buffet Archives - Foodology

In Buffet

JJ’s Restaurant: Lunch Buffet at Vancouver Community College (Downtown)

March 30, 2019

JJ’s Restaurant does lunch buffet for one day out of the month. Usually, they have a 3 course lunch menu for $23 or a la carte options. I’ve dined many times at JJ’s Restaurant as well as VCC’s other dining options like their Bistro, Cafeteria, and their Chef’s Table.

Buffet dates for 2019:

April 25
May 23
June 20
July 25
August 22
September 19
October 17
November 14
December 12

(Dates may change, so please visit JJ’s Restaurant website for up to date information.)

Reservations

When we heard about their lunch buffet during the weekday, we looked on their website to see when would be the next available date and booked a reservation through OpenTable. Without reservations, you may not be able to get a seat for your party. Usually their lunch buffet does get filled up in advance. I put in a reservation for 3 adults and a baby in a stroller.

Price

It is $27 per person, plus taxes, beverages and gratuities not included. Not a bad price for Downtown Vancouver. Plus, you’re supporting future chefs and the culinary program at VCC.

Interior

The space has a good amount of tables and since reservations are needed ahead of time, they make sure to set up the dining area based on the reservations.

Drink Menu

Drinks are extra, but here are some of your options. They also have special cocktails and mocktails available for purchase.

Hot Food Area

The hot food area has a big bread basket, roasted potatoes, vegetables, chicken & eggplant, salmon with cream of leek, and duck with sausage. Six items in this area isn’t too bad.

I liked how there were a good amount of protein. It’s best to start your buffet experience here to really get in on all the different proteins and vegetables. Of the items in the area, I did enjoy the chicken and the duck.

Do note that this area does start closing down around 1pm while the other stations are still open.

Prime Rib Station

At the end of the hot food section is the prime rib carving station with gravy, mustard and horseradish. Always a popular spot because who doesn’t love prime rib.

Salad and Seafood Bar

The salad bar has a few varieties of salad from fennel salad to golden beets.

On the same table are also smoked salmon bites as well as a seafood platter. The seafood does go really quick and is usually the first item that disappears. Hard to resist shrimp, scallops and tuna.

Bao Bar

There is a station where freshly made baos are prepared right in front of you. You can choose between lean or fatty pork shoulder. Its a great idea but was pretty mediocre tasting.

Banana Foster Station

The banana foster station makes it all to order, so you have to wait a little bit before its ready. You can watch the students prepare it in front of your eyes. It is a cooked banana in brown sugar and cinnamon served with whipped cream.

Lamb Rack Station

You can get as many rack of lambs as you would like. All smothered in au jus too.

Dessert Table

There are 2 dessert tables with a good assortment of items from chocolate flavours, citrus flavours, mousses and a lot of cakes.

It was an adventure trying to taste everything, so our table just grabbed a bunch and nibbled on it all.

There’s also a lot of fruit too. Classic and it’s not a buffet without fruit. They even have an intricately carved watermelon too but no one touched it because its so pretty.

Final Thoughts

For $27 before taxes and tip, it’s a very good deal for a buffet in Downtown Vancouver. There are lots of items in the buffet and you will definitely leave full. Some items are a hit and miss, but their strongest areas were in their meats, salads and desserts.

We enjoyed ourselves and the staff and students were all very nice. As it is a learning environment, have patience with the students and they are trying to do their best. We found that a lot of them were very nervous and shy.

Website:
https://www.vcc.ca/services/eat-shop–more/jjs-restaurant/

Address:
3rd floor – Vancouver Community College (Downtown)
250 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC

In Buffet

New India Buffet: Largest Indian Buffet in Vancouver

August 1, 2018

New India Buffet is located in Vancouver and they have a large buffet with over 70 items and it’s all you can eat. They aren’t the largest Indian Buffet in the Lower Mainland, but they have a good variety of curries. They even have vegetarian and vegan dishes, which is great to suit those with different dietary needs. The prices are fair with dinner prices around $20.

If you don’t want to dine in, they have take out options too for pick up and delivery. There are some free parking spots for the restaurant but there are still ample 2 hour free parking on side streets.

Interior

The interior can seat up to 200 people and has tables for small to large groups. This used to be an Earls, so their interior is nice. They even have a really large bar if you want to watch the game or have a drink.

Drinks

Starting the night off with mango lassi is a great start. It is a traditional Indian yogurt drink and its a way to cool yourself down from any spicy curries. It isn’t included in the buffet as its an extra $4.95.

The Buffet

They definitely don’t boast as much variety as Flaming Tandoori in Delta- Surrey but they have a good range of curries that are really the star of the show.

There is an area for salads to get you started before diving into the richer items on the menu.

Crispy veggie pakoras is a classic item on the menu that you must grab a piece of. They also have french fries, samosa, and spring rolls if you want something else thats deep-fried.

Curries go great with naan or rice. Both great options.

Don’t forget the dessert like the Gulab Jamun, which are milk balls dipped in honey syrup.

What’s on the plate?

A proper buffet requires many trips back to the buffet line to try new things and each time, you discover something new.

Our favourite items of the evening was the naan, butter chicken, lamb curry, fish curry, egg curry, mutter paneer, chicken Manchurian and tandoori chicken. Also, don’t forget to get come Papadom, which are these thin, crisp, disc-shaped crackers. Crazy addictive.

As it’s a buffet, there is endless amounts that you can try. The only thing that may hold you back is your stomach space. hahaha.

