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Chinese restaurants in Bowling Green have undergone a curious evolution. Until about 2000, they were sit down restaurants. Now, in the 21st Century, they tend to be buffets and carryout. The food is good but the way it is presented is unique. No other nationality niche in town features mostly buffets and carry out. But these formats don't seem to be hurting business. We have six Chinese restaurants and they all seem to be doing well. Chinese cooking features lots of vegetables, lots of fish, and while they do a lot of frying, it's done differently. Stir frying with minimal oil is much healthier than deep frying American style. And many Chinese dishes are strictly vegetarian. Bowling Green diners also have more of a history with Chinese cooking than they do with other nationalities. Long before we had Mexican, Japanese or Indian, we were growing up with Hot & Sour Soup, Chicken Chow Mein, Moo Goo Gai Pan, and Sweet & Sour Pork. We may not know exactly what's in those dishes, but we know what they taste like, we know we like them, and we feel comfortable ordering them for carryout or at a buffet. Chinese food also has the advantage that an hour after eating it one does not feel stuffed. It is a very lean cuisine. |
China Buffet |
China Express |
China One Buffet King |
Great Wall |
Jumbo China Buffet |
China Buffet is a Chinese buffet that probably does more carryout business than sit in. It offers the same 100 + item menu as its rivals (do they all order their menus from the same company?), so in a competitive market have to compete based on customer service and food quality. This is one of four China Buffet locations (the others are in Russellville, Morgantown and Franklin). House Specialties include Shredded Pork in Garlic Sauce, Szechuan Shrimp and Fried Dumplings. We think their Hot & Sour Soup is excellent, as is their Ysu-Hiang Broccoli (quite lively). Among the main courses on their buffet, we like the BBQ Spareribs and Crab Legs. If you like, you can decline the buffet, be seated and order off the menu with table service. The average entree here is $5-10, making this the least expensive Chinese restaurant in town. Portions are generous at the table and of course the buffet is all you can eat, so if you're really hungry you can definitely fill up here. A lot of these items are pretty rich, so if you're trying to lose weight you'll need to be careful what you order. |
Jumbo China Buffet offers both buffet and sit down service. They have the usual 100+ item menu, so they have to compete strictly on food quality. And they do a good job of competing. We think their rolls (egg rolls and spring rolls) are the best in town. The egg rolls are overstuffed with vegetables and meats, the spring rolls have only vegetables and are smaller and more delicate, but they're both very, very good. Both the sauces that come with the rolls, and the various sauces that accompany entrees, are excellent. They may be the best sauces in Bowling Green. Which bring us to the meats and vegetables which make up the core of the buffet and the sit down menu. Chinese cooking is always a thin line. They like to quick fry, bringing everything right to the edge but not overdoing it. But that edge is tricky. Sometimes meats and vegetables in a Chinese restaurant are over fried, sometimes underfried. We think Jumbo China Buffet does an excellent job of hitting right on that edge almost every time, which gives their food a great texture. The flavor depends on your preference. We've eaten there with friends who consider it bland, and with others who think it just right. You'll have to decide. |
China One Buffet King is the largest and most comfortable Chinese buffet facility in Bowling Green, run by the same family that owns the Beijing Restaurant on Scottsville Road. It has all the traditional favorites and the usual 100+ item menu. The family has been in the business for 25 years and they know how to run a restaurant. The buffet offers plenty of food and the trays are refilled as soon as they get low. The quality of the food is the same as over at the Beijing, which is excellent. There is a problem here with service; half of the restaurants in town have clueless waitresses, and this one has several. They can't answer routine questions about the food or drinks they serve, and they either hover two steps away or disappear completely. You just have to take a hard core view of eating out. You go for the food, not the waitress. Here, the food is worth the visit. Just consider the waitress part of the entertainment. |
Jumbo China Buffet is Bowling Green's newest Chinese cafeteria style restaurant. It features Cantonese, Szechuan and Hunan items, plus Japanese Sushi, Thai Shrimp, Alaskan Crab Legs and Chilean Salmon. They use 100% cholesterol free vegetable oil and reduced Monosodium Glutamate. There are the usual 100+ items including all the usual favorites : General Tsao's Chicken, Dragon & Phoenix, Mongolian Beef and Chicken Chow Mein. They offer a lunch buffet from 11:30 - 3:30, a dinner buffet from 4:00 - 10, and carryout anytime. Like most Chinese buffets, there is so much to choose from it's hard to pick favorites. However, we think their Hot & Sour is their best soup, the Boneless Spare Ribs are their best appetizer, and their various Chop Suey dishes are their best of the regular entrees. And we think their Chef's Specialties menu contains their very best entrees. We really like their Seafood Delight (shrimp, king crab, squid, scallops with vegetables, all in a white wine sauce), Happy Family (pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, king crab and vegetables sauteed with special seasoning), and Subgum Wonton (king crab, sliced chicken, roast pork, shrimp, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, baby corn and broccoli sauteed and served with a crispy wonton), each for $9. |
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