We stay 5 minutes away from Friars C****, so we thought we'd give the Chinese Buffet a go this evening for something different. All I can say is gobsmacked!!! It took a while to get seated once we arrived and again about 15 mins to get some drinks. Once up at the buffet, there was a limited selection, i.e., less than half of the advertised dishes, not a great vegetarian selection, only 2 clean plates left and dirty dishes around the buffet area. When we spoke to the staff when we were seated they told us more food was coming out, however after a 45 min wait and only some cakes appearing we had no option but to call it a night and leave to head home to get our daughters some food. This is the most surreal and disappointing experience I have ever had in a reputable hotel or restaurant, and a real shame that it sits right on our doorstep too! With that being said, credit to the woman who, judging by our expressions, did stop at the table and ask us after 45 mins if everything was OK. She had a lot of disappointed customers to deal with, and no Hotel General Manager in sight! If we had been told at the start they were having problems, we would have ordered off the normal menu and they would still have made some money and we would be fed, but to just be ignored and assume we'd be happy was really disappointing. I really hope for the hotel and the staff that this was just a bad night and a one off!!