Tandoori chicken

There is another menu where you can order specialty items like the Tandoori Chicken served on a sizzling plate. The chicken is marinated in yogurt and spices, then cooked in a hot clay oven.

Final Thoughts

There are some good options if you want a buffet or not. Prices are fair and it’s good they can seat up to 200 people for any occasion.

Address:
901 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Website:
https://newindiabuffet.com/

In Buffet

Tandoori Flame: North America’s largest authentic Indian Buffet in Surrey

July 16, 2018

Tandoori Flame recently opened up in the Delta-Surrey area as North America’s largest authentic Indian Buffet. Since they have opened, there has been much buzz about this place and line ups everyday that seem to be never ending.

With their 450+ seating capacity with a multi-room layout, they are really drawing a crowd every day and night.

It is a unique dining experience with interactive food stations – 12 food stations and 150 food items. Thats a lot of items to choose from.

Prices

Dining Area

The space is nice and there are tons of tables for small to large groups. They take reservations if you have 40 people in a party or more.

It’s pretty hard to believe they can fit 450 people in this space.

The Buffet Area

The buffet can be very crowded at peak dinner time from 6pm till 8pm with waits of about 30 minutes. The buffet is nice and there are wood and copper panels and pots to give it a nice look.

There is an area for snacks and appetizers like Pani Puri, which you can fill with yogurt, tamarind, and other sauces or ingredients.

The most exciting section is at the back of the restaurant with all the curries and rice. So many varieties that it’s hard to choose what you want to add to your plate. Good thing it’s a buffet so you can grab a bit of everything.

My favourites are the daal tarka, palak paneer and butter chicken.

Fresh Dosa is made on their grill and its so fun to watch. They don’t do this all the time, but if you can catch them in action, its interesting to see how its made.

The make it seem so easy and its stuffed with a potato mixture.

There are big tandoori ovens making naan and chicken tandoori. If you ask them, they can make garlic naan.

At the centre of the buffet are fruits and veggies. All the healthy fresh items in the centre.

Another item made in front of you is the Chana bhatura, which is fried bread. To go with it, is the pindi chana which is like a chickepea stew.

Let’s Eat

Drinks like these do cost extra. We got the blueberry lassi and peachy iced tea. There are alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink options.

We started with some appetizers like samosas, chana bhatura, pindi chana, papadums, pan puri and some sauces.

Next round, I got some rice, palak paneer, naan, daal, butter chicken, and goat biryani.

I got some dosa, chicken tandoori, papadums and palak paneer.

There were tons of dessert options but I went with Mango Custard, Mango firni and petha. I was so stuffed that I wish I could of had more dessert.

Final Thoughts

The Indian buffet is something different for the Lower Mainland. It’s large and there are so many choices. I have been to a few other all you can eat Indian Buffets in town and this is large. It’s not as large as the all you can eat buffets in casinos, but for just Indian food, it’s impressive.

I never knew there were so many varieties of appetizers, curries, rice, and desserts. They do offer vegetarian and Halal options in the buffet.

The items in the buffet do vary, so some options may shift if you come here another time. They have a take out area as well if you love the food but don’t want to wait. Of course the take out isn’t all you can eat, but they will have a few favourite items to get to go – whether it be a meal for yourself and family.

Address:
11970 88 Ave, Delta, BC

Website:
http://tandooriflame.com/

In Buffet

H2 Rotisserie & Bar at The Westin Bayshore: Brunch Buffet

March 27, 2018

H2 Rotisserie & Bar at The Westin Bayshore features their signature Maple Hill Farms rotisserie chicken on their menu. They are located on the edge of Stanley Park right in Coal Harbour.

On weekends, you can indulge in a brunch buffet with the family with lots of selections featuring:

Build your own Harvest Buddha Bowls
Maple Hills Farms House Rotisserie Chicken Carvery Station
Rotisserie Prime Rib Carvery Station
Made to order French Toast Station

Whether you come here for a regular brunch buffet or their special holiday brunch buffet, they ready to impress guests for any occasion.

There are small to large tables to seat groups of many sizes. It’s best to make reservations just in case its a busy weekend and you want to be guaranteed a spot.

Carvery and French Toast Stations

This is the area to get prime rib, Maple Hills Farms House Rotisserie Chicken, and made to order french toast.

Build your own Harvest Buddha Bowls

You can make your own harvest buddha bowls with ingredients they have different types of greens, toppings, and dressings.

The selection

There is some good selection in the buffet such as free-range scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, waffles, smoked bacon, sausage links, breakfast potatoes, seasonal fruit & berries, fresh baked pastries, bagels, charcuterie, smoked and cured salmon, local cheese, dim sum and congee. Of course there is a lot more than just that list.

Sushi

Waffles

Eggs Benedict

Bacooooooon and Sausages

Pastries

Smoked salmon and assorted cheeses

Fruit and yogurt parfaits

Sweet Desserts

More Pastries

Whats on the plate

I grabbed a little bit of everything for my first plate. Gotta get a taste of everything before getting more.

Don’t forget the hot sauce, there are 4 kinds to choose from.

I love a good simple congee with fried shallots, ginger, mustard greens, and a Chinese donut. Also some fruit too on the side.

For dessert, I had to go with the desserts filled with mousse.

Candy Bar

There is a little candy bar with smarties, gummy bears, sour keys, and twizzlers that you can take with you in small bags.

I of course had to fill it up with a little bit of everything. Some sweets for the road.

