A huge fountain waterfall runs down a fake mountain as you walk into the lobby, topped with a model pagoda. The walls are decorated with huge lit pictures of Hong Kong and the Chinese countryside, and Asian-influenced Muzak fills the air. Welcome to Charlottesville's newest and largest Chinese food buffet, China King.
Just opened this summer, China King Buffet is truly a family operation. Jia Bin Chen owns four restaurants of the same name that are spread throughout the Shenandoah Valley. His son Gui Chen manages the new Charlottesville branch, and Gui's uncle and brothers run the ones in Waynesboro, Staunton and the largest of the four which is located in Harrisonburg. Each of China King's individual restaurants offers items and experiences unique compared to the others.
According to Gui Chen, the new Charlottesville branch is the nicest of the four restaurants, and it is definitely a cut above the standard Chinese buffet.
The food includes entrees, soups, vegetables and rice from Cantonese, Hunan and Szechuan styles. The food quality at China King is pretty decent but not spectacular, yet it is unfair to judge a large-scale buffet by a gourmet standard. The whole point of a buffet is that it provides lots of options for food at a relatively cheap price. Unfortunately, none of the items are truly unique or special since they have to be mass-produced, and the culinary energy is spread too thin to make any one dish extraordinary.
With more than 120 daily menu items, however, you are sure to find something you like. Unusual options include jing duo spare ribs, bourbon chicken, seafood-stuffed mushrooms and coconut shrimp. The soups are fine if a bit salty and include egg drop and hot and sour, but not the wonton soup you would expect.
Some Chinese food can be overly heavy and deep-fried, and the egg rolls and spring rolls and some of the noodle dishes fall into this trap. The buffet makes up for it by offering several types of rice and fresh vegetables. Many of the intriguing sauces you can sample - like the oyster sauce, black bean sauce, garlic sauce and egg foo yong - can overwhelm the meat.
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The Mongolian barbecue behind the buffet is the most unusual and striking feature of China King and is included at no extra charge. You can prepare your own plate of stir-fry goods from the selection of raw meats and vegetables and select your own seasonings. A chef will dump your concoction onto the large, flat-top grill and use two big traditional sticks to move it around in a circular fashion. The whole process takes 30 seconds to complete and the custom-designed dishes are delicious.
Our only complaint was that there is only one option for a noodle base, and the noodles provided are somewhat bland and soggy. But spicy or mild, any way you desire, the Mongolian BBQ allows you to take ownership of your dining experience and gives you a sense of self-satisfaction when everything comes out well.
China King is really a gigantic Chinese food operation. The dining room can seat hundreds of people and there is tons of food. If you want to avoid the crowded restaurant in favor of your own home, try the restaurant's take-out service. It's pretty standard - cheaper than the buffet, but of course you don't get all you can eat. Takeout is a good choice because you don't have the hassle of jostling for a spot at the crowded buffet. Another option is to fill up your own box for $8.99 at the buffet and carry it out, evidently China King's version of Hoo's Hungry.
Curiously, onion rings, chicken nuggets, roast beef and macaroni and cheese also can be found at the buffet. These are accompanied by an American-style salad bar that includes fruit, shrimp cocktail and vegetables so that even a member of a party that didn't like Chinese food could find something to eat.
Sushi also is available on the salad bar. Do not expect anything too extraordinary when testing the sushi rolls. The options are limited and the combinations are not of the best quality. There is a good deal of primarily American-style rolls, which involve spices and cream cheese. The California roll was probably the best, but did not rival Harris Teeter's, much less one from a true sushi bar.
The desserts are the standard unexciting salad-bar pudding and Jell-O options, as well as tasty eclair puffs and cake bars. There is also plenty of everyone's favorite: the sugar-sprinkled Chinese donuts.
The buffet is reasonably priced at $8.99 for weeknight dinners, $10.99 for weekend dinners, and $9.99 on Sundays and holidays. There are lunch specials every day for $4.95. Business has been busy, so it seems that China King Buffet is a good new place to try that fulfills the desire for affordable and plentiful Chinese food.
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