TOPS has opened in the old Jumping Jacks site on the corner of Portland Street and Dickinson Street. This is a monster buffet restaurant with 400 covers that serves 300 diishes.

Tops is instantly admirable for the sheer level of enthusiasm, verve and investment on display. 

It's also a sight for sore eyes, a palace of a place, that stretches to the horizon, complete with waterfalls, marble surfaces and a castle made from custard cremes and bourbon biscuits.

It's a biscuit castle of courseIt's a biscuit castle of course

At the opening event there was also a peacock carved out of veg and decorated with other foods that was somewhat overwhelming.

An edible peacockAn edible peacock

Indeed Tops is all about the beguiling love of excess adored by the East. It's main competitor in the city centre will be the cheap looking Red Hot World Buffet on Blackfriars Street, off Deansgate. On the freebie sampling we had the food seemed much better too - albeit not difficult with Red Hot World Buffet. 

The prices are all you can eat for £7.99 at lunchtime, £13.99 during the week at dinner and £14.99 in the evenings on Friday and Saturday. It's £13.99 all day on Sunday. Kids 0-3 eat free, those under 150cm get the grub for half price.

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There are several kinds of cooking available principally Chinese, Indian, Italian and Japanese. The racks and racks of desserts seem to have come from everywhere rather than have been inspired by one particular tradition.

People can pick from the canteen-like but very smart steel cauldrons or have meat, fish, kebabs and so on cooked in front of them while they wait.

It's all great fun.

Tops is instantly admirable for the sheer level of enthusiasm, verve and investment on display. There's a new world, or in this case new economy, optimism about Tops. This place is without doubt the most extravagant and glamorous buffet restaurant in the North.

We'll let it bed-in for a while and then do a review.  

You can follow Jonathan Schofield on Twitter on @JonathSchofield

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