Drinks

Freshly brewed Starbucks coffee and Tea Leaves Loose Leaf tea, and fresh juice come with the price of the buffet.

House made sodas

There are 4 kinds of house made sodas – Cherry + Vanilla, Citrus + Rosemary, Strawberry + Basil, and Spicy Ginger. I got the Citrus + Rosemary soda and it was refreshing. Probably would go very well with a hot Summers day.

Caesar Cart

During brunch, their caesar cart might make an appearance. A fresh caesar made right at your table. They will have these tableside Caesars for their Easter brunch buffet.

We got a sneak peek of it and got a little taste.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been to this buffet during the holidays and they have good value for what you pay for. Live music is also a bonus when dining here.

It’s pretty popular during major holidays for brunch, so make sure you check out their special buffet menus as well as make reservations in advanced.

Address:
1601 Bayshore Dr, Vancouver

Website:
https://h2restaurant.com

In Buffet

Saffron Indian Cuisine: Lunch Buffet in Burnaby

June 27, 2017

Saffron Indian Cuisine is a popular restaurant for their lunch buffet as it is a very affordable price. My family was in town, so we called ahead for reservations to ensure all 9 of us would be seated for lunch promptly. I’ve heard lots about this place but I haven’t been here yet.

Interior

For weekday lunch, this place was packed. A few walk-ins and a few reservations. There was a good flow of people until around 1:45pm.

The interior isn’t that impressive, but it does the trick. The lunch buffet area is on the right side with all the dishes all lines up.

Naan

Naan bread is delivered to the table and you can ask staff anytime to refill your basket.

Round 1

I went with salad, veggie pakora and tandoori chicken for round #1. The tandoori chicken could have used more depth of flavour and spice. You can tell the spice level is toned down.

Round 2

This round, I got more curry to eat with the naan bread and a few more pieces of veggie pakora. All goof flavours but I wished there were more options in the buffets with spicier dishes.

Dessert

Kheer is a rice pudding, which I really enjoyed. It sweet but not overly sweet. The other items was like a mango yogurt with grapes. I personally didn’t like it.

Final Thoughts

The buffet lunch is a great deal but as it’s made in large batches, it caters to their general customer. If you love extra heat in your curry, you might want to order from the regular menu. I would have preferred playing a similar price for one really good dish at medium heat. Thats just my personal preference. If you like your dishes mild and have more variety, the lunch buffet is for you.

We Rate Saffron Indian Cuisine:

Address:
4300 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC

Website:
http://www.saffroncuisine.ca/

In Buffet

Liberty Tree Tavern: New England Themed Buffet in Magic Kingdom

June 10, 2016

Liberty Tree Tavern is located in Liberty Square inside Magic Kingdom. We made reservations ahead of time with our travel agent so we were guaranteed a spot to the restaurants that we wanted to check out.

They do all you can eat dinner buffet. The food is pretty standard, but it can be modified for those who have certain allergies.

We checked in when it was our time, but it was very busy, so all reservations were bumped back by 15 minutes. The interior looks pretty cool.

It feels like we were transported back in time to an 18th century American Inn.

Dinner is $33 for people over the age of 10 and $19 for those that are 9 and under.

Everyone gets to share:

Declaration salad
Patriots platter
Johnny Appleseed’s Tart

I went with Unsweetened Iced Tea with Lemon and M got his Coke. It was a super hot day, so we were so happy there is unlimited refills. Our server was very good at refilling our drinks without us asking.

Warn dinner rolls arrived with honey butter.

Declaration Salad is shared among the table and there is tossed mixed greens with house-made dressing. It was nice to have a salad that’s refreshing compared to the carb heavy meals we had earlier in the day.

The Patriot’s Platter arrived with mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, green beans on the first plate. All these sides were really good.

On the second plate, there was roasted turkey breast, pot roast, tavern ham, and stuffing. The turkey was a bit dry, but the ham and pot roast were really good.

Of course, there was also a big bow of gravy too. This was good to put on the turkey to counteract the dryness.

Johnny Appleseed’s Tart has baked apples, cinnamon, cranberries on top of a pastry shell. It is also served with vanilla ice cream. I wasn’t a fan of this dessert as it was very sweet.

Overall, the meal was pretty good compared to the other casual dining restaurants in Disney World. If you are a large eater, a buffet like this will be worth the money.

We Rate Liberty Tree Tavern:

Address:
4600 World Dr., Orlando, FL
Liberty Square – Magic Kingdom

Website:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/magic-kingdom/liberty-tree-tavern/

In All You Can Eat

River Rock Buffet: Surf and Turf Night

May 29, 2016

The Buffet at the River Rock Casino in Richmond has Surf and Turf Night on Fridays and Saturdays starting at 5pm. They do not take reservations and can get very busy around 6 and 7pm. Always best to arrive early.

For $39.95 per adult, it’s not a bad price.

They can seat up to 260 people at one time but it is packed during peak times with hungry people wanting all you can eat. Their dishes are inspired by West Coast cuisine.

Since I was leaving on vacation soon, we had to celebrate Mother’s Day earlier. Not a bad thing since it is cheaper.

The line was super long that it flowed out of the lobby.

The staff were pretty good about treating their guests well. They brought lemonade to those who were thirsty.

We got seated about waiting in line for 1.5 hours. We did have a larger group, so it was harder for them to seat us.

Once we sat down, staff came over to take our drink order. Then it was off to scavenge for food in the buffet area.

Crab, clams, prawns and mussels

This should be the first area you go to if you are a seafood lover. The quality is pretty good for a buffet. You gotta get your money’s worth.

