Buffet Garden (Chinese/Canadian)

Buffet Garden can be found at 365 North Front St. in downtown Belleville, the municipality approximately 180 km east of Toronto. We went for weekend lunch. AYCD pop is available for $1.50 although only Pepsi products, but I’m not complaining. The pop is even stronger than many other places, not watered down as much. It was packed, but we didn't have to wait for a table... it did a very good business, possibly as this was Mother's Day but it was not charging Mother's Day prices yet on lunch.

There is even a sushi station on the far end of the buffet, although it's all little rolls and unlabelled, but still nice to have. There is miso soup as well, and it was good enough, though missing plenty of umami via dashi. The soy sauce from there was very strong and salty, but not bad. Shrimp nigiri was delicious and had a nice flavour overtop of the soy, rice and shrimp. We both noticed that the rice tended to fall apart a bit, but I'm not holding that against it because at least everything was fresh. Avocado salmon roll was delicious. Some crunchy avocado roll I am unsure of was still good.

Wonton soup was good, although I think it was near going stale, but not there yet. Lemon chicken was so good it was like breaded chicken, and the lemon sauce was on the side so it never got soggy, said Mishy. I tried it as well and really liked it, as it was a big slab of juicy moist chicken even without the lemon sauce. Mishy also liked the General Tao chicken saying that the sauce was delicious and it was moist and overly not overly sweet. She also loved the chicken balls indicating that they are full of chicken rather than being a ball of dough. Fish was simply called “fish”, and was probably pollock, but whatever it was was very good to excellent with a very nice sauce and seasoning. Fried scallop was almost certainly surimi, and did not have any sauce nearby so not sure what to put on it, but it was quite good just by itself.

Pork balls were absolutely delicious, with a wonderful seasoning that was reminiscent of good sausage... I was impressed. Sweet chili chicken, while being breaded so it wasn't really Hakka, was still quite good and didn't leave too much afterburn. Buttered crab meat, really surimi of course, was breaded but was still quite good. Beef with broccoli was very good and I enjoyed the sauce which was quite savoury. The beef was not dried out and had some flavour to it. BBQ pork was delicious also in a good sauce.

Onion rings were alright; they had a bit of a raw onion flavour, and not much flavour in the breading which was also a bit brightly coloured, indicating they were somewhat undercooked possibly due to the rush. Black pepper zucchini was the first dish that I didn't like it all; it had a weird planty flavour and I think it was also undercooked and certainly was lacking in black pepper or anything else other than plantiness. Sesame balls, although the last ones in the tray, were still quite good. Black pepper potato was much better than the zucchini, and quite good. Spring roll was a little dried out but otherwise good. Egg roll was good and not dried out at all. Green beans had an odd flavour. Salt and pepper fish was quite good and had interesting seasoning. Honey spare ribs were alright; spare ribs are definitely not my favourite but this wasn't bad. Szechuan chicken was very good and only had a bit of heat. Chop suey was just stir fried bean sprouts.

Mushrooms with oyster sauce were delicious with plenty of umami. Sweet and sour pork was very good and fresh. Sesame chicken was quite similar and equally good. Chow mein was good and fresh although is made plain. Fried pork dumplings was quite good, moist and fresh. Chicken wings did not appear good but were better than appearance, as were moist and not dried out. Szechuan noodles were good and well-seasoned. Fried rice was not bad though a bit stale.

For dessert, Mishy raved about the ice creams as there were tiger tail, cotton candy, birthday cake and other hard-to-find flavours. This is because Belleville is well-known for Reid’s Dairy, which is just down the street from Buffet Garden yet ships all over Ontario... I confirmed Reid’s is indeed the supplier. Maple walnut, bubble gum, tiger tail and birthday cake ice creams were all excellent and not freezer-burned. Black forest cake was very good and fresh. Little mango, cappuccino and raspberry cakes squares were, surprisingly, still the same as many Toronto AYCEs, even at this distance. Weekend lunch was $20. There were a few minor issues but they are overshadowed by this very good price. We definitely had an enjoyable lunch. However Buffet Garden has a rather mediocre rating on Google Maps. We were there on a very busy day when the turnover is highest so there may be freshness issues, but not being able to rate by hypothesis we can only go by what we experienced.

