Orange Buffet

On Sunday, November 6, 2011, my boyfriend and I ate dinner at Orange Buffet in Orange Park, Florida. Orange Buffet is a Japanese buffet. The neat thing about this restaurant is that it mixes the traditional style of a Japanese hibachi restaurant with the set-up of a true buffet.

One of my favorite types of food is sushi. So of course that was the part of the buffet I visited first. My boyfriend and I both filled up our first plates with one of each kind of sushi. Next, we went up for hibachi. The way Orange Buffet has it set up is different from the traditional way, but it was really cool. They had a bar with all the raw meats and vegetables. You filled one plate with all the vegetables and rice you want and a second plate with the meats you want. Then, you hand it to the cook behind the grill, and he cooks it in front of you. When the food is almost done, the cook has you choose which type of sauce you want on your meal. For my dish, I got just about every vegetable available; zucchini, carrots, onions, peppers, and bean sprouts. I also got rice, chicken, and shrimp. For my sauce, I chose soy. It was absolutely delicious, and the best part was that it was exactly what I wanted because I was able to choose my own ingredients. My boyfriend got steak instead of chicken and shrimp, which I tasted, and it was excellent as well. Afterwards, we were so stuff there was no chance of trying the rest of the buffet.

The thing that surprised me the most was the pleasant atmosphere of the restaurant. In past experiences of dining in buffets, I have found the service to be almost non-existent, a lack of cleanliness in the buffet areas, and almost complete chaos. Orange Buffet was different. Our server was frequently at our table to remove plates and fill our drinks, the buffet areas were next to spotless, and everything in the restaurant seemed calm and oriented. I have never felt so calm and relaxed at a buffet. I think this was the first time I can truly say I enjoyed dining at a buffet. I definitely would recommend Orange Buffet to anyone who asked. The atmosphere is calm, the employees are friendly, the food is excellent, and the prices aren’t too expensive. It is approximately $11.00 per person for the buffet. My boyfriend paid $26.71, including drinks but not tip, for the two of us eat dinner.

When you walk into the restaurant, they have a beautiful Japanese picture with a building that looks like a castle, and what I assume to be an orange tree. So, on the wait out I asked the hostess if she would take a picture for us. She said yes, but she said it in a way with such enthusiasm that she almost seemed as if she was excited about it. The restaurant has been across from my neighborhood for about two years now. I cannot believe that this was the first time I have eaten that, but I can say that it will not be my last.