The staff are pretty good about making sure that it doesn’t get empty. When I was here, it was always fully stocked.

If you aren’t into cold seafood, they have hot versions near the back. There is cooked salmon, clams, mussel, prawns, and crab legs.

On my first round, I got a little bit of all the seafood. Between the cold and hot crab legs, I enjoyed the cold ones a lot more since it was easier to get the meat out of the shell. With the hot ones, the meat doesn’t slide out very well from the shell and also your hands get more oily.

The other clams, mussels and shrimp were good. I liked the hot and cold ones equally.

On round 2, I went with all cold seafood since it was easier to eat with my hands. I’m a savage when it comes to eating seafood at a buffet.

Roast Carving Station

At the roast carving station, you will find prime rib, ham, and roast chicken,

I grabbed a bit of prime rib and it was pretty good. Nice and fatty with some pink in the centre. Of course, I had to get some fruit and veggies to balance all the seafood and meat I was eating.

You can also get prime rib that is a bit more well done.

Sushi Station

At the sushi station, you will find sushi rolls and sashimi. The items didn’t look that great, so I decided to spend my calories on more crab.

Dessert

The main dessert area has a lot of little cakes. Many kinds, so it might be hard to choose.

Drinks

You can also grab pop and juice. Behind the machines are taps for filtered water and sparkling water.

Ice Cream

Behind the Pepsi and drink machines, there is ICE CREAM and POPSICLES! A lot of people seem to miss seeing these since its a bit hidden.

Double Chocolate Sundae is a good way to end the meal.

Overall, not a bad buffet at all. If you love seafood, you’ll have a good time eating all the crabs, prawns, clams, and mussels. Of course, it still doesn’t compare to the buffets in Vegas, but at least we have something.

We Rate The Buffet:

Address:
8811 River Rd
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.riverrock.com/dining/the-buffet.aspx

In Buffet

Country Meadows Golf Course: Holiday Buffet

December 25, 2015

Country Meadows Golf Course in Richmond on No. 6 Road offers a Christmas Lunch Buffet during the holidays for $19.99, which also includes tea or coffee.

My mom heard about it on the radio and thought the whole family should give it a try. I tried looking on their website for more information, but there is no information about it. I had to give them a call to confirm that they had holiday lunch buffet.

The interior was beautifully decorated with a lot of Christmas items. There’s a huge tree right in the lobby.

The main dining area wasvery nice as it has floor to ceiling windows so a lot of natural light can come inside. It looks like it would be a very nice wedding venue too.

The buffet area wasn’t that large, so at peak times, there would be a bit of a wait.

There is bread, an assortment of salads, noodles, salmon, chicken, turkey, vegetables, pasta, mashed potatoes, and dessert. Not a large selection but it was ok for lunch.

My first plate had a little bit of everything on it. Most items were subpar and I left like a majority of the proteins were overcooked.

Don’t forget to grab seconds. Get your moneys worth.

The dessert table consisted of 5 items – chocolate cake, egg nog cheese cake, fruit, brownies, and nanaimo bars.

Of course we tried a bit of everything. Their cheesecakes were very good

Can’t go wrong with all the fruits.

I ended the lunch with hot green tea. They serve Tazo teas here.

Overall, it was definitely a cheaper buffet lunch in the Metro Vancouver area. You will get full, but the quality is definitely lacking. Since all the food is cooked in big batches, that tends to happen when its a buffet. They also have their regular menu available.

We Rate Country Meadows Golf Course:

Address:
8400 Number 6 Road, Richmond

Website:
http://www.countrymeadowsgolfcourse.ca/

In Brunch

Lakeside Cafe: Breakfast at Harrison Hot Springs

June 24, 2015

Lakeside Cafe is located on the second floor of the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa. We came here around 8:30am to partake in their breakfast buffet. It starts at 7am and goes on till 11am on the weekdays or 12pm on the weekends.

Lakeside Cafe offers dinner too and it’s much more casual than the Copper Room.

The interior is a bit dated, so sitting inside really reminded me of a 90s buffet. We opted to sit outdoors on the patio.

The view is stunning on the patio. If you aren’t too afraid to be a tad chilly, definitely sit outside.

After we were seated, the servers offered us coffee and tea to start off the breakfast buffet. They also give us a pot of coffee so we can refill it at any time.

You can alternatively get some juice if you like. You can’t go wrong with orange juice.

Their most popular feature is their omelette bar. The man that takes care of this area is hilarious! He’s great to chat with and makes all the guests laugh. You can also have plain eggs too if you don’t want an omelette.

You can choose from a variety of toppings.

Once everything is in the pan, you can wait till it cooks. It does take a while and the line is a tad long, but its worth it.

There is a cereal area with oatmeal and different toppings like nuts and dried fruit.

There is also a section for yogurt and fresh fruit.

There is a bread and toast area. When you use the toaster, be ready to catch the toast as it likes to fly out of the toaster.

There’s also the heated food area that I didn’t take pictures of. They have, waffles, bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages, etc. A decent amount of options, but we all know that bacon and sausages are the most important.

I got the omelette packed with a bit of everything. Smoked salmon, sausages and a pile of bacon.

They have fresh fruit, but the fruit was a bit mushy like it’s been siting in some sort of liquid for a while. Definitely could have been more fresh.

M got a little bit of everything, but we both agreed that the quality was pretty average. The options are a bit limited in the buffet and could used more protein options. It was around ~$20 for the breakfast buffet, which is pricey because no one really needs to eat huge portions for breakfast. If you are a huge eater, maybe this is for you.

