Buffets are always the culprits of making people fat and unhealthy. You pay a flat price and feel that you have to gobble down as much as you could to make your hard-earned dollars worthwhile. In a western buffet like Golden Corral in the United States, you’ll end up eating too much cholesterol and heart attacks in your steaks, shrimps and ice cream. The situation in Hong Kong could be a little more intense as you will be down with a syndrome called I-have-to-eat-tons-of-expensive-buffet-items-to-make-my-HK$500-worth-it. That usually involves some risky raw items like mussels and sashimi.
I’m not going to be hypocritical…I’ve been there and done that. I still love buffets now, but a completely different kind. Some of my friends wanted to go for a Chinese veggie hot pot in a local vegetarian restaurant yesterday. Family style meals is a culture for Hong Kong Chinese. It was great fun to gather around a bubbling hot pot of soup and cook our veggies and noodles together. It reminded me of the vegetarian buffet and hot pot I had two weeks ago. That’s truly the healthiest kind of all-you-can-eat buffet.
For around HK$100 (US$13), you could have as much food as you want from the vegetarian buffet counter, including some of my favorites like futomaki sushi and deep-fried sesame balls. I would call it a vegetarian buffet as it’s likely that there may be some items with eggs or dairy. Check, or ask if you are in doubt. You could also have as much vegetables, mushrooms and all the goodies for your hot pot. There are different soup bases you could choose from too. I picked tomato and satay, one on each side. Yep, the price includes the buffet AND hot pot. So, where is this place that offers such generous choices? It’s at Light Vegetarian Restaurant in Jordan, Kowloon.
I admit deep-fried sesame balls on the buffet may not be as healthy, but vegetarian buffets are definitely the healthiest kind and the least guilty, among all the veggies.
