Checking out the Asian buffets
Asian persuasion — Lynchburg sports a variety of Asian buffet restaurants with delicious meals and affordable prices.
When the campus food gets tiresome and students need a change of pace on a tight budget, there is nothing better than an all-you-can-eat buffet. To help students know where to go, the Champion writers have selected the top three Chinese buffets in the area.
Best Selection: China Super Buffet
Super is an accurate word to describe the selection this buffet features. Located in Waterlick Plaza on the intersection of Timberlake Road and Waterlick Road, the China Super Buffet is the largest Chinese buffet in the greater Lynchburg area, according the restaurant’s website. China Super Buffet also offers a sushi bar and American classics like macaroni and cheese.
To start off, the Mongolian pork dish is just spicy enough to wake the taste buds, and the green beans are impeccably spiced with a hint of ginger. Other excellent dishes to try are the sweet and sour chicken, the wonton soup and crabmeat wrapped in bacon.
For dessert, the sugar-glazed Chinese doughnuts are melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Monday through Saturday, the lunch buffet is $6.50, and the dinner buffet is $9.50. On Sunday the buffet is $9.50 all day. For more information, go to chinasuperbuffetva.com.
Best Atmosphere: Jade Palace
While China Super Buffet boasts a wide selection, Jade Palace stands out most for its atmosphere. Located just off the Lynchburg Expressway (501) on Timberlake Road, the restaurant certainly lives up to its name. With Chinese-style architecture and ornate golden dragons flanking its doors, this restaurant invites guests to partake in an authentic experience of Chinese food.
The high points of the buffet include a somewhat rare dish of rice noodles tossed with onions,. The seafood combination is a dish of crabmeat, shrimp and scallops with mixed vegetables and a light butter-based sauce.
For the customer with an adventurous taste, the Jade Palace also offers a Japanese sushi bar. To end the meal on a sweet note, the tiramisu-like squares do the job with a light yet flavorful coffee bite.
The $7 buffet is available during lunch hours Sunday through Friday and features both Chinese and Japanese cuisine. For more information, go to jadepalacelynchburg.com.
Best Quality: Choice Hibachi Buffet
Choice chocolate fondue — The Choice Hibachi Buffet offers a dessert bar complete with a chocolate fondue fountain, fruit selection, cookies and pastries.
The most noticeable aspects of Choice Hibachi Buffet are quality and variety. Newly opened on Wards Road across from the River Ridge Mall entrance, the restaurant includes a Chinese and American buffet, steak and seafood grill, Japanese sushi bar and a large dessert buffet.
Choice Hibachi Buffet has higher quality food than most buffets.
The sushi, surf and turf grill and desserts are its crown jewels. Next to the wide variety of sushi, the grill features teriyaki chicken, steak, salmon, stuffed shrimp and a myriad of other choices.
College students would be perfectly justified going just for dessert. Centerpiece of the dessert buffet is a large chocolate fondue fountain with strawberries and bananas, as well as graham crackers and marshmallows for makeshift s’mores. There is also a sugar-free section for those who have diet restrictions or want to eat healthier.
Choice Hibachi Buffet serves an $8.40 lunch buffet and a $10 dinner buffet Monday through Saturday and dinner all day Sunday. For more information, go to choice hibachibuffet.com.
STOCKLAGER and ADAMS are news reporters.