After we had the breakfast buffet, we took a stroll around the lake. In the morning, you’ll see a lot of wildlife around.

Foodology Disclaimer: I was invited by Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa and my meal was comped. All thoughts are my own.

We Rate Lakeside Cafe:

Address:
100 Esplanade Ave,
Harrison Hot Springs, BC

Website:
http://www.harrisonresort.com/Lakeside-Cafe.aspx

In All You Can Eat

Bacchanal Buffet: Awesome Buffet in Las Vegas

April 23, 2014

Bacchanal Buffet in Caesars Palace is The Strip’s newest buffet. It was named Best Buffet in Las Vegas by USA Today, Las Vegas Review Journal and Las Vegas Weekly. They are heavily advertising all over The Strip and it’s very hard to miss.

They have over 500 items available and once you step inside, you will actually believe it. There’s a long line up, so when we arrived at 5:30pm, we were the last people they let line up. After that, everyone else makes electronic reservations and come back a few hours later. We waited about 45 minutes until we got seated. Even if you have a reservation, you will still be waiting.

If you are a fan of buffets, it’s definitely worth the wait. It costs $50 for the dinner buffet.

The dining is very nice. There’s tons of table inside.

When we got our table, the staff was nice enough to give us a quick tour of where everything was located. We were very amazed by the size of the buffet.

They have a mini juice bar. There’s horchata, grapefruit juice, and some other weird flavours. It was a cool concept but most of the drinks tasted bad.

Included in the buffet price are the usual tea, pop and juice. Orange juice..apple juice…the usual.

The seafood section was the first place where we gravitated towards. It’s where you get your moneys worth! Seafood! These ones are chilled crab legs.

You can alternatively get hot steamed crab legs in the back section of the buffet. They give you a plate full of them.

There are mussels! They were beautifully presented.

Piles of shrimp!

I couldn’t say not to shrimp, so i got some. There are also oyster shooters in a red sauce.

Oyster and mussels. They were ok, but not very fresh, which is expected because they don’t have an ocean nearby.

Ceviche comes in small shot glasses. It didn’t taste very good. Crab gaspacho was the orange item in the shot glass.

Crawfish were there too. It looked spicy, but thats just the colour of their shells. The size of them were a tad small.

All that bread! All those carbs.

A good amount of cheese selection.

Of course, there is also a lot of cured meats. So good.

Feeling like asian food? They have dim sum and a few noodles, rice and soup items.

Even congee with chinese donut. It was pretty decent.

The meat section was beautiful, you can ask for ribs, beef brisket, sausages, ribs, etc. They have a wide variety to order.

There’s also a bunch of sides too. A lot more than this image.

Fried chicken comes in cute little baskets and there are hot dogs and sliders.

There’s scallops, fish, and some veggies.

Beef Brisket, ribs, prime rib and some mac and cheese.

It was so good my other sister got the same thing.

The mains are pretty good, but the dessert has its own selection and boy….there are a lot of choices.

Cake pops look cute.

Panna Cotta and cheese cake.

Macarons, cookies, and some other things.

Lots of cupcakes to choose from too.

Rows of panna cotta and custard. The caramel custard was pretty damn good.

Gelato and ice cream.

There’s so much dessert.

Chocolate covered Long steamed strawberries are a must!!!

There’s a shaved ice station too.

Crepe station and you can top it with whatever you want. Your sweet tooth will love you.

Strawberries, chocolate lava cake and the mochi ice cream.

Macarons, tarts, ice cream and more strawberries.

Shaved ice, strawberry, chocolate, cake and mango pudding.

Overall, it’s a pretty good buffet with LOTS of selection. Pretty decent quality.

Afterwards, we walked to Bellagio to look at the fountain.

We Rate Bacchanal Buffet:

Address:
3570 Las Vegas Boulevard S
Las Vegas, NV

Website:
http://www.caesarspalace.com/restaurants/bacchanal-buffet.html

In All You Can Eat

The Wynn Buffet: Crab Legs, Prime Ribs, and Desserts

April 18, 2014

We went to the Wynn Buffet on a Sunday evening and we were hungry for some food. It is one of the popular buffets in town an costs $38.99 for dinner. It is moderately priced compared to some others out there.

I was excited since I’ve never been to a buffet in the states and I heard they were better than what we have in Vancouver.

We came right at 5:30 on a weekend and there was barely a line. There were people outside checking out prices and what was included.

No one in the queue, which was fantastic!

The seating area that we were put into was very festive with lots of colour and plants. There’s even a glass ceiling so there’s lots of natural light that comes in. Try to get seated in this area if possible.

Drinks come with the price of the buffet and some of us got coke and some of us got green tea.

There were lots of people inside lining up at the different food stations.

The first station that we gravitated towards was the seafood section. We got a few plates of crab legs and shrimp.

After all the seafood, we went into the starters area, where they had lots of cute little dishes.

Of course I had to start with fruits, veggies and mussels. I just wanted a taste of something light.

Beet salad is put in this little cute container. Tasted good but the beet stains easily. Don’t drop it on yourself.

Then we had to get our moneys worth and eat all the meat! Beef, turkey, and chicken!

Prime rib is a must! Try to see if you can get a medium rare piece.

The ribs looked very alluring and smelled great.

Unfortunately, the ribs were SUPER dry. I would try to avoid the ribs if possible. But, perhaps its just our visit.

