Its storefront is located in a busy strip mall alongside Lee Highway. But step inside Asia Buffet and you might quickly forget the hustle and bustle happening just outside the front door. The foyer opens into a serene setting. A quaint wooden bridge crosses over an indoor Koi pond complete with a tinkling waterfall. High above is a shimmering chandelier.
I paused next to a large poster telling the story of Asia Buffet’s legendary car giveaway. It showed a picture of the winning guest happily posed next to a shiny new vehicle parked inside the very foyer where I was standing. I glanced around the room trying to decide how they did that. When I couldn’t, I gave in to my other senses and followed the warm, spicy smells into the dining area.
Asia Buffet boasts one of the largest buffets in the Tennessee Valley, offering more than 300 dishes all prepared in-house daily by expert chefs with decades of experience. The vegetables are hand-cut, the beans are hand-snapped and the sushi is made fresh every day. With nine long bars, there is no shortage of interesting and authentic dishes.
For instance, atop the first bar I noticed an enormous heap of red crawfish, chilled shrimp and oysters on ice. Further down, I found buttery swai filets – a fish native to Southern Asia that has a mildly sweet flavor. You can try clams in ginger sauce, squid in hot sauce, spicy octopus salad or veg egg foo yong, which is a Chinese omelet- like dish. Perhaps the most authentic and interesting Asian option is the dim sum.
Dim sum refers to a traditional style of Chinese food prepared in bite-size portions and served on tea plates. Asia Buffet’s selection includes chicken feet, coconut dumplings, shrimp dumplings, spare ribs and beef tripe, which employee Lina Lin calls “Hong Kong’s special food.”
Lina also points out that Asia Buffet offers much more than just Chinese cuisine. “We have Japanese, American, Mexican and even Italian,” she said. There is pizza, macaroni and cheese, chicken wings, Italian sausage and more. Not to mention an array of fresh fruits, veggies and sweet desserts.
With such a selection it is no surprise that Asia Buffet has won a litany of awards over the years, including Best Chinese Restaurant, Best Business Lunch and Best Dinner Under $10. Indeed, it can pay to patronize Asia Buffet. And who knows when the restaurant might host its next giveaway? In the meantime, if you figure out how they got that car inside, please let me know.