All you can eat crayfish @ IKEA on Aug 19th!!

Before I say anything else, I just want to state that this is not a paid post and I am not being compensated in any way by IKEA. I was surfing through IKEA's website the other day and came to know about this promotion. It sounds like an awesome deal, so I figured I'll share it with all of you. In honor of their Swedish roots, IKEA would hold a "kraftskiva" (crayfish party) sometime in August every year. This year, it will be on the 19th of August, in all IKEAs nationwide. For those of you who don't know (myself included!), the "kraftskiva" is one of the most important social events in Sweden. Friends would gather to feast on crayfish while partying the night away. From what I understand, this is a very popular event and tickets run out pretty fast. So, Kevin and I decided to drive out to IKEA to get ourselves 2 tickets before they are all gone.

For only $9.99, you get an adult ticket and that gets you entrance as well as unlimited crayfish (as well as other food items) to the Crayfish Party. Kids only pay $2.49! Check out the menu for the all you can eat buffet below.

Tossed green salad
Cucumber salad
Hard boiled eggs with mayo and shrimp
Shelled on prawns with cocktail sauce
NAJAD salmon with horseradish or mustard sauce

Crispbread, Criprolls, Dinner rolls
Assorted Swedish cheese
Meatballs with Lingonberries
Crayfish
Mashed Potatoes
Boiled Dill New Potatoes

Assorted Swedish desserts and cookies
Coffee, tea and fountain beverages

Not bad for $9.99, right? We have gotten tickets for the Crayfish Party at the IKEA in Port Elizabeth, NJ. If any of you are planning to be there, drop us a line. We'll see you there!! Now, let's get this crayfish party started!! Woot woot!!!

Family Buffet King - Bloomfield, NJ

We were in the mood for some Chinese food a couple of weeks ago and decided that we should go for a buffet. Instead of going to our usual Chinese buffet place in Clifton, we decided to try some place new. Who knows, we might find one even better than the one in Clifton. So, I went online to read up reviews about some of the buffet places near our apartment. There were quite a few, but one particular place kind of stood out. According to the reviews, it's really good and affordable. Sounds good to me!
So, we headed out to Bloomfield (just one neighborhood away from us) to check out Family Buffet King. When we initially saw it's address, we were pretty worried about parking. It's on Bloomfield Avenue and since that's the main street of Bloomfield, parking can be a problem sometimes. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find a parking lot (with free parking!) situated just next to it. Yay! When we walked in, we noticed that it was almost full but there wasn't a single Chinese in that Chinese buffet (not counting the owner and servers :P). To me, that's a big oh oh! An authentic Chinese buffet would be filled with Chinese families on a Saturday night.
The servers as well as the owners were really friendly though. They really made we feel very welcomed. While walking in, I noticed that the grill section was out of order. That kinda sucks, cos we were really looking forward to some grilled steaks. I don't know if it was just for that night or if it has been out since forever. Ahhh well, maybe the rest of the food would make up for it. I made the appetizer section my first stop in the buffet line. I was rather disappointed. The selection wasn't really that great. A few different salads, some mussels and rather tiny shrimp. There are a few small trays of sushi rolls, nothing really impressive at all. There were also three different types of soups to choose from and I tried the Hot & Sour soup. A little too starchy but not too bad I guess. Kevin wanted to try the Wonton soup but he soon realized that there were no wontons left in it! So, he didn't take any :(
Disappointing appetizers...what about the main dishes? Well, if you are looking for authentic Chinese food, then you are in the wrong place. However, they have a rather good selection of American Chinese food as well as some American food. You can pretty much find the entire menu of a typical Chinese take out restaurant there. Not too bad if you like American Chinese food. Of course, I was hoping for more authentic stuff, so I wasn't really impressed.
Time for dessert! Now, here is the funny thing. The layout of the dessert section was really weird. The desserts are not grouped together in a special section. You have to walk the entire buffet line to pick out your desserts from various sections. Also, we couldn't find any ice cream in that buffet. That's rather surprising, since ice cream is pretty much a staple in Chinese buffets. The dessert choices were not really huge but I did enjoy the apple strudel though. I guess that was the highlight of my whole evening.
Our total bill came to $26.94. Not too bad at all. Their weekend dinner buffet is $11.59 per person and their regular lunch buffet is even cheaper. I believe it's only $8 or so. That's really affordable for a buffet. However, the food selection was rather disappointing for me. So, if you are looking for a cheap American Chinese style buffet to go to, then this is the place for you. However, if you want to go for a buffet that serves more authentic and higher quality Asian food, then I would give this place a miss.