I love getting the sliced meats. Pretty damn good.

Lots of sausages too. They had 3 different kinds to choose from, but there’s nothing stoping you from trying them all. Thats what all you can eat is all about.

Their pizza’s were ok, but I didn’t get any of this since I didn’t want to fill up on carbs.

A mismatched plate of desserts and savoury food.

Cream puffs looked beautiful but the filling tasted like whipped butter. It would have been so much better with custard.

The Wynn buffet has a good amount of selection, but the quality was just average. There are more items that I took pictures of. The service was good but after a while, we lost our server so it was hard trying to get a refill of our drinks.

I’m still on the hunt for the best buffet.

We Rate Wynn Buffet:

Address:
3131 S Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Website:
http://www.wynnlasvegas.com/Restaurants/CasualDining/TheBuffet

In Buffet

Gyeongju City Tour: Day Tour in Historical Korea

October 28, 2013

We decided to take a day tour to Gyeongju Korea which is in the Southwest part of Korea. As we were staying in Pohang, it was only a 30 minute bus ride to get to the tour. There are buses and trains that take people from Seoul to Gyeongju easily. We took the Gyeongju City Tour as it had pretty good ratings by foreigners.

Gyeongju is a great place to visit as it has a large amount of heritage sites and old ruins.

Gyeongju was the ancient capital of the Silla Millennium. Some of Gyeongju’s most important relics are Seokguram Grotto, Bulguksa Temple, Poseokjeong Pavilion’s original site, Heavenly Horse Tomb (Cheonma-chong), Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory, and Anapji Pond. With a total of 396 registered cultural properties, Gyeongju holds 5.5% of Korea’s cultural properties, and 30% of the cultural properties of North Gyeongsang Province.

The particular tour we went on was Course 1 for the Silla Historic Areas for 14,000 won + 4,000 in admission fees (collected prior to departure)+ 9,000 won lunch buffet.

Singyeongju Station (08:50)
Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal (09:00)
Bomun Lake Resort (passing through)
Bulguksa Temple
Silla Arts and Science Museum
Bunhwangsa Temple
Tomb of General Kim Yushin
Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb)
Gyeongju National Museum (when closed: Wolseong)
Donggung Wolji(Anapji Pond)
Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory
Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal (17:10)
Singyeongju Station (17:30)

We arrived at the Gyeongju Express Bus Terminal late, so we missed our tour bus. Good thing that tour office was across the street so they could help us get to the bus at Bulguksa Temple. We took public transit to meet up with the tour. It was a bit stressful, but it’s good M was there to do all the talking.

The tour goes to 8 locations and before we get off we are shown an introduction video about the location in 3 language – Korean, English, and Japanese.

You can choose to stick with the tour guide (only spoken in Korean) or wander off on your own. Do note, there are NO explanation on what time to come back in english. A lot of the foreigners had to ask around for a translation to make sure they come back to the bus on time.

Bulguksa Temple

The temple area was quite beautiful and had a large enough space to roam around. It is quite far from the city centre, so going on this tour was worth it. Of all the locations of the tour, this place had the best scenery.

Coming on a weekday, this place was crowded with lots of students on field trips. It was packed and so many kids being loud and running around. It did disrupt the whole experience of this place. There was also some construction going on.

Silla Arts and Science Museum

Silla Arts and Science Museum is a 2 story museum with a basement level with six exhibition halls. Its all indoors and isn’t that large. It was also packed with kids, so M and I just skipped the museum and walked outside to look at the pottery stores and grabbed a drink.

Bunhwangsa Temple

The temple is in a small area and it features the Bunhwangsa temple part of the Old Silla era.It was built in the year of 634, so it’s quite old and you can see the aging of the structure.

The other item to look at is their giant bell. You can ring it for a 1,000 won donation.

We didn’t spend much time at this location, but the structure were nice to look at.

Lunch at Myeongwon Shabu Shabu

We stopped at Myeongwon Shabu Shabu for a buffet lunch. It was 9,000 won after taxes. I don’t see too many all you can eat places in Korea, so you know its definitely a place thats just for tourists. We saw tons of tour buses in the parking lot too.

It’s a large space, so you know it’s a perfect location to bring a large amount of people in one sitting. Located in the middle of the restaurant is the long table of food. there’s also signs located around the restaurant saying something about 5,000. There’s no english signs, but basically it says that if you don’t finish the food on your plate, you are charged 5,000 won.

Once a new tour arrives, you can see 30+ people hurrying to get a plate of food.

There’s rice and kimbab.

Nigiri Sushi. You can really see the vibrant green wasabi underneath.

Different types of banchan, which is essentially side dishes.

Different vegetables and kimchi.

The hot items had japchae, bulgogi and some other meat dishes.

The last bit of the table had soup, noodles, and fruits.

Plate #1.

Plate #2.

Plate #3.

The food is alright, but isn’t the best Korean food to represent the area.

Anapji Pond

Anapji Pond is located in Gyeongju National Park and its very beautiful. The pond was part of the palace complex in ancient Silla. It was a lovely place to walk around after lunch. There is a long path that goes around the 3 different structures.

Gyeongju National Museum

This museum houses many ancient relics from the Silla kingdom. There are various building located in the museum, but it was very packed with several groups of students.

Cheomseongdae Observatory in Gyeongju

It’s a small area and the observatory looks like a chimney. It was used as a star-gazing tower and the oldest surviving observatory in East Asia. There’s really not much to do except to stare at this and take photos.

