Fat Kid Adventure #69: Hokkaido Seafood Buffet (San Mateo)

(Originally posted on March 1, 2008)

This buffet is right next to Ice Chalet (ice skating rink) in San Mateo, so when you go in you can feel a nice healthy chill-down. (What happened when Rachel and I went in.) Unless there's a hockey team playing, then you just smell that swunnnk (sweaty funk). (What happened when we came back out.) Anyway, it sounds Japanese but it's actually Chinese in nature but they do offer a wide range of sushis and sashimis. Now when it comes to being Chinese and eatin' at a buffet, there are some fundamental rules. 1) Only eat the expensive stuff (that means seafood). 2) Do not eat anything with rice because that is starchy and fills you up really quick. 3) Eat slow, so you can eat more. Now we have set the ground rules, let's take a trip inside.

This place is very spacious, there is an incredible amount of above-head space, making you wondering why these Chinese folk not invest on a second floor of dining? There are these rooms that sort of surround the second floor on the four sides of the room, and it reminds Rachel of where the Mobstas would be chillin' at. (Remember Rush Hour 1?) The seating is nice and comfortable, and they are not stingy about putting you in a booth that fits 6 when you only have 2. There is a 2-hr eating limit and a half-lobster/person limit (unless of course you just pay more). Drinks are not on the house unless you got 10+ coming.

The seafood here is mostly status quo - petrale, lots of shrimp (salt-pepper fried, cocktail, honey walnut, etc.), crab meat salad, crab legs, seaweed salad, BBQ calamari, lots of typical sushi, sashimi, and oysters. There are also normal stuff - ribs, chicken, beef & brocolli, Peking duck, etc. So now the UNcommon stuff included baby octopus (whole), lobster (kind of bootleg because you only get half they stuff the shell with a lot of cheese, so the meat is minimal), clams (at least 3 different types), frog legs, and crawfish. So on the whole, this place is not all that special, but it does come with a wide range of selection. I won't go into the dessert selection because it is pretty mundane as well. Worth a try as a on-your-way kind of thing. It's $25/person.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/hokkaido-seafood-buffet-san-mateo