Food and Loafing in Las Vegas #4 – Buffet@Asia

In general, many of my friends & family give me great tips when it comes to places to eat. From their advice in the past, I’ve found some gems that have become ‘go to’ places to grab a bite, or even places to take my Wife for a quiet dinner. I honestly wish that the place I was sent to could be among those – sadly, it’s instead become one on my short list that I will now avoid like the plague.

Before I begin though, let me say this – I’ve actually had quite a few people recommend this place to me as one of the better Chinese Buffets in Las Vegas, so it’s entirely possible my review is off the mark – but I call them like I see them. If this is what people call “Better”, I begin to suspect that none of them have been to either a real Chinese place, or prefer the bland Americanized version that is so commonplace. Either way, I still don’t see the appeal.

Upon entering the Buffet@Asia at 2380 Rainbow Blvd, I was actually impressed with the amount of food on display & the smells that met me. Everything certainly looked good and fresh, and I was also happy to note they had a Mongolian Grill – a cheesy Buffet gimmick prevalent in places like this, but when done right, oh-so good. With 3 others in my party (Yes, I took the advice seriously enough to take other friends), we were lead to the furthest point in the place, and were crammed in literally like sardines. Perhaps I should have taken it as a bad sign that the Emergency Exit was blocked by a table full of diners – a blatant misuse of space that is against the law. instead, I thought to myself “Wow, so busy they need to do that?”

My first instinct was to head straight to the Mongolian Grill. They had the usual suspects – Beef, Chicken, Pork & Shrimp – but also included a hard to find protein, Squid. The Meats looked fresh, but the seafood choices were swimming in ice water, generally a no-no so I avoided them. After selecting Beef and various veggies including Water Chestnuts, Onions & Peppers (Not separated but together, not good for those who dislike one but love the other), Mushrooms, Bean Sprouts and Bamboo shoots. Had to press a buzzer marked “Press here for Chef”, and was made to wait nearly 10 minutes before someone appeared from the back, walking slowly while tying on an apron.

Taking my choices, he then proceeded to place them upon the grill, and asked if I wanted Spicy. I indicated I did, and he went about cooking. This is usually a quick process on a very hot, flat surface. This however took nearly another 8 minutes, and several times I nearly asked him to take the food up. In all honesty though, I’ve never attempted this style of cooking, so my opinion is suspect. Taking the final dish, I selected some Sushi items that were just too tempting to pass up, and returned to my crowded seat.

I wish I had stopped him. The resulting dish was far too overcooked, making the meat dry and rubbery, and the veggies had no trace of the crunch that this style SHOULD have produced. There was also zero trace of Spicy – in fact, there was hardly ANY taste at all. On the bright side, the Sushi was as fresh as it looked, tasty, and the rice was properly prepared as well. Among the other choices I will talk about, this was easily the best part of the meal, and I can honestly recommend that the Sushi (And they had easily 15 varieties) is worth the $13.99 price to get in.

Going back to select more to try, my eyes were instantly drawn to Lobster (Yes, Lobster) in Ginger & Onion sauce. The sauce was amazingly tasty, unfortunately the method they use to crack the lobster resulted in many small fragments of Shell throughout the meat, so after a few small bites after digging out shrapnel from the slightly overcooked mass, I gave up. It’s too bad, because otherwise I would recommend this highly. On this trip I also selected something called Baked Seafood with Cheese, served upon a Clam shell. Avoid this dish at all costs ye who enter here – it is nothing more than store bought Imitation Krab Salad with Cheese on top & heated. Don’t get me wrong – I actually like the kitsch of Krab Salad – but I prefer it cold and on crackers, not heated with Velveeta. Shrimp & Snow Peas and Seafood Combination were basically the same dish with different veggies – the sauce was exactly the same, resulting in a case where you may as well close your eyes and imagine you’re eating the same dish. The Fried Shrimp was nicely coated in Panko, and had a non-assuming flavor. Still, it was not exactly Chinese in nature.

If you’re assuming by now that they are heavy on Seafood choices, you’d be correct. It’s entirely possible the selections I did not try may have changed my review – possible, but not likely. Among the other Seafood choices were Salt & Pepper Frog Legs, Steamed Fish, Raw Oysters, the obligatory Crab legs and Steamed Fish.

I next focused on some classic items & a couple base ones as well. Spring Rolls (Labeled as Egg Rolls which they aren’t) were nicely crispy, but otherwise totally bland.  Cream Cheese Wontons tasted good, but were unfortunately none to fresh, and instead of crispy were dull and listless. Pot Stickers proved to be tasty but undercooked. Some type of steak (It was labeled Rib Eye, but I believe it to have been Sirloin) was unassuming and proved to be tasty but nothing special. Chinese & Japanese style Teriyaki Chicken were both prepared correctly although the Japanese version was missing something in the sauce.

Finally, one of my all-time favorite items – Sesame Balls. When cooked properly, these are actually round orbs with a slightly crispy texture filled with Red Bean paste, a slightly sweet concoction that some don’t like, but I sure do. These however were entirely flat, very undercooked & greasy. They tasted right though, so there was a bright side. I avoided the VERY picked over Dessert selections, but my companions all liked the Chinese Donuts.

Suffice to say, the bad far outweighed the good here. I’m hoping this was just an off night, because I just can’t see how my sources, who usually have good taste, could be this wrong. There are at least 10 more Chinese Buffets in town with a lower price that are far, far better. I’ll get to one of them and post a review soon, so that you can avoid a place like this.

Buffet at Asia
2380 S. Rainbow Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89146-2977

2 Other Locations

Price & Hours:

Lunch:
Mon – Sun 11am to 3:45pm    $6.99

Dinner:
Mon – Thu 3:45pm to 9:30pm  $10.99
Fri – Sat 3:45pm to 10:00pm    $13.99
Sunday – 3:45pm to 9:30pm     $13.99

All Drinks $1.29 (Milk & Juices no refill)