Across from the observatory, there are these hills in the field. There are actually thousands of these spread out all around Gyeongju. They are actually graves for royalty in the Silla Dynasty.

Cheonmachong Tomb

We then headed to Cheonmachong Tomb to look at Tomb #155. The king is still unknown, but you can take a look at the surrounding area and go into the tomb to see what it looks like inside.

There’s no pictures taken inside, but there are just artifacts lining the walls and also a recreation of the burial site.

Tomb of General Kim Yushin

This was the last stop of the day was to another tomb. This one is a little but different as it has stone carvings with 12 zodiac characters.

Overall, the tour was alright, but it was really hard to understand the cultural significance of these locations. The video did describe a bit about each location, but it just isn’t the same. One thing I liked about the tour was that it would be easy to get around to the locations with the tour rather than getting there yourself.

Since I’ve already visited the historical sites in Seoul, I felt like I’ve seen very similar buildings. The one thing new to me were those tombs.

Website: http://cmtour.co.kr/en/course01.html

In Buffet

The Buffet at the River Rock

July 22, 2013

The Buffet at the River Rock Casino is located on the second floor of the building. Every night of the week they have “themed nights” where they feature certain types of food. My mom loves buffets, so she was just itching to come here.

We came here on a Thursday night and the theme was Memphis BBQ Night. They feature ribs, fried catfish, pulled pork and pies.

Dinner begins at 5pm and costs $24.95 for adults, $21.95 for seniors , and $12.50 for kids. You pay for the buffet before being seated.

There are 260 seats in the restaurant, so you can go in really large groups if you like.

The buffet isn’t very large when you go inside. I thought there would be more choices…but there really wasn’t.

There’s a salad bar in the middle with lots of greens to choose from and the toppings to go on your salad. Everything was pretty typical and not too exciting.

There’s also a section of Chinese food… from wonton soup to deep-fried tofu.

Another section made more heartier items to choose from like curry beans, noodles, etc.

The popular items for the night – BBQ ribs, BBQ chicken, and pulled pork was in another section under heat lamps and being served by staff.

The dessert section had fruits with fondue.

It also had other sweeter items to go with the fondue.

Of course there was cake too. A few varieties of cake but a lot of them looked really sweet.

The pop and juice are self-serve but alternatively the waitress can grab you a drink at your table. There’s also coffee, tea and water that you can ask for. The servers are very nice and attentive.

There is an ice cream machine and you can create your own cones. The machine can make vanilla and chocolate…or ever a twist cone!! This machine is a favourite among kids.

A lot of the food here was ok, but the featured items of the night like the ribs and BBQ chicken were very juicy and flavourful.

The beef brisket and the deep-fried catfish were alright as well. The brisket was pretty dry on its own, so you really need that gravy.

I had an addiction for the mushrooms and their chicken. The wonton soup was alright.

The desserts were ok, but the only item that I genuinely liked was the cheesecake.

Overall, I felt underwhelmed about the variety of food here. The quality was ok but I wasn’t very impressed. For $25, I might as well eat a meal somewhere else. I probably wouldn’t return again. Our buffets in Vancouver can’t really compare to the ones in the united states.

We Rate The Buffet at the River Rock:

Address:
8811 River Rd
Richmond, BC

Website:
http://www.riverrock.com/dining/the-buffet.aspx

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In Macau

Grand Waldo Restaurant: Breakfast Buffet in Macau Hotel

October 14, 2012

When we were in Macau, we stayed in the Grand Waldo Hotel. Breakfast Buffet is also included in the room rate. The hotel is nice, but it is quite far away from the ferry back to Hong Kong. It’s also quite isolated from major attractions. There are shuttle buses that take you to the other casinos.

When you enter the buffet, all the seating is on the left and the food is on the right.

There are various assorted food from salads, platters of cured meats, etc.

There are limited varieties of fruits, but the fruits were very fresh.

There are lots of toast and banana bread.

A coffee machine is available to make different variations of coffee.

They also have mini croissants and danishes.

There is an omelette station with someone creating personalized omelettes with your ingredients of choice.

There is a noodle/ oden bar. You can choose what items you want inside.

In my oden, I got fish balls, daikon, and pigs skin. It tasted good and the broth was addictive.

I found the pig skin really weird since there were still hair follicles in the skin. I’ve never noticed hair in pig skin, but this is quite eerie.

You can also get plain congee and put whatever toppings you want! I threw in some Chinese donuts and pickled vegetables.

Croissant, cured meats, beef sausage, breakfast sausage, and eggplant.

Fruit, meats, and cheese.

Overall, the quality is Ok. You do get a variety of dishes you can choose from, but not the best. Since it does come with the price of a hotel room, you can’t complain.

We Rate Grand Waldo Restaurant:

Address:
Sul da Marina Taipa-sul
junto à Rotunda do Dique Oeste
Taipa, Macau

[googlemap width=”620″ height=”480″ src=”https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=grand+waldo+hotel+macau&hl=en&ll=22.183908,113.547478&spn=0.092035,0.151749&hq=grand+waldo+hotel&hnear=Macau&t=m&z=13″]

In Buffet

Mija’s Spanish Restaurant: Buffet At Stanley in Hong Kong

July 25, 2012

Stanley is a beautiful little town on Hong Kong Island. It’s a very popular place amongst locals and tourists. A beautiful historic landmark is Murray House, a Victorian-era building originally built in Central during 1846 as the officers’ quarters of the Murray Barracks. Since then, the building was relocated to Stanley sometime in 2000’s.

