Mika Buffet

If you pay attention to my eating patterns while I'm in the States, I try to do at least one buffet.  I'm acutely aware of the questionable quality of buffets where quantity definitely reigns supreme (ol' Iron Chef reference!)  But with 4 kiddies, an Asian buffet is just what the doctor (well, no doctor would really recommend a buffet...) ordered.  We decided on Mika Buffet in Federal Way as the kids were pretty hungry.  Let's just say the car ride home would be exponentially more enjoyable without complaining youth.

And on that note, we started with the Sushi Bar.  Yah, maybe my daughter might bite, but there is a better chance of being photobombed by the Kayne and Kim Kardashian than my son touching the stuff. As expected, the sushi rolls were all variations of a California or dynamite roll with different toppings and applications.  Pretty typical buffet sushi, but not offensive where the rice was actually chewy instead of being dry.  The limited nigiri sported thin slices of fish which were a bit spongy, but not in the least fishy tasting.

Moving onto the Chinese Hybrid Asian Food section, some of the stuff wasn't all that impressive.  But there were a few gems especially the plump buttery clams.  The mussels were not a good as they were overcooked and no longer moist.  I found the veggies in this section surprisingly vibrant despite sitting in a chaffing tray for who knows how long.  I tended to avoid the fried items as they were rather dry and merely doused with some form of sauce.  Off in another section, there was a selection of fried items as well as some Dim Sum including steamed buns.  Right next to it was a choice of 3 soups.

Included in the buffet was an udon bar and a Mongolian Grill.   We ended up getting a chicken udon for my son, which he dusted off.  The soup was pretty laughable as a dashi, but it wasn't offensive.  For myself, I decided to try all the meats including some noodles and various veggies.  There wasn't really a choice of sauce other than whether I wanted more garlic or not.  This was "okay", but the noodles became quite soggy while the beef was really chewy.  Other than a small salad bar, there was some various desserts including hard ice cream.  For dinner, there would be a chocolate fountain as well.  Overall, Mika did the job for us with very little fanfare.  Considering lunch only cost us $11.95 per adult and the kids were based on age, we were okay with the mediocrity.

The Good:
- Large selection
- Food is okay for a buffet
- Pretty comfortable seating

The Bad:
- Food is okay, but naturally not great either
- Our plates were beginning to stack up without anyone removing them