very flavorful hot pot. the buffet is still a lunch only item but the full menu is available at dinner along with the hot pot options. upon arrival, we were asked if we wanted hot pot or menu - our group decided on both and were seated promptly. the wait staff was very patient as our group struggled to decide what to order. we ultimately had 3 ordering from the menu and 4 sharing a hot pot.
the hot pot burner arrived fairly quickly as did the broth (half spicy, half non-spicy). the hot pot ingredients arrived sporadically which wasn't necessarily a bad thing - we selected spicy beef, krab, scallops, chinese celery, dried tofu, spinach and meat dumplings. the menu items arrived after the hot pot items which left 3 of our party a bit ravenous, watching us using the hot pot.
the folks who ordered from the menu reported their meals were excellent. one diner ordered chicken with hot chilis and was warned "that's really hot". his comment when it arrived was "it's certainly hot - not the hottest thing i've had but it's hot".
the hot pot is an experience - the challenge is to determine how many ingredients to order for your party. with 4, there was some concern that 8 ingredients might be too few since there were only 3 protein dishes. in review, the krab and scallops weren't very good and could have been eliminated or replaced with another protein. the selections for both proteins and vegetables is very large - for western palettes (such as my own), there is a good selection and for easter palettes, the selections are enormous.
overall the experience was very good - the restaurant remained busy with groups of asians. some opted for the hot pot tables while others opted for pre-cooked soup dishes. the wait staff was attentive and personable - a bit of a rarity in chinese restaurants.
we'll be back again.
-----25 mar, 2010-----
format change.... we went last night for the dinner buffet only to discover that they've changed their format. the buffet is now only served at lunch (11a - 3p) and for dinner on fri and sat - bummer.
the selection of menu items isn't very broad and is a bit pricey. we ordered the salt & pepper pork chops and chicken with vegetables.
the chix/veg was standard restaurant fare - very tender chicken with broccoli, mini-corn, carrots and snow peas. the quantity of chicken was surprisingly large given most restaurants proclivity to provide extra vegetables rather than extra proteins.
the salt & pepper pork chops were quite tasty - not very spicy which was a disappointment but freshly fried. the coating was nice and crispy while the pork was tender - very good.
the one outstanding portion of our visit was the service - very attentive without being obtrusive. our waiter and waitress poured tea for us throughout the meal and were very pleasant. we'd be back if only for the service.
-----11 nov, 2009-----
decent asian buffet. much of the buffet dishes were not the typical chinese buffet fare - yes, there was general tso's chicken, lo mein and egg drop soup for the westerners. however, a recent sampling had some very asian dishes - the buffet isn't just chinese or vietnamese or thai which is a nice change of pace.
clams with black bean sauce was good and a surprising find on a buffet. there was also a good selection of dim sum dishes with a few surprises that again, aren't normally found on buffet lines.
my initial observation of the clientele when we arrived was the vast majority of the diners were asians - a good sign that the food is at least relatively authentic!!