Inside Murray House is Mija’s Spanish Restaurant. They have buffet for $288 HK Dollars during lunch. There were other restaurants offering buffets, but this menu looked the best. Mija’s Spanish Restaurant is owned by the King Parrot Group, they own various types of restaurants all over Hong Kong.

You can sit indoors or outdoors. We decided to sit at the patio since it was a lovely day outside. Plus, it over looks the water.

You get a good look at the pier and surrounding areas. Not a bad lunch if you get a great view like this.

The buffet items are inside and you get a good amount of different dishes.

Besides just the buffet item, you can order additional items as well that is included in the buffet price. Plus, each person can choose between oysters or Goose liver.

Oysters were the popular choice at the table. Some others got the Goose Liver and it was pretty good.

Various starters.

Various salads and starters.

Tortilla Espanola with Chorizo and Paella.

Smoked Salmon

There are fresh pineapples, watermelon, honey dew, and strawberries.

There are 3 tiers of desserts in miniature cups. Ranging from Mango mousse to layer mousse with graham crackers.

Various cakes, tarts and profiteroles.

For my first plate, I had to get everything with meat! I was surprised by the variety of seafood and meat.

Round two was a bit of traditional spanish dishes, plus lots of fruit!

For my third plate, it was dessert time! I didn’t indulge in too many desserts since not a lot of them interested me. I got the ones with the mousse textures. Then I got more fruit and prosciutto.

Satay Chicken Skewers can be ordered to your table instead of going up to the tables. This ensures the food is fresh and not lying around of the tables. It tasted pretty good, but a tad dry.

Homemade Meatballs in Tomato Sauce is another item that can be ordered to your table. It tasted ok.

Crispy Fried Calamari was ordered too. The batter was light and delicate. It went well with the lemon and sauce.

Earl Grey Tea with Milk was my drink at the end of the meal. You have your choice of coffee or tea.

During your meal, you can be serenaded by lovely singers and guitar players. I’ve never had this treatment before and it definitely makes your dining experience so much more grand. They knew a lot of old classic songs, plus some newer hits. Randomly we asked if they knew Lady Gaga. They sang ‘Bad Romance’ and it was surprisingly good!

A few hours later, the pier got pretty busy as ships came in to load and unload passengers. It’s a great little area to stroll around after lunch.

You can watch people go fishing and see what they catch. It’s quite fun to watch! Close by, there is also the Stanley Market. You can do a bit of shopping. Don’t forget to visit Jenny Bakery as well because it’s very famous for their cookies. Locals and tourist go crazy after their cookies.

Overall, Mija’s Spanish Restaurant was alight. I love it more for the atmosphere and view rather than the food. The food was decent, but it wasn’t the most amazing buffet I’ve had.

Words of Wisdom:

Good variety of buffet items
Great patio view
Best to make reservations to ensure a good seat

We Rate Mija’s Spanish Restaurant:

Address:
Shop 102, 1/F, Murray House,
Stanley, Hong Kong

Website:
http://w4.kingparrot.com/

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In Buffet

Pacific Buffet: A Buffet on a Boat

April 23, 2012

Pacific Buffet is on the BC Ferries during the sailings between Vancouver and Victoria. Instead of being bored on the ferry, you can stuff your face for 1.5 hrs and have a great view of the ocean. They have breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet at specified times.

My coworkers and I were getting quite hungry coming back from a work meeting in Victoria, so we all indulged in the dinner buffet for $22. For that price, you get access, to the salad bar, chocolate dessert bar, unlimited drinks, and lots of hot and cold dishes.

There are tons of seats around the restaurant. They are much more comfortable than the usual chairs in the seating area.

You can start off with some bread and move down the line to make a salad.

If you aren’t into the usual lettuce leaves, they have spinach and mixed greens. Theres also tons of items that you can add to your salad.

They usually have 2 types of soups available. They can vary, but when I went here, they had clam chowder and a creamed corn basil soup.

Jasmine Rice, vegetables, spring rolls and garlic mashed potatoes!

They have a good amount of main items. I didn’t capture it all on my camera, but here’s a list of what there was:

Chicken Parmesan with Tomato Caper Marinara Sauce
Demi Glaze 5 Spice BBQ Pork Ribs
Braised Beef Ravioli with Gorgonzola Fig Cream
Baron of Beef with Gravy
Prawns with Café de Paris Butter
Filet of Salmon with Shitake Dijon or Lemon Dill Sauce

Their chocolate dessert bar has lots of cakes. It’s hard to choose from them all, so what we did was ask some of the staff what was the best cake. They usually know whats best.

There’s also fruit and cheese.

I started off with some soup and salad. I used the larger butter prawns for my salad rather than the small salad shrimp. I’m probably using the wrong terminology to explain this, but I’m sure you know what I mean.

For the main, I just grabbed all of the items to try. I later went back to grab more beef!

At this point, I wasn’t so keen on trying a bunch of desserts and wasting them. I grabbed what my coworker suggested, got a few other little things and fruit.

Overall, the buffet was decent like most buffet food. As all the food is made in large batches, you can’t expect it to be amazing. There is a good variety and I wasn’t disappointed.

Words of Wisdom:

Arrive there at the start of boarding to have optimal eating time
Good selection of items
May get a good view of some whales swimming
Free wifi

We Rate Pacific Buffet:
Address:
19-1 Ferry Causeway
Delta, BC
Website:
http://www.bcferries.com/onboard-experiences/amenities/pacificbuffet.html

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