We have not been to this place for about a year. Not for lack of wanting to, a lot of personal things got in the way of going out. But, this is my wife's favorite place to go for her birthday. Why? Because she can...pig out on crab legs. For me I love sushi and a variety of less then common Asian dishes.
I looked up the reviews and was disheartened. Maybe it went downhill since our last visit. But after discussing other options for her beloved crab legs within our budget we decided to go for it.
First off, I NEVER go to a buffet, ANY buffet on the weekend or "kid's night" (usually Thursdays). I like to avoid nights that families go out to eat. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, I have two, full grown now, plus three grand-kids. I do NOT like kids at a buffet. Too many people let their kids run wild and get their own food. Sorry, but I do want to use a serving spoon that has been handled by a snotty nosed 6 year old.
So, we tend to go on a Tuesday or Wednesday. This time it was a Tuesday. That may have made a difference to our experience as the place was not packed and therefore the wait staff was able to provide fast and friendly service.
The food was "ok", some of it would have been bland if not for for the heavy hand with the chili peppers. My wife, as usual, had a plate of crab legs, a plate of assorted melons, and some macaroon cookies. She said the legs were not salty, and so what if they were a little small, it's a buffet. But, the one plateful was enough. The fruit was fresh and well chilled. She had 2 small macaroon cookies, they were so good she had 2 more.
I had a bowl of hot and sour soup. It needed a little more vinegar, but I really liked the fresh mushrooms, and it was plenty hot. I had 8 pieces of sushi, mostly nigiri. While I tend to stay away from raw fish at a buffet I did try a few and 8 hours later I still feel fine. I compare this to grocery store sushi where 8 pieces will cost you about $9. I had 4 pieces of dim sum. They were very plain tasting and I did not like the offered dipping sauce. The pork bun was pretty good. I used wasabi with soy sauce instead. I tried a few forkfuls of General Chicken, man, that was hot. I liked it. The steamed bok choy was fresh and delicious. I finished with a small bowl of chocolate ice cream. I only ate two spoonfuls, it just wasn't very creamy or chocolately (is that a word).
The service was great. What she lacked in smiles she made up for in fast plate removal, extra napkins, and speedy soda refills.
A word about good service. I almost always get good service. I believe it is because I do two things. First, I am always polite, ALWAYS. I treat my server as a person who has one of the toughest jobs there is and I plan to make this customer the one she calls the "good customer".
Secondly, I carry a bunch of ones in my pocket. As soon as I sit down I place a folded dollar under a condiment near the back of the table, making sure to obscure the denomination. Every time they come to my table to provide service I add another bill or two. I have a fair idea as to what my bill will be so I stop at the 10-15% mark for buffets and 20% for full service.
Call it a bribe, call it anything you like. I don't care. It works for me. In over 40 years of going to restaurants, at one point I traveled for business and ate out every-night for years, I can count the number of times that I received bad service on one hand. Those few times I pocketed what I had put out and left no tip. An object lesson for the server more poignant then ranting or leaving a bad review. As for bad food, I go straight to the manager, after I have paid. If I ate it, I pay for it. I want them to know that my motivation to complain is based purely on giving constructive criticism.
So, since we had soda, it was $38 plus a $6 tip. The food was on par with your local cheap Chinese restaurant. A little pricier perhaps, but that is the price you pay to be able to sample a large variety at one sitting. Or in my wife's case, all the crab legs she wants.
I left satisfied. From the food and service of course. But, what any man who has been married over 35 years will tell you, what really matters is that my wife was happy.More