Rating: 7 - 7.5 / 10 + 1.5 value adjustment = 8.5 - 9 / 10

Great Canadian Buffet - Great Blue Heron Casino (Western)

Great Blue Heron Casino is at 21777 Island Road in Port Perry, about 80km NE of Toronto, on a peninsula called "Scugog Island" which extends into Lake Scugog and is the property of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. We've been there numerous times starting decades ago for the buffet at the Water's Edge restaurant there, but never were able to write it up, being interrupted by the pandemic which stopped service for several years. It seems the branding has changed as it's now part of the Great Canadian casino chain, all of which seem to have buffets (amazing there's still much to look forward to after this long!) I was hoping they would finally realize that reasonably priced buffets are a good method to get patrons in to gamble... not me though! I’m just there for the food. Unfortunately, Great Blue Heron is the least transit-accessible location we know; there isn't even a casino shuttle bus to this (remote) location, never mind public transit. The dining area has been remodeled several times over the years and is now all on the same level with no steps. It’s still called Water’s Edge, a remnant prior to Great Canadian Buffet.

We went for weekend (Saturday) Prime Rib dinner. It's an absolute must to get a free player's club membership first, as otherwise it's $50, but only $25 with the card and an amazing $20 if the card is used to play anything over $1 that day. Beware that there may be a very long wait... It took us about two hours to get in. One fountain pop is included which is excellent, even if all Pepsi products... it was all I needed. Note that as it’s a casino there are restrictions against photography so I don’t have any of the area, but they don’t mind photos of the buffet area, food and infrastructure.

Potato salad was good though had a bit of an odd aftertaste. Penne salad was very good, tangy and well-seasoned. Macaroni salad was very good and cheesy. Caesar salad was oddly flavoured, I think as the dressing wasn't tangy and had some unwanted sweetness, and was the only item I wasn’t big on. Creamy corn chowder was delicious and savoury. Rustic Italian sausage soup was actually excellent and had beautiful seasoning, a very compatible marriage of herbs. Sausage with tomato sauce and onions was excellent, and the flavours went together very well. Mishy loved the prime rib, though said it was a little tough.

Pasta salad with tomato and basil Mishy loved. Mashed potato was a bit cold but still good with the gravy. Rice pilaf was quite good and had a nice savour. Mishy indicated that the pizza was a bit cold but still enjoyed it; I enjoyed the Zwieback flavour of the crust. So-called chicken teriyaki was certainly not that, but still an enjoyable roast chicken. Salisbury steak I loved with onions and mushrooms, and I think Mishy liked it too. Summer-herbed cod was excellent and I loved the breading.

For dessert, there is chocolate and vanilla soft-serve with toppings, and a myriad of other desserts... this has always been a strong point at Water’s Edge. I chose caramel for the vanilla, and coconut and maraschino cherries for the chocolate, and was not disappointed. Date square was excellent. Mini butter tart was quite enjoyable. Chocolate crullers I have not had before and they were an excellent variant with distinct flavour, actually preferable to plain crullers. I enjoyed the Nanaimo bar, though it is not one of Mishy's favourites. Carrot cake was very good as was coconut cream pie. Service was very good. Though I spent a little on the slots (didn’t win anything) to get the dinner for $20, I’m counting the base price as $25 as this is the option with no cost to obtain. This is still an excellent price especially for the weekend and a free drink included. With only a minor exception or two dinner was quite enjoyable with some standout options.

