| rev:text
| - 3.5 stars. I'm typically a pretty harsh reviewer when it comes to buffets since to me buffet quality food is synonymous to takeout quality, and why would someone dine out to just have takeout? Also, for the same cost and time spent at a buffet one can go to a much better restaurant with better tasting and quality food. With that in mind, I have to say Hokkaido isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.
So here's what I have to recommend:
1. Go for lunch. Only go for lunch. At $8.99, it's probably one of the cheapest if not the cheapest buffet out there. If you're shelling out over $20 for dinner including drinks, why not just go to a Chinese restaurant w/ a nicer ambiance and better quality food like China Palace?
2. Go early. I've been there once around 12:30 and once around 2:30 PM and there's a giant difference in the quality of the food. Get there either before or during the lunch rush. They have adequate seating and it's not like you'll be waiting... it IS a buffet. Food will be coming out a lot faster and everything will be fresher.
3. Stick w/ salmon nigiri. If you're here for the sushi, their rolls just don't cut it, and their salmon nigiri is probably the only thing worth eating. Their other options aren't really passable.
4. Get their dim sum. If you're going when they're busy, fresh handmade dim sum is being made all the time. And where in Pittsburgh can you get non-frozen sui mei? I also like their pork buns (