Fusion Buffet

FOOD

Fusion Buffet’s food identity is classic Chinese-American buffet abundance, broadened by sushi, seafood and a few choices that make the line more interesting than the usual suburban rotation. Orange chicken, black pepper chicken, sweet-and-sour chicken, teriyaki chicken and chicken with mixed vegetables form the familiar center. Beef with mushrooms and pepper steak bring another savory lane, while fried rice and vegetable lo mein supply the starches that make it easy to build a plate around whichever hot dish has your attention.

The appetizer-and-soup end of the buffet is worth treating as its own round. Crab rangoon gives the expected creamy fried bite, with egg rolls nearby for something more straightforward. Hot-and-sour soup, wonton soup and egg-drop soup provide several ways to begin before committing to the hot line. The breadth matters here: Fusion is not asking everyone at the table to want the same style of meal.

Sushi adds a cooler counterpoint to the steam tables. The selection is buffet-scaled rather than a separate sushi-destination experience, but it increases the selection of the meal and gives the first plate somewhere to go besides fried and sauced dishes. A few rolls beside crab rangoon or soup can make a lighter opening pass before moving into noodles, chicken and seafood.

The seafood and less-expected items are where Fusion gains personality. Fried shrimp sits comfortably within the buffet formula, while mussels and larger prawn-sized shrimp push beyond the safest choices. Frog legs in particular have followed the restaurant from its Asian Fusion years into the current operation, giving longtime Howell regulars a bit of continuity along with the new name. Fried crab can add another seafood direction when it joins the hot selection, so this is one part of the buffet worth scanning before filling the plate.

Pork ribs are another useful change of pace from the chicken-heavy standards. They make a natural centerpiece for a second plate, especially with lo mein, rice or vegetables alongside. Black pepper chicken keeps the plate squarely in Chinese-American buffet territory with a darker, pepper-forward sauce. Teriyaki chicken, beef with mushrooms and chicken with mixed vegetables fill in the middle ground for anyone who wants something less sweet than orange or sweet-and-sour chicken.

There is also enough uncomplicated comfort food to remain family friendly for young diners. The American side can include macaroni and cheese, and the broader buffet format means children or selective eaters do not have to build a meal around the more adventurous seafood. That flexibility is part of Fusion’s practical appeal: one person can make a plate of sushi and frog legs while another stays with noodles, chicken and familiar sides.

Dessert closes the loop without changing the restaurant’s casual character. Assorted cakes and cookies are some of the more distinctive sweets associated with the buffet, joined by fruit and ice cream depending on the day’s spread. It is an easy place to underestimate the last trip because the dessert line is modest after the hot food, but the buffet’s real strength is accumulated variety. A meal can move from soup to sushi, orange chicken to ribs, frog legs to lo mein and finally baklava without ever leaving the same fixed-price format.