Family Buffet King - Bloomfield, NJ
619 Bloomfield Avenue,
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
Tel: (973)743 2666/6268

Amiya Contemporary Indian Cuisine - Jersey City, NJ

After having two consecutive meals at Malaysian restaurants, I was pretty glad (secretly happy too, since I lovveee Northern Indian food :P) that Kheng suggested Indian for lunch the next day. We decided that we should check out one of those weekend buffet lunch places but the question is...which one? Kevin and I love the buffet in Rasoi so we figured we should just go there. After thinking about it for a bit, we decided against that idea because of it's location. It's located right in the heart of Newark Ave aka Indian Square and it's pure madness to even try to get a parking spot there during the weekend. It's just so busy, with people shopping for groceries, eating at the many Indian restaurants along that strip and going about doing their weekend errands.

I searched the Internet for another Indian restaurant and found Amiya. Unlike all the other popular Indian restaurants, it is not located along the Newark Avenue strip. Located smack at the center of the Harborside Financial Center in Jersey City, it's worlds away from the busyness and commotion of the ever popular Newark Avenue strip. It's really convenient to get to as well. If you drive, they offer free parking at a neighboring parking lot (there are also plenty of off road parking as well). It is also located near the light rail train stop as well as the PATH trains (get off at the Exchange Place station).

During the summer months, they also offer al fresco dining. Surrounded by greenery and blooming flowers, it can be quite a pleasant setting for a quiet and leisurely weekend brunch. Also, it is just one block away from the waterfront as well as the view of the lower Manhattan skyline. Since it was an extra hot day, we decided to sit inside. The interior was also tastefully decorated, with chic contemporary decor.

All three of us had the buffet lunch. Priced at $13.95 per person, I felt that it was quite a good deal (considering the location. quality of food and it being a weekend). I think the weekday buffet lunch is only $10.95 per person. I didn't bring my camera along to take pictures at the buffet line because of two reasons. Number one. It's relatively an upscale restaurant, so I don't think they would appreciate me going around with my camera, taking pictures of their buffet line up. Also, there were quite a lot of people in line and I didn't want to slow the people down. Anyways, here is a selection of some of the things I took from the buffet. One dish that really stands out is the tandoori chicken. Usually, the tandoori chicken that you get from buffets are pretty hard, dry and cold. This is because tandoori chicken is best served piping hot and doesn't do that well when it sits in a buffet. However, the tandoori chicken here was awesome! Nice and juicy...mmm mmm mmm! Oh, the nan was super yummy too! I feel that the food quality is generally pretty good, across the board. My only complain is that there wasn't much of a selection, compared to say, Rasoi.

Another thing I like about this buffet is that their thosai is made to order. There is a little booth at the end of the buffet line and the chef whips up batch upon batch of fresh thosai. You can either ask him to make just regular thosai or thosai masala. Also, he makes them in really tiny portions, so it doesn't fill you up. Just the correct amount. I ordered one piece of thosai masala and I must admit, it's really really good. Crispy on the outside, filled with yummy potato masala on the inside. I would have ordered more if I wasn't so stuffed from all the other delicious food from the buffet.

Overall, I would say that the weekend buffet in Amiya is pretty reasonable and value for money. I am not Indian, so I cannot really say if the food is authentic or not. However, I can say that it tasted pretty awesome to me! If it helps, I would like to add that the entire restaurant was full when we were there and we were the only non Indians there. I guess it must be pretty good and authentic then? Anyways, for a little over $15 a pop, I must say that it's a good place for a relaxing weekend brunch with family and friends. Will definitely return.

Amiya Contemporary Indian Cuisine
Harborside Financial Center, Plaza V
160 Greene Street
Jersey City, NJ 07311
Tel: (201) 433 8000
Fax: (201) 433 8866
Web: http://www.amiyarestaurant.com/

Century Buffet Bar & Grill - Clifton, NJ

Let's take a break from the Langkawi travelogue for a bit and see what we have been up to recently back here in NJ. We were out shopping in Clifton last weekend and before we knew it, our tummies were rumbling and it was already time for lunch. For those of you who are familiar with the Clifton Commons area, you would know that they are many restaurants and eateries to choose from. So, we decided to get in the car and drive around to see what there is to eat.

We drove by Century Buffet and saw quite a number of cars in their parking lot. We have driven past Century Buffet quite a number of times before and we always wondered, what kind of buffet it was. There wasn't any sign outside indicating if it was a Chinese buffet, Pizza buffet, Seafood buffet...etc. So, we decided that today was the day that we would go check it out.

