Kevin Chu and his staff give diners the royal treatment at Royal Bamboo, a new Chinese buffet restaurant in O'Fallon.
Steaming buffet tables hold vegetable lo mein, crispy chicken chunks in spicy sauce, broccoli with beef and pot stickers.
For those who prefer American dishes, the buffet offers pizza, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, macaroni and five flavors of ice cream.
"There are more than 100 things to try," said Ling Cao, who manages the eatery, located on Central Park Drive off Hartman Lane. It used to be the Emperor's Wok.
Customers also can have chef Liu Xin stir-fry their favorite meats and vegetables at a large grill. Nearby, a sushi chef makes fresh maki rolls, fish, vegetables and even cream cheese rolled in rice and held together with a seaweed wrapper. Some are decorated with orange or green fish eggs.
Sushi chef Paul Ling prepared nigiri-style sushi Friday morning, taking raw cuts of tuna and shrimp and placing them on chunks of sticky rice. Sometimes, he tops the stack with a slice of cooked egg and secures it with a seaweed wrap.
"Oh, eel. I have to try that," said Joan Petty as she chose a piece of sushi.
She and daughter Karen Stephens, who live in Noble, were visiting the metro-east for a doctor's appointment.
"It's the first time we've been here. Everything looks so fresh and the place is so clean."
Each filled a plate with sushi before heading to the hot buffet tables.
Jim Buckley, of O'Fallon, tried the vegetable lo mein and crunchy chicken chunks.
His nieces Amanda Harley, 12, and younger sister Caitlin Harley, 7, weren't quite so adventurous and stuck to pizza and ice cream.
"They had a half-day of school and this place just opened, so we thought we'd try it," said Jim.
This isn't Kevin's first restaurant. A native of Hong Kong, Kevin and his wife, Betty, also own Bamboo Valley Chinese buffet in Belleville. Both immigrated to New York City, where they ran a takeout stand.
Later, they moved to Chicago and opened a sit-down restaurant before moving to St. Louis.
Bamboo represents purity in Chinese culture.
Kevin remodeled the dining room into a bright, clean fresh setting. The open space allows diners to easily move among the three long buffet tables laden with food.
"We put in new tile. We wanted it to be brighter," said Kevin.
He kept the original decor, which includes green tile accents on shiny white walls. A gazebo with a pagoda top houses a table for a small group.
He wants guests to feel comfortable
"Come in and eat. Take it easy," said Kevin.
Items on the buffet:
Cost for dining in: $6.39 for lunch daily; $9.89 for dinner Mondays-Thursdays and $11.29 for Fridays- Sundays.
(Discounts are available for senior citizens and children.)
Cost for carryout:: $3.19 per pound at lunch and $4.19 per pound at dinner
Fresh sushi
Lo mein with vegetables
Hot and sour soup
Stuffed mushrooms
Stir-fry green beans
Crunchy chicken chunks in spicy sauce
General Tso's chicken
Cashew chicken
Broccoli with beef
Seafood bake topped with cheese
Fried and steamed rice
American favorites
Pizza, fried chicken wings, mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese
Dessert
Assorted cookies, cream puffs and cake
Ice cream
Pudding
Fresh fruit
At a glance:
Where: 1333 Central Park Drive (off Hartman Lane)
Hours: 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m- 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Information: 628-9888
