Sherman's Food Adventures: Mizuki Buffet

Mizuki Buffet

As much as I prefer to eat something new each time I am in another city, there are reasons for a revisit.  This time around, we had just traveled back from LA to Seattle and had just checked into our hotel.  Seeing how the kiddies were tired and the fact Costanza was still a bit under-the-weather, everything pointed to convenience as the main determining factor in our restaurant selection.  To keep things simple, we headed over to nearby Mizuki Buffet, where they would be a little of everything for everyone.

Although I am acutely aware that buffets are never the venue for great eats, it does have its place.  When one doesn't want to think of what to eat and if the kids will eat it, a buffet affords the opportunity for choice and the fact one will probably never leave hungry. The real draw at Mizuki is the Sashimi & Sushi. On this revisit, nothing changed as the variety and quality were impressive.  With surprising options such as uni and hotate, the selection went beyond the usual.  Now, I'm not going to say that the sashimi was great, yet for a buffet, it was better-than-average.  The only thing I would've liked to see was some ice underneath (even though the turnover was fast). 

As you can see in the display and plate, there was the tuna, salmon, amaebi, hamachi, ika, uni, 2 types of seared tuna, tako, aburi salmon, hotate and various marinated sashimi as well as different fish roes.  Moving onto the Nigiri and Maki Sushi, we found the usual including salmon tuna, unagi, tako, amaebi, inari and tamago.  Most of the maki sushi (picture only represents one of two sections) were California or Dynamite Roll based with a few exceptions.  I found the sushi rice to be on the wetter side but not overly mushy.  It wasn't particularly well-seasoned being rather bland.

Like last time, the other options were pretty average at best including the overly tough prime rib, overcooked fish and soggy pasta.  The Chinese Food was pretty typical of an Asian buffet, however, I found the dishes to be rather wet and lacking in overall flavour.  But really, most people bypassed all of this in favour of the Seafood, including clams, shrimp, crab and lobster.  As much as the clams were fresh (because there is no alternative), the shrimp, crab and lobster were obviously previously frozen.  Hence, the quality of the meat was hit and miss.  I found some pieces of crab and lobster that exhibited an okay texture, while some were mushy.

Lastly, the Dessert section consisted of fresh fruit, some baked goods, a chocolate fountain, refrigerated cakes and sweets as well as hard ice cream.  Nothing particularly memorable, but a decent selection that impressed the kiddies.  At the end, we were pretty stuffed and got our fill of sushi and mediocre seafood.  Unlike our first visit, the cost was no longer reasonable.  Our weekend buffet was $28.00 for adults and half for the kids.  For the quality of the food, sushi and sashimi withstanding, the value is no longer there and we will probably not be returning for a 3rd visit.

The Good:
- Respectable sashimi and sushi section
- Decent selection
- Items refilled regularly

The Bad:
- Prices, especially for the weekend, are no longer a good value
- The rest of the food is mediocre at best

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