Rating: 8 - 8.5 / 10 + 1.5 value adjustment = 9.5 - 10 / 10

Tokushima Sushi (Japanese)

Has it really been 11 years since we did our first writeup of Tokushima Sushi? Definitely time for an update. It’s still located at 250 Taunton Road East, in north Oshawa, at the corner of Ritson Road. It's actually conveniently transit-accessible from Toronto via Ajax GO train station and then the Durham Transit 915 bus, which has a stop quite close to it (and I’m very happy for the One Fare program which makes it seems like all the transit systems are unified.) We went for weekend lunch. Ordering is through smartphone via QR code, although menus are available. There is even free Wi-fi, probably to support this ordering. AYCD canned pop is $1.99, which is excellent as canned is a rarity. Ginger is dyed pink. Mishy noted that if plain hot water is ordered that it’s served in a plastic cup which is odd and who knows what's dissolved in it. Soy sauce at table was excellent with a lovely wine-like flavour, very fresh, only slightly salty and full of savour. 

We both loved the green salad which had a very good dressing and was very fresh. Mishy loved the seaweed salad saying it had something extra in it. Miso soup was excellent, although a tiny bit dilute but not enough to matter, as it was very savoury and well-balanced. Sweet and sour chicken was excellent and we both loved it; Mishy said it was just about the best she ever had. Chicken and pork cutlets aka katsu were both excellent because the sauce was very flavourful and well-balanced, and they were not oily. Deep-fried pork wontons were excellent, and unlike other places’ in that they were smaller pockets and more crispy, and they ended up being more flavourful and Mishy indicated also less oily.

I also agreed with Mishy that the chicken skewers were about the best either one of us had ever had because they were very moist and the sauce was perfect, with no dryness or crunchiness. Beef skewers were likewise excellent, possibly in the same sauce. And, Mishy even loved the chicken teriyaki and described it as “not rubbery,” which is her highest praise, and I also enjoyed it very much including the sauce, which was gravy-like in flavour and in the upper tier of chicken teriyaki we've had anywhere. Vegetable udon soup had big pieces of broccoli and zucchini and a nice broth. General Tao chicken was excellent with a good sauce, not too sweet, and flavourful. Beef chow mein was very good with a nice flavour, and not oily or burnt.

We both loved the Philadelphia roll as it was very fresh with well-balanced ingredients that went very well with the soy, and of course our own brought wasabi these days. Salmon nigiri was excellent with good rice consistency and super fresh; salmon seemed more flavourful than most. Red snapper (probably tilapia) and crab (probably surimi) were equivalently good. Tofu nigiri was delicious.

For dessert, Mishy liked the banana tempura including the added blueberries and strawberry pieces although she said it could have used more chocolate sauce. The, mango, vanilla and chocolate ice cream had no freezer burn and the chocolate was excellent with plenty of cocoa powder. Weekend lunch was $26.99 and this is a very good price below the usual, especially with $2 AYCD canned pop. We had an excellent lunch and we’re glad that Tokushima has maintained its standards throughout the years.

Rating: 9.5 / 10 + 1 value adjustment = 10.5 / 10 = 10 / 10

Original review follows:

Update: 2022-Oct-01 - Tokushima's AYCE menu is on again ($24.99 weekend lunch, $35.99 dinner) so happy to welcome it back to the list!

Update: 2021-Aug-20 - There is currently no buffet/AYCE at this location post-lockdown, and it is unknown if and when it will ever return. I am therefore removing it from the active list, and will follow up periodically and restore it should it return to AYCE status.

Tokushima is located at 250 Taunton Road East, in north Oshawa, at the corner of Ritson Road. My brother-in-law recommended it highly, and I wasn't disappointed. It's a pleasant place with comfy booths and nice decor and atmosphere, but the food is, as always, what I go for!

The first time I was there, the miso soup was OK, but the second time it was better: dark and savory.

One of the highlights of Tokushima is the bacon-wrapped asparagus. It was as heavenly as he described, and unlike other AYCEs also comes with dipping sauce... can perfect be improved on? It appears it has been.
The shrimp tempura was excellent with light, flaky batter. I ordered three helpings of it.

I wasn't big on the beef teriyaki.

Tokushima has many special rolls. The Philadelphia Roll has a cream cheese filling... Smoked salmon, cream cheese and avocado. Although it was nice it wasn't my fave but, as with the beef teriyaki, my friend couldn't get enough of it. The cream cheese does work and adds an interesting flavor.

Salmon sashimi and sushi were very fresh and delicious... perfect quality.

