Management by walking around. This is a physical presence of someone in management or ownership of a restaurant or other facility. This physical presence is supposed to provide a tacit reminder to staff that they are being supervised and should carry out their assigned duties diligently. If words must be spoken, then they are in a low tone and whispered.

Welcome to the loudest buffet in Kigali where management is audible even to guests.

Flavors Asian Fusion, housed in the Accord Conferencing Hotel is by all means a very clean and organised place. Indeed, those intending to conference should make this an option. No issues here.

The staff is friendly and quick but this appears to be more because of stern management. No issues here too.

My discontent lies solely with the buffet.

Flavors has a decent buffet and on the day I partook, the selection was good although the food could have done with a little more flavors, no pun intended.

I did come towards the end of lunch service and naturally some selections like the soup had been depleted. However, the staff suggested that I could order for a mushroom soup from the kitchen. This I gladly did. More on this later.

Along the buffet line, I tend to pick my salad first on a separate plate and go for my main meal on a separate place. Call it a two course approach. This should be supported by the fact that the salad selection, if taken, costs extra.

However, according to management, guests are not allowed to pick a salad and main course separately. This left me a little dumbfounded but I complied.

I have and will always remain under the impression that firstly, guests should always have options since they are being asked to pay for them and secondly, guests would like to eat in relative comfort without listening to management clearly reprimanding staff.

Let us return to the mushroom soup. I was presented with a watery ensemble that contained way more onions than mushroom. I could not tell if the attempt was a clear mushroom soup but it was definitely not creamy. Even as a clear soup, it was more the colour of milk tea. As a creamy soup, it was too watery. Mindboggling.

I cannot fault Flavors for trying hard to make an impression and provide a good service. Honestly, the food is good but I will not request for the mushroom soup again and the service is decent. What I would like to see is the opportunity for guests to separate their salad from their main course and a little serenity during the course of the meal.

Flavors is located along KG628 St, Kigali.

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