Sheffield Cosmo: newly revamped restaurant to re-open after four months - we had a sneak preview

It's been closed for months - but a popular Sheffield restaurant is finally re-opening, after the completion of a £500,000 refurbishment.

And The Star has already been in to try out the Cosmo restaurant near the Peace Gardens, as I visited a few days ahead of its re-opening, as the staff opened up for an invitation-only test run. We also have the first pictures of the newly re-furbished venue, with 14 photos in the gallery below.

Reporter David Kessen describes how he found it:

The venue - an all you can eat, world cuisine buffet - has been closed since July, and getting things back up and running had taken longer than planned, say bosses.

But I sat down to get a taste of the food that is set to be served from Friday (October 20), when the venue re-opens at 5pm.

Entering through a newly refurbished reception area, friendly staff took details, and I was soon inside the main restaurant area. The biggest difference post-refurb hits you straight away - a giant television screen, which on Tuesday night was carrying tranquil pictures of beautiful landscapes.

Taking a seat, there was then the chance to explore the buffet, and see what was on the menu.

It caters for every taste, with food from so many cuisines. There is an Indian section, a Chinese section, a continental section, and a separate section for desserts too. There is plenty of variety there. And you don't have to get it right first time - you can go back to the buffet for more food.

I went Mexican initially, taking a plate of chicken fajitas. They were tasty, and spicy, but not overwhelmingly so, with various things to accompany them. Next I tried out the pizza, going for the vegetable variety. Again, it was good food, with a base that was not too heavy, and plenty of topping. And crucially, both tasted good.

There was also the chance to get food freshly cooked, with chefs preparing food as you watch in one section of the buffet.

The refurbishment work has included upgrading the lighting all over the restaurant including the installation of lights inspired by Chinese nut fruits, tactile stone tiling, dark oak timber and glamourous wall shelving.

The restaurant has also replaced or reupholstered each of the 300 seats in the restaurant to give a more comfortable dining experience.

The centrepiece is a huge television screen measuring seven metres by three metres which will show footage from the restaurant’s seven live cooking stations.

Director Kan Koo said the Sheffield venue was now one of the chain's most modern in the country. He said: "We have been operating in Sheffield city centre for almost 10 years and so the restaurant was ready for a little facelift – it’s important to our group to maintain high standards.

"The refurbishment has taken slightly longer than we anticipated but we feel confident that our customers will agree that it is has been worth the wait.

"We are extremely grateful for everyone’s patience while we have been closed for this project and we are looking forward to welcoming back our diners.

"The main thing is our live cooking stations have not changed and our ice-cream machine, popcorn machine and chocolate fountain will always take centre stage in the dessert section.

"Our high standards remain and we can’t wait for Sheffield’s diners to come along and see how we’ve improved the COSMO experience."

Prices are £16.99 until 4pm, then £20.99 after 5pm. Sundays are £21.99.