Asian Buffet - Calgary

The buffet had a good selection, but the food was surprisingly bland. I wouldn't recommend it. The only positive was that they didn't charge me when I returned my full plate. I heard from friends that the buffet is usually fresh, but that was not my experience on a Wednesday afternoon.

My experience at this restaurant last month on a Thursday evening was disappointing. The price per person was $30.99, and the restaurant was not very crowded. Unfortunately, the food selection was lacking and many slots were empty. The crabs were difficult to eat and it was a struggle to remove the meat from the shell. They offered bottomless soft drinks for an additional dollar, but the server did not check on us to see if we needed refills. I had to flag down a server to ask for a refill as our drinks were empty. When the server finally came over, she grabbed our cups with her hands that had just been handling a mop and cleaning supplies. She returned with our cups, but I suspected she had reused the same ones. When I asked the manager about getting new cups for our refills, he said they reused the same cups. I expressed my concerns about cleanliness and proper handling of food, but received a lackluster apology. Overall, I paid $172 for a subpar dining experience and will not be returning or recommending this restaurant to others. I regret not choosing a different establishment to bring my family for dinner.

The meal was disappointing overall. None of the duck dishes were hot, and most were quite fatty. The iron shrimp dish was supposed to be a standout, but was only okay. The orange ice cream was the highlight, paired well with the strawberry. However, I have no desire to return to this restaurant for a third visit.

Our post-covid visit was really a disappointment! At a Wed lunch time 12:15 the restaurant Essen was very cold including the Wanton soup., buffet slots were empty and service was extremely bad. We were “pushed” by the staff from the buffet line and...hit through their cars...both without excuse. We went out and will not return.

We have been to this buffet many times before, though with the pandemic, not for quite some time! We think there is new management?? All female servers who were lovely young women, just different than it used to be. The food always used to be...wonderful...this time not so much. Rice and noodles cold and looked like they had been pre cooked. Other dishes such as lemon chicken and ginger beef lacked flavor and ribs were overcooked. Not much to recommend it I'm afraid. And to top it off, we have had digestive problems for two days since being there......