen Street is absolutely spoilt for choice, with dishes from every part of the globe on offer in limitless supply.
Like it was dreamt up by the Very Hungry Caterpillar himself, COSMO is the ultimate definition of indulgence and customers are able to enjoy a little of everything – and I mean everything – in one sitting.
The Oxford branch of the world buffet chain reopened on Monday, after two years of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The fact that COSMO has reopened does make it feel like we are at the end of the long, dark and winding tunnel that was coronavirus.
Such a venue, with its high intensity touch points and throngs of people in a closed space, is something we could only have dreamed of when it closed amid the first national lockdown.
The impacts of Covid-19 on the hospitality and leisure sector are something which is known all too well to Mr Anderson.
The 63-year old, who was originally born in Glasgow before moving to Woodbank in South Africa as a baby, worked as an executive chef on cruise ships for many years.
Just before the onset of the pandemic, the company Mr Anderson was working for went bust and then Covid-19 put a stop on all international travel.
He explained: “My wife got used to having me at home and this job came up and I grabbed it, I didn’t just accept it I grabbed it because it was a great opportunity for me.”
With the ability to speak six languages, Mr Anderson expresses a deep love for his job. Both for the fact he is able to work with a huge range of food but also different types of people.
“How many people have started their career as a trainee and are still in it at the age of 63? How many do that? So I must have a great love and passion for my job,” again he asks rhetorically.
The wealth of dishes on offer at COSMO, of course, requires a large-scale kitchen operation, with an international collection of chefs who are experts in specific cooking styles and cuisines.
This is clear from the show kitchen where you can watch chefs cook prawns, scallops and a variety of meats in front of you at such close quarters you can feel the heat from the grill.
READ MORE: Oxford restaurant The Nosebag closes down after 50 years
However, the team behind the restaurant are just as keen to employ trainees as experts.
Mr Anderson said: “If somebody is willing to learn then that is 100 per cent up in my eyes. If somebody is prepared to learn something different in order to better themselves and their family, to have a better lifestyle, it is a great advantage to us as a company to have that person on board.”
Dinner service on Monday evening was packed full with people who were carrying even fuller plates back to their tables. Eyeing up everyone’s plates as they walked past me I couldn’t help but drool, judge or gawk at the weird and wonderful combinations people chose.
COSMO, in many ways, is a lawless place when it comes to food choices and you cannot help but be struck by the options people will put together.
Roast potatoes next to chicken tikka masala? Prawn crackers on pizza? Sushi with mac and cheese? Just a normal Monday at COSMO.
READ MORE: Oxford restaurant The Nosebag closes down after 50 years
COSMO is at 8 Magdalen St, Oxford, OX1 3AD. The restaurant is open 4.30pm to 9.30pm Monday to Thursday, 4.30pm to 10.30pm Friday, 12pm to 10.30pm Saturday and 12pm to 9.30pm Sunday.
An adult dinner price is £17.99 Monday to Thursday, £18.99 Friday to Sunday.
An adult lunch price is £18.99 Saturday and Sunday.
You can book a table here cosmo-restaurants.co.uk/restaurants/oxford or call 01865 297575.
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