A Big-Choice Chinese Buffet in Durham

A plate at this Durham buffet can take a few different directions. It might begin with steamed flounder and grilled shrimp, turn toward sesame chicken and lo mein, then pick up a few pieces of salmon nigiri before ending at the ice cream station. The room is built for that sort of cheerful indecision.

This is a broad, dine-in Chinese buffet in a spacious former Olive Garden building, with a self-serve spread, a dedicated sushi bar and a made-to-order hibachi grill at the back. It handles the familiar pleasures of a buffet well: a lot of food in circulation, plenty of choices for different appetites, and the freedom to make one plate very different from the next.

For a family table or a mixed group of friends, that range is useful. One person can go heavy on seafood; another can assemble a plate of vegetables, noodles and soup; a child can stay close to fries, chicken wings or chicken nuggets. Nobody has to settle on one shared cuisine or wait for a single kitchen order to arrive.

Seafood gets considerable attention here, and it gives the buffet more personality than a standard lineup of fried appetizers and sauced chicken. Crawfish, crab, tilapia, flounder and several shrimp preparations have all appeared among the selections.

Steamed flounder is a particularly appealing find amid the more expected buffet dishes, while grilled shrimp brings a little char and a just-cooked feel to the plate. Steamed head-on shrimp and peel-and-eat shrimp suit diners happy to slow down and work through a pile of shells.

Availability can shift from visit to visit, as it does at large buffets, so it is best to treat a specific seafood item as a welcome sight rather than a permanent promise. Still, seafood is clearly not an afterthought on this spread.

The main buffet offers the comfortable, familiar choices that make a second lap tempting. Crab Rangoon, egg rolls and dumplings provide the crisp opening bites, while sweet-and-sour chicken, sesame chicken and spicy chicken cover several moods of saucy, savory chicken.

Fried chicken wings add another casual option, and mandarin oranges bring a simple bright note to a plate that may otherwise be heading in a decidedly golden-brown direction. There are meats, fried items, vegetable dishes and salads spread across the broader selection, so the meal does not have to be all one texture.

Noodles are another useful middle ground. Lo mein is among the choices, alongside other noodle dishes, some of them prepared fresh. Roasted duck noodles have also stood out as a memorable pick when they appear.

For a quieter beginning, the soup station offers egg drop, hot-and-sour and sweet-and-sour soups. A small bowl of hot-and-sour soup before heading toward the sushi and grill can be a sensible way to avoid arriving at dessert already full from the first plate.

The hibachi grill changes the rhythm of the meal. Instead of taking only ready-to-serve dishes, diners can choose vegetables, rice, noodles, eggs, a protein and a sauce, then watch the combination cook at the grill.

Chicken, beef and shrimp are among the protein choices when available. Hibachi chicken and hibachi fried rice have been especially popular, and the freshly cooked vegetables and noodles give the meal a warm, made-now counterpoint to the buffet line.

It is an easy stop to make early in the visit, then return to a table while the rest of the plate comes together. The grill also lets two people sharing a table eat at very different tempos without turning lunch into a negotiation.

The restaurant’s sushi bar has its own chef, rather than treating sushi as a few rolls tucked into a corner of the buffet. Assorted sushi is available alongside familiar pieces such as salmon nigiri, tuna and surimi crab.

Sushi can work as a light first plate, but it also makes a good late-visit detour after a helping of hibachi or seafood. A few pieces of nigiri offer a clean change from fried foods and rich sauces.

That separate sushi station is one reason the buffet works well for groups with widely different ideas about lunch. A seafood-and-sushi plate, a hibachi bowl and a simple helping of chicken and fries can all come from the same outing.

Dessert is not limited to a token tray of sweets. The ice cream station has included at least eight flavors, with mint chocolate chip, Oreo and birthday cake among the options.

There is even a long-handled scooper at the station, a small practical touch that helps when the tub is deeper than expected. A bowl of birthday-cake ice cream may not be the most traditional finish to a Chinese buffet meal, but that is hardly the point.

The ice cream selection can vary, so a favorite flavor is not guaranteed on every visit. The pleasant certainty is having a cool, uncomplicated finish after a plate of spicy chicken, noodles or grilled shrimp.

Inside, the restaurant is clean, roomy and well cared for, with booths and larger seating areas. There is space for a solo diner who wants a quick lunch as well as groups of roughly 10 to 20 settling in for a longer meal.

Service stays in the background in the useful way buffet service should. Used plates are cleared promptly, drinks are refilled, and diners are free to keep circulating among the stations without feeling rushed.

The format is naturally casual and self-paced. You can make a quick pass through soup, a few main dishes and dessert, or linger over hibachi, seafood and sushi before deciding that one more dumpling is entirely reasonable.

The restaurant can fit easily into a Durham day that includes nearby Duke University or a visit to Sarah Duke Garden. It is a particularly practical meal when a group has spent the morning doing separate things but would rather not spend another ten minutes debating where to eat.

A free parking lot has plenty of space, which keeps the arrival simple. Once inside, the choice is less about finding one perfect entrée than building a meal a plate at a time.