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U-Like Asian Buffet

U-like Asian Buffet on Wilmot Road (Tucson AZ) is now open near the Park Place Mall. I've been driving past its "Coming Soon" sign for several weeks now, and I decided to try it now that it is open.

Apparently, it is owned by the same person who owns the New China Super Buffet (also located on Wilmot). The U-Like Buffet felt like an upgraded version of the New China Super Buffet and builds on its strengths. ULike Buffet was much nicer inside with a nice fountain in the front, a more modern decor, and an open floor plan.

Some of the foods were similar to the food at New China Super Buffet, but they did have some different dishes. A lot of the foods were still on the oily and sweet side, as with most Asian buffets, but everything was still pretty good.

I really enjoyed the "spicy chicken" and the thick noodles they had. They also had batter-fried coconut shrimp, which were deliciously sweet and kind of crispy on the outside. It tasted similar to Panda Express's honey walnut shrimp without the walnuts. I was very happy to see they had mussels that weren't covered in cheese (unlike at New China Super Buffet).

There was also a Hibachi grill and sushi bar. The sushi seemed pretty well refrigerated, as it was sitting on a bed of ice. There was a big boat that had the desserts and the Hibachi fixings on top. Next to the boat, there was an ice cream chest freezer, where you could scoop out your own ice cream. There were 4 different types, and I tried the vanilla & chocolate. The vanilla was OK and was a little sweeter than other vanillas I have had, while the chocolate ice cream had the taste of a fudge bar in ice cream form.

Overall, the food I tasted was pretty good, and it was a step up compared to New China Super Buffet.

Update (July 2015): Unfortunately, it seems U-Like Buffet's food is going downhill. The last time I went there the food wasn't as great. The sauce on their chicken with broccoli was a gross, thick, white sauce that didn't add any flavor. Their spicy chicken was all hard (right after they added a fresh batch), making them practically inedible. After adding a fresh batch of green beans, some of their green beans were very stringy and woody. We may go there again in a few months and see if they are continuing to go downhill or if this was a one-time fluke.

Overall Rating:
Good
Food: Asian Buffet
Source: U-Like Asian Buffet, Tucson, AZ
Price: $9.99 per person (dinner price)
Rating: 1st try: Delicious, Latest try: Blegh-OK

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Trader Ming's Cha Siu Bao Chinese Pork Buns from Trader Joe's
Plate of Trader Ming's Cha Siu Bao Chinese Pork Buns from Trader Joe's

I tried some Chinese Pork Buns from Trader Joe's as a late night snack.

I have never had Chinese pork buns before so I decided to try these. I sometimes don't like eating foods in the middle of other food (if that makes any sense), and I think that was the case here.

I liked eating the outer bready part which was soft and just a little sweet, but the pork on the inside was too sweet for me, and I did not like the taste of the sweet pork with the outer bun. This was similar to Korean red bean buns, and I don't like the sweet filling inside those, either. However, my boyfriend didn't mind the filling and thought they tasted pretty good. For the remaining pork buns, I mainly ate the outer part, while my boyfriend ate the inner pork parts.

Overall Rating:
GrubPug Rating: OK
Food: Trader Ming's Cha Siu Bao Chinese Style Pork Buns
Source: Trader Joe's, Tucson, AZ
Price: $2.99 per package (4 buns)

Rating (Outer Bun): Good
Rating (Inner Pork): Blegh
from Trader Joes

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New China Super Buffet plate

I ate at New China Super Buffet for dinner.

They had moved food around and added a sushi bar & Hibachi grill since the last time I went there. The majority of chicken & beef dishes they had were sweet, but not overbearingly so. I didn't try everything (for example, I didn't try the sushi), but the majority of what I ate was tasty.

One thing I really didn't like were the overly cheesy mussels and crab meat. I might have liked those if they got rid of the cheese.

I tried some chicken and noodles with spicy Mongolian sauce on the Hibachi grill. It was a little too spicy for me, but it still tasted good.

Overall, the food was tasty and on the sweet side, but very oily, and I did get a minor headache (probably from the oiliness of the food). However, it was still probably one of the better Asian buffets I've had in Tucson.

Overall Rating:
OK
Food: Asia Buffet
Source: New China Super Buffet, Tucson, AZ
Price: $9.49 per person (dinner price)
Rating: OK

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