From the moment that we walked into the restaurant, we knew that it was a Chinese buffet. It had all the typical 'decorations' and 'furnishings' of a Chinese buffet. There was a big board at the entrance with all the prices too. The prices looked pretty reasonable. A regular weekday buffet lunch is $6.95 per adult and dinner is $11.95. On weekends, they have a special buffet brunch which cost $11.95 and dinner is $13.95. There is also a 10% discount for all senior citizens and kids under 2 ft eat for free!

We ordered our soda ($1.50 each with free refills) at the counter and they brought us to our table. On the way to our table, I took a quick glace at the buffet and it looked larger than the usual Chinese buffets that we are used too. Good! :D We started by trying out some of their soups, I had the Hot & Sour Soup and Kevin had the Wonton Soup. I believe there were 6 or 7 different types of soups to choose from.

Next, we headed to get our appetizers! There were all kinds of salads (crab salad, pasta, salad, potato salad, garden salad...ect) to choose from but we went straight for the seafood :P Fresh oysters, mussels, scallops, broiled crawfish, jumbo shrimp, two types of crabs, a few types of sashimi, freshly made sushi rolls...there were so many stuff to choose from, I just couldn't remember everything! Very very good selection for the price we paid.

After the appetizers (we were already pretty filled up then :P), we headed to check out the hot food section. It is basically split into three sections. There is the 'American' food section - pizzas, chicken wings, roast chicken/turkey, nuggets, pasta...you know, the whole works, the 'American Chinese' food section - BBQ pork ribs, sweet sour chicken, teriyaki chicken on a stick, pretty much the stuff you would get from a typical Chinese take out restaurant and lastly, the 'Authentic Chinese' food section. There was a dim sum section as well as a host of super yummy Chinese dishes like Steamed Fish, Vegetables with Mushrooms, Stir Fried Lobster Tails, Peking Duck, Stir Fried Venison and the list goes on! The picture is the selection we got from the American Chinese food section. I didn't take anymore photos after that, we too busy eating :D

By the time we were ready for dessert, we were already too full to take too many things. Apart from the stuff in the photo, they also had quite a big selection of cakes, donuts, sago, different types of pudding and ice cream (both soft serve and regular). Overall, we had a awesome lunch and I think that the food served here is tasty and fresh. The price is also reasonable and if you were to head over to their website, you can print out some coupons too. Definitely worth a return visit!

Century Buffet Bar & Grill - Clifton, NJ
166 Main Avenue,
Clifton, NJ 07104
Tel: (973) 471 8018/8718
Fax: (973) 471 8665
Web: http://www.centurybuffet.net/

Grand View Buffet @ The Rivers Casino

This is a backdated post. I have to apologise for not blogging much recently. I have been pretty busy with various stuff these couple of days. I promise I'll try to catch up with my blogging the next few days :P Anyways, since Kevin's sister was spending Christmas with her husband's side of the family, we ( Kevin, my MIL and myself) decided not to cook a big Christmas dinner, since it was only the three of us. We have been wanting to check out the brand new Rivers Casino since it opened it's doors in August 2009. When I found out that the Grand View Buffet @ The Rivers Casino is having their special Holiday Buffet on Christmas Day, PERFECT! We could go for the buffet and check out the casino while were are there.

The Rivers Casino is located on the North Shore, just next to Heinz Field, PNC Park and the Science Center. It's fairly easy to get to, but traffic can be pretty bad on game day! There is ample parking at the casino's multi story car park and parking is free at the casino..how nice :D

The Holiday Buffet runs from noon til 8pm and it cost $21.95 per head (includes sodas, coffee, tea or water). Oh before I forget, since it's in a casino, there is a no children policy. All diners have to be 21 and above. On regular days, the lunch buffet cost $13.95 and dinner is $24.95. There is also a All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Extravaganza Buffet on Fridays ($26.95) and a Champagne Brunch ($19.95) on Sundays.

True to it's name, the Grand View Buffet has an excellent view of the Ohio River, The Point, the bridges as well as part of the Pittsburgh skyline. There are glass windows, ceiling to floor and you can even dine on the outdoor terrace during the warmer months. It was such a treat to see the sun go down and the city lights slowly lighting up. We could even see the huge Christmas tree at The Point! Very very nice.

The buffet was a pretty large spread. As you can see from the photo, the salad bar was huge! There were all kinds of dressings and toppings...mmm mmmm good! We also had a choice of a few different kinds of soups.

The rest of the buffet was split up into various cuisines. There is the Italian -where you can try out many different types of pasta and pizzas, the Asian - a selection of dim sum, sushis, makis and quite a number of different Chinese dishes, the Bar-B-Que - there were all kinds of roasted meats and a carving station and the American - some good ol American comfort food like mashed sweet potato, green bean casseroles, creamed spinach, basically all the popular traditional American Christmas food :D There is also a huge Dessert bar with all kinds of Christmas goodies.

