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CHEF LINAddress: 5084 South TerraceHours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday-SaturdayPhone: 423-510-1998
Since the inception of the Times Free Press’ annual “Best of the Best” readers’ choice awards, every year Chef Lin has been voted the city’s best Chinese buffet. In 9 years, the restaurant has collected nine commemorative plaques from the honor that glitter on the walls of its foyer. Well-deserved as the awards may be, the word “Chinese” is a limiting descriptor for Chef Lin’s all-you-can-eat buffet featuring a vast range of cross-cultural cuisines.
On the Asian side of the restaurant’s endless eats, diners can sample from the bountiful selection of sushi — stuffed with seafood and veggies and topped with spicy, sweet or salty house-made sauces. One of Chef Lin’s most popular options is the Chattanooga roll, made with warm crab salad, cool and crunchy lettuce, and spicy mayo sauce. Other foreign fare on offer includes Asian dumplings, make-your-own hibachi and vegetable tempura.
In the mood for more American flavors? Then one can pile a plate high with fried catfish, barbecue ribs, pizza, honey ham, french fries and more.
The dinner buffet begins daily at 4 p.m. and expands on the lunch offerings to include dishes such as frog legs, oysters on the half shell and the restaurant’s award-winning coconut shrimp — lightly breaded, fried, and marinated in a sweet and creamy coconut sauce. Now, with purchase of the dinner buffet, Chef Lin is also offering crab legs for an additional $5 per pound.
Meaty, succulent and buttery — some tasty adjectives transcend cultural borders.