King Buffet

FOOD

King Buffet’s food has a familiar Chinese-American heart, with noodles, rice, sauced chicken and filled appetizers giving the hot selection its character. Seafood and sushi broaden that picture, and the dessert range takes sweetness seriously. Selections change by service and replenishment; these dishes describe the buffet’s established repertoire rather than a fixed daily lineup.

Lo mein and mei fun deserve attention together. Lo mein is the familiar noodle favorite, while mei fun brings thin rice noodles into the selection. Fried rice completes that recognizable trio. These are the dishes that can become the reason for wanting Chinese food in the first place, long before anyone has given the rest of the order much thought. A lo-mein person generally knows who she is.

Sweet-and-sour chicken brings a sauced Chinese-American classic into the hot-food selection. Chicken wings offer another preparation with an equally familiar appeal. They help give King’s savory food that comfort-food character: recognizable dishes that people come to with their own preferences already firmly established. There is a place in a broad spread for the uncomplicated favorite that made someone hungry for it.

Egg rolls, crab Rangoon and fried dumplings keep the appetizers interesting. Filled appetizers are a considerable part of the attraction of this kind of Chinese-American meal, and King’s repertoire includes several of them. They deserve attention of their own, especially from anyone whose usual restaurant order begins with a serious interest in starters. A dumpling can have a very successful lunch career all by itself.

Shrimp, mussels and clams give the seafood selection substance, with crawfish among its wider shellfish offerings. Peel-and-eat shrimp also belongs to the established repertoire. That shellfish range is one of the more distinctive parts of King’s food identity, and a useful reason for a seafood enthusiast to look beyond the familiar chicken favorites. The exact selection still depends on the service. Sushi is another part of the wider selection, with rice-based bites of its own.

Plantains are the interesting little outlier in King’s wider repertoire. They have appeared among the choices, adding a less expected note to a meal built around Chinese-American staples and seafood. For someone who already enjoys plantains, it is a detail with considerably more appeal than its modest place in the spread might suggest.

Pizza and french fries bring American favorites into the spread, with salad and fruit among the simpler accompaniments. Those familiar sides give the food another register alongside the noodles, appetizers and seafood. A little fruit has an appeal of its own after a savory plate, particularly when the sweets are still waiting.

Sugar doughnuts, assorted desserts and ice cream bring lunch or dinner to a comfortably indulgent finish. The doughnuts offer a small sweet bite; ice cream makes a spoonable ending, with toppings among the restaurant’s advertised dessert choices. This is a dessert selection with an uncomplicated purpose. Saving it a little room is a respectable plan, however persuasive the noodles may have been.