Before we even moved to Bloomington, I actually had a couple of job interviews at IU. Being curious about Bloomington, and always looking for good, authentic Chinese food (I lived in China in high school, my dad is married to a Chinese woman and he himself cooks excellent Chinese food), I asked a Chinese woman at an interview what her favorite Chinese place was. I realize now that may have been construed as a bit racist, but I was genuinely curious what she thought and, in the interview, I realized I didn't want the job anyway. But, maybe out of spite for that, she suggested this place.
Now having spent time in town, I know that this is very far from the best Chinese place in town. I mean, they have decent Chinese-American food, but that's not why I come here.
My time to come is Saturday for lunch, at about 11:30. Not because I'm that kind of freak about habitual eating (it's only about once a month we come), but because Saturday offers the same $7.50 buffet that the weekdays do, and getting there later means more of a crowd, and earlier means that not as much food is out. I've figured this out over time.
Included in that $7.50 price tag are sushi and hibachi. I could not give less of a crap about the hibachi, but that sushi is actually the main reason I come here as often as I do. I mean, it's all you can eat, and it's halfway decent. They have several variations on California rolls, including a rainbow with slivers of fish on top, a smoked salmon (gross) Philly, tofu skin, and the occasional eel. I've also seen some tempura rolls on the line before. The wasabi is fresh though. I could eat nothing but this mediocre sushi and feel like I've gotten an excellent deal.
For the other food, they do actually have some reasonably healthy, non-fried options, but a lot of it is the cheap Golden Corral variety, but with an Asian twist. They have some really awful kimchi in the salad bar section, for instance. The salad bar, overall, is pretty bad: iceberg, cheap pasta salad, wilted spinach, that horrible pudding that comes in cans... And they also have a smelly seafood tray that I've never been able to brave.
And I should mention that their desserts are awful. I tend to make the mistake of getting some because, honestly, they look SO good. But you actually eat them, and they're awful. It's weird, but it stems from them all being from Sam's or whatever wholesaler they shop at, where they're made for presentation and not for taste. So don't be fooled.
Service is always excellent. They have an army of Chinese women that run around the place, refilling drinks and cleaning up (this place is one of the cleanest restaurants in town). It seems to be very well-run. And it's very popular with the Asian community, who typically make up at least 50% of the diners, which may say something to you.
I would not come here looking for real Chinese food though. If you're looking for Chinese buffet sort of food, with lots of batter and oil, then this is probably one of the better options in town. But at least try some of that sushi. read more