Oh, there is also a Mongolian section. You just pick the type of noodles and vegetables that you want, choose the sauce that you like and the type of meat ( you get to choice of beef, chicken, pork, shrimp and/or scallops). I chose yellow noodles, some mushrooms, a few different kinds of vegetables, teriyaki sauce with scallops and shrimps. Then the guy will fry it up for you on the traditional Mongolian hot plate. Pretty cool eh? The guy was so liberal on the scallops, I swear, he dumped in more than 30 pieces of bay scallops! Don't get me wrong, I love scallops...but this is wayyyyyyyy too much :P
Here is a picture of our appetizers. Well, appetizers for me and my MIL. Kevin didn't waste any time with appetizers, he just dove into the main course! :P

After filling up on the buffet, we just walked around (to digest all those food) and took photos of the nice decorations. We could also enjoy the amazing view from various parts of the casino. We then headed down to the the casino floor to check it out. It's not really that interesting, since there were only machine games (PA doesn't allow table games). After losing 10 buckaroos on the slots, we decided to call it a night and headed home. We had a great Christmas dinner and my mother in law even said " Hmmm, maybe this can be a new Christmas tradition..." :D

Grand View Buffet @ The Rivers Casino
777 Casino Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Tel: (412) 231 7777
Web: http://www.theriverscasino.com/dining/grand-view-buffet

Rasoi Indian Restaurant

Kevin was on vacation yesterday ( replacement for 4th of July), so we decided to head out to 'Little India' in Jersey City in search of a cheap and good Indian buffet place. Little India in Jersey City is located on Newark Ave, between Kennedy Blvd and Tonnelle Ave.

We have always driven pass it on the way to the PATH station in Journal Square but never stopped to walk around. It was quite interesting actually, the whole road was lined with all kinds of shops. From jewellery shops, restaurants, bakeries, clothing stores to grocery shops. Check out this sale going on in one of the clothing stores. 3 saree's for $51! Not too bad at all :D

There were so many Indian restaurants on that strip, we didn't really know which one to pick. Then I remembered reading an online review about Rasoi, so we decided to go check it out.

The decor of the restaurant looks a little bit more upmarket compared to some of the other places and the staff are all very friendly. They told us that the buffet runs from 11:30am to 3:00pm on weekdays and 11:30am to 4:30pm on weekends. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and from 3pm til 5pm on weekdays. The buffet is $9.95 per person, not too bad at all.

Here is Kevin at the appetizer and vegetarian section of buffet line. They split the buffet into two sections, vegetarian and non vegetarian. There is quite a large spread of dishes here, ranging from things like samosa choley for the appetizer to vegetarian specialities like navratna korma (mix vege in mild curry), aloo gobi (fried cauliflower and potatoes in spices) and my all time favorite, saag panner (spinach with cottage cheese)!! I can eat saag panner everyday and not get sick of it. I also like thier mushroom chilli, it's deep fried oyster mushrooms, cooked in some sort of chilli sauce. It's really really good but spicy too! There are a whole lot more dishes on the buffet line but I sorta forgot what their names were :P

In the non vegetarian section, they had tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, chicken makhai and a few other stuff that I also forgot. There were also rice, naan bread, puri and papadums to eat with all the curries.

This is my plate after returning from the buffet line, a little bit of everything! :D I also like how the waiters would walk around with piping hot and fresh naan bread, just in case you need more to go with your food. They were also very efficient in topping up my water. I'm sure all of you know that my tolerance for spiciness is really low, hence, the water level in my glass also goes down real fast :P They never once let it go down beyond the half way mark, in fact, the waiter would pour in more water the moment I set the glass back down on the table after taking a drink. They must have done that at least 5-6 times! Very very impressed.

The dessert section of the buffet is not really that big. There were only three things to choose from. They had the Kheer (boiled rice with milk and sugar, flavored with various types of nuts), Gulab Jamun (solidified milk balls, deep fried, soaked in sugar syrup) and some sort of Burfi. Even though the selection is small, they tasted greeeaaattt! I am usually not a fan of Indian desserts, cos they are usually very very sweet. However, the ones served here are really nice, just the right amount of sugar and very light.

Overall, we had a great lunch. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who is looking for an affordable and yummy Indian buffer lunch in Jersey City. The only downside of this restaurant is that the parking is terrible. We had to circle a few times and we ended up parking in the housing area behind the strip.

Rasoi Indian Restaurant
810 Newark Avenue,
Jersey City, NJ 07306
Tel: (201) 222-8850
Fax: (201) 222-9263
Web: http://rasoiindianrestaurant.com/