Vip Buffet - La Palma

The buffet is decorated in an interesting manner, with drink stations positioned in two areas, which probably helps reduce the walking distance for thirsty patrons. The restaurant itself is spacious, and seating is never an issue, even during busy times, as there are plenty of available tables and standing spots. You can choose where you want to sit. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the bathrooms. They were quite poor and often unclean, which was disappointing. Many large groups tended to sit near the bathroom, likely due to the convenience of being able to connect several tables. When you first enter, your attention is immediately drawn to the dessert options (or the drink stations). The dessert selection is decent; however, I noticed that they don’t make their cheesecake on-site since I saw an employee retrieving it from a box in the fridge. If the cheesecake isn't made in-house, it raises the possibility that other desserts aren’t either. Nonetheless, the cheesecake, wherever it’s sourced from, was surprisingly delicious. They offered a variety of dishes, including sushi, seafood like crab legs, Asian dishes such as chow mein, egg rolls, stir-fry, and pho, along with American fare like fries and pizza. The fries were good, but the chow mein and other fried noodle dishes were lackluster—they tended to be overly greasy and lacked flavor. Personally, I didn’t care much for their pho; I would have preferred it to be clearly vegetarian, but my mother and many other patrons who did like pho often had difficulty getting served. There was rarely anyone attending to customers in the pho area, which added to the frustration. Additionally, they placed a tip box that made it feel somewhat obligatory to tip the person preparing your pho, which was unnecessary. There should have been a more efficient system for the pho station. While it wasn't mandatory to tip, many people felt compelled to do so, and my mother did tip. It seemed there was an unwritten rule about forming a line for pho, especially if someone successfully caught the attention of the staff. The waitstaff appeared to be overworked, which was disheartening to witness. I observed a female server struggling with a stack of dirty dishes and thought it would be much less physically demanding for them to use a wheeled cart to transport those dishes. Parking was never an issue, as there were plenty of spots available. However, it could be a bit tricky to spot the buffet since it’s set back a bit from the road. The pink building is something you wouldn't think you'd miss, yet I noticed people who have been there before making U-turns to find it. Regrettably, this buffet is now closed and has been replaced by Grand Tokyo Seafood Buffet, having last operated on Valentine's Day 2012. It's a bit sentimental, isn't it? Do I miss it? Maybe a bit, since I dined there more than once, but I’m hopeful that Grand Tokyo Seafood Buffet will impress me if I get the chance to try it!