Last year Chef Lin celebrated its 15th anniversary, which it commemorated by hanging its new array of the Chattanooga Times Free Press' Best of the Best awards along its front foyer. To date, Chef Lin has received over 15 such awards, including Best Chinese Restaurant, Best Buffet and Best Business Lunch.
This year marks the restaurant's "sweet sixteen," but don't worry about getting a gift for the all-you-can-eat buffet. Nay, Chef Lin's cup - and its plates - runneth over so that yours may, too.
Open 365 days a year for lunch and dinner, Chef Lin's extensive recipes range in flavor, texture, color and ethnicity. For a more familiar taste, its Chinese-American options include fried catfish, ginger scallion shrimp, pork dumplings, honey chicken, baked salmon and barbecue ribs. For diners in the mood for a something more exotic, its authentic Chinese eats include dim sum, which refers to small, bite-sized foods such as beef tripe or chicken feet.
Every day, dinner begins at 4 p.m. Then, one of most popular dishes is Chef Lin's award-winning coconut shrimp: lightly breaded, fried and marinated in a sweet and creamy coconut sauce. Other dishes exclusive to dinner include fried frog legs and oysters on the half shell.
For lunch and dinner, Chef Lin offers endless sushi selections, featuring rolls stuffed with different seafood and diced vegetables and topped with warm, spicy, sweet or salty blended-in-house sauces. There is a made-to-order hibachi station as well as a number of steamed vegetable dishes, piping-hot soups, salad bar options, noodles, dumplings, fruit and more.
Yes, Chef Lin boasts enough of a selection that it can satiate the cravings of the largest of parties - say, for instance, a sweet sixteen party, comprising dozens of hungry teenage guests. In that case, one may consider reserving one of Chef Lin's two private banquet halls: One room accommodates up to 50 people and the other holds up to 150, and making reservations for either space is free.
As the expression goes, "The more the merrier." There is plenty of Chef Lin to go around.
Address: 5084 South Terrace
Hours: Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Phone: 423-510-1998