what a great name. i mean really – super buffet. that’s a good buffet. only beaten by mega buffet, which of course is beaten by ultra buffet. i guess the best would be “ultimate buffet”. could you imagine going there? ULTIMATE BUFFET. you would never need to go to a buffet again…
well, barring a trip to colorado, it looks like super buffet will have to do. which is alright with me, because the asian super buffet is fairly super. located in wesley chapel on SR54 near bruce b downs, super buffet takes over the location from a failed johnny carino’s, going from italian to chinese/japanese/asian (i’m pretty sure it was……. asian). it was a nice, big joint, so the people moving in had a lot to work with. and they have really made it their own.
it’s got a big buffet. i mean, that’s the whole thing. a huge, wacky buffet. it’s in the center of the restaurant, and this picture does not do it justice (blurriness aside). on the right in the picture you see three main bars with the majority of what you’re going to get (and some hilarious american dishes you won’t touch, such as overcooked cardboard pizza). to the left side of the main bars in the picture is the huge sushi bar, in the middle of which you can see sushi chefs tirelessly churning out fresh rolls. and there is a dessert bar near the wall. in the back, you will find a small bar with raw items you can pick from and have a chef cook for you at the mongolian grill. nice.
all around the center buffet are rooms with seating in them, and a few scattered television sets. every ten feet or so stands a server, quietly observing everyone, ready to refill your drink the moment you need it. for a buffet, this place has frightening great service.
ALWAYS START A CHINESE MEAL WITH EGG DROP SOUP. if you don’t, you’re a jerk. or maybe it’s a texture thing you’ve got? i dunno i guess you don’t have to, but i always do. it’s like saying a blessing, if blessings were eggy and delicious, sometimes with chives. so… much better. their soup was about average; nothing special, but it gets the job done.
PLATE ONE: first trip up, grabbing the best of the best: spring roll, egg roll, lo mein noodles, fried rice with pork, mushroom pork, peppers with steak, and a couple coconut shrimp. all fairly delicious. as with the egg drop soup, nothing was particularly incredible, but it was all about as good as the majority of chinese food you’ll find. with the exception of the coconut shrimp – i don’t know exactly what they used, but it was sweet and delicious. if i had to put money on it, i’d say sweetened condensed milk with coconut. but it was wonderful.
actually, they featured a lot of seafood dishes at this place: crab, oyster, shrimp, fish, scallops, etc. this seems like it should be a big draw, because they do a pretty decent job with it. but i am not the biggest seafood fan, so i did not waste precious stomach space on seafood. instead, i forged on with:
…actually, truth be told, the first was the only plate i took a picture of. not that the other items weren’t worthy of photography, but i got caught up in “buffet madness”. they had a lot of other good dishes that i just can’t remember without pictures. bad memory/food daze. sorry! but i did photograph:
my mongolian grill plate. i got noodles and mushrooms, onions, zucchini, and medium-rare steakz, with a teriyaki sauce. mm. yes. this was quite good! cooked to order, and quickly. there were a whole bunch of other options, such as chicken, pork, shrimp, and scallops, but i had to go with steak. they did limit your steak portion though. weaksauce.
and though i took no photos, i have to mention that their sushi is pretty good. i tried a few pieces and was satisfied; it’s not the quality you’d be getting at an actual sushi place, but it’s far superior to what you’d expect at a buffet (i’m looking at you, china buffet!). it’s about on par with publix sushi. but their variety (probably ten different rolls and some nigirizushi as well), freshness, and ease of access makes it worth stopping by just for the sushi.
and then there was this. a little taro bun. nothing special, shoved in the back between some plates and the soups. but i loved this little guy! i’ve never had one, but i definitely appreciate taro and taro products, so i knew i needed to try it. it was a soft, squishy little bun with a bit of taro paste on the inside, just lightly sweet. i want a million of them. try it!
so, all in all, super buffet was a pretty good experience. with a drink, it came out to about $16, which was not bad considering the variety of food options available. it does suffer from the food being mostly average, but i feel like most chinese places you’ll go are likely to be strip mall cookie cutter, with the same menu and the same average food at each. at least here you get all you can eat. and sushi and mongolian grill additions make this that much more worth trying (though if you’re looking for one or the other in particular, kaisen or kobe would serve you much better). i recommend it, though i wouldn’t stick around if there’s a line outside… screw that.
