Madeline Owens
Lantern Staff
The Golden Asian buffet has excellent Chinese cuisine, and they know what a good buffet should consist of.
Chinese food is a necessity in a small midwest town. Even in my small hometown of Gardner, there are a couple of really good “hole in the wall” Chinese restaurants that were very appreciated.
I love eating at places like these because even though it may look quirky and unconvincing on the outside, the food and welcoming customer service inside keep people satisfied. Having the opportunity to try the local Golden Asian Chinese buffet was something I didn’t want to turn down.
Their prices are very reasonable, with a dinner buffet for an adult pricing at $8.99 and providing a full Chinese buffet experience, including a sushi bar and desserts.
The rows of Chinese entrees included some common favorites, like sweet and sour chicken, coconut shrimp and chicken with broccoli– all of which were very delicious.
A rice steamer provides a basic side of fried or plain white rice to any entree. There is all-you-can-eat crab rangoon, lo mein and rice noodles. Egg rolls and spring rolls line the buffet lines alongside a personal favorite of mine, egg drop soup. The restaurant makes a very tasty egg drop soup, and wonton chips are also provided for dipping.
The dessert options include fruit slices, lime jello, pudding and cream puffs that tasted fluffy and light with a slight hint of cream inside. I enjoyed the cream puffs and pudding quite a bit.
As a sushi lover, I can stomach almost any sushi roll type. I decided to test out the flavor and quality of the restaurant’s sushi.
The sushi tasted very fresh and clean. The cucumber and crab meat in a couple of rolls tasted just right alongside the cream cheese and avocado chunks.
Perhaps my only complaint about the buffet was that both times I have eaten at this restaurant, there was not a chef preparing the sushi rolls right in front of you, so the rolls had obviously been sitting out.
Although the sushi rolls were looking fresh and tasting great, part of the Chinese dining experience is getting to watch the sushi chefs work their magic behind the sushi counter. It’s an interesting thing to watch while being reassured that the sushi was made within minutes of it coming in contact with your taste buds.
A slight disappointment, but my thoughts were counteracted with the sound of chefs working in the kitchen and bringing out the fresh entrees.
I know from this noise that the buffet wants to keep the counters stocked and looking appetizing.
The Golden Asian Buffet has customer service skills beyond my expectations.
The waiters are kind spirited and smiling as they make sure you are seated and have a drink order put in. I really appreciate a happy worker at a restaurant that seems to be genuinely interested in their job duties.
I would give the buffet a seven out of 10, while their customer service is a 10 out of 10. The Golden Asian buffet is a great family and local Chinese restaurant choice, a place that I will certainly come back to and enjoy during my college years.