For dessert, the banana tempura was the best I've had anywhere... excellent presentation with a strawberry and blueberry and perfectly prepared.

The service was also very fast, and accurate, which I always find important as it's so commonly overlooked in AYCE. And apparently the service remains as good even when Tokushima is full; it was about a third full on my visits... certainly should be fuller! 

But the best part came right at the finish with the bill... dinner, of a comparable selection and quality to Maki and the other top-rated Japanese AYCE's I've been to, was only $17.99! On any night! I am consistently being pleasantly surprised with the value and quality of the offerings of smaller town AYCE's and this is no exception.

Rating: 9/10

Akita Sushi - Bradford (Japanese)

Akita Sushi is located at 456 Holland St. W. in Bradford, the municipality about 45 km north of Toronto's midline. There's another Akita in Woodbridge we've reviewed, but I don't know if this one is related. It may or may not be transit-accessible because it's about a 40 minute walk from the Bradford GO station. It took us a while to do it not only due to this inaccessibility, but also because it has a low rating on Google Maps. As we’ve found other places that seem to be underrated possibly due to competitors posting low ratings, we finally decided to give this one a try and went for weekend lunch. iPad menus are used. AYCD pop is available for $1.99, although there was only Pepsi products but I'm not complaining. Akita has a bright contemporary modern interior with not too loud music, all booth seating. Unfortunately, disposable chopsticks are used so we brought her own as always. Soy sauce at table was very good, flavourful, strong, fresh and not salty... the first flavour of the meal was already off to a good start.

Miso soup was only slightly diluted and not bad at all, with enough savour and the flavour was good. Mishy did not like that the cheese wontons did not have any sauce, although they were still pretty good and had enough cheese. Green salad had a creamy house dressing with flavour of cucumber and it was good, although not superlatively so but definitely not bad.

Tofu sushi was larger than usual but still quite good, a rectangle rather than the usual triangle. Philadelphia roll was very good to excellent with big chunks of cream cheese. Mishy liked the salmon nigiri and it did not fall apart... all sushi had good rice consistency. The white tuna nigiri was very good and fresh as was the red snapper and crab surimi. Spicy salmon sushi was quite good and not made with off salmon.

Deep-fried scallop, probably surimi, was quite good with a small dollop of sauce on the top. Vegetable teriyaki was very good to excellent with a delicious savoury and not-too-salty sauce. Chicken and beef teriyaki were both very good with a very nice sauce and not rubbery. The beef wasn't the best cut, but it was still delicious with the sauce. I didn't like the lemon chicken as it had an odd flavour I wasn't big on... first thing I did not like. The General Tso chicken was much better. Mishy said the beef broccoli was excellent and I enjoyed it very much too.

Beware the vegetable fried rice portion size, as it is too large; it was piled quite high. Mishy also indicated that it was rather oily and tasted a little bit  burnt... I didn't mind it thought. Chicken nuggets were good, although it’s unknown if it is made off-premises so hard to get it wrong if it is. Chicken skewers were quite good and well-seasoned, and not dried out at all. Chicken wings also were not dried out and quite good.

Tempura dipping sauce was only slightly dilute and was very good. Deep-fried tofu is another oversized portion, with four large pieces that really should be just two... at least it was good. Shrimp tempura, while not light and flaky, was at least not oily and was also quite good with the sauce. Deep fried dumpling aka gyoza were quite good and had a nice oniony flavour. Spring rolls were quite good and not dried out or oily.

For dessert, there are six flavours of ice cream and fried banana, although I was only able to have three flavours as I was full. Mishy enjoyed the fried banana although indicated it could have used a little more chocolate sauce. Green tea, vanilla and mango ice creams were all good and not freezer burned. It was $26 for weekend lunch and this is a good value these days for an enjoyable lunch in no way deserving of a low rating. As one other place we’ve found like this was also in a smaller town where one knows who the competition is, this adds credence to the idea that the rating is being purposely biased downwards. This is one of the reasons I liked having this blog as a reliable, impartial source.

Rating: 7.5 - 8 / 10 + 0.5 value adjustment = 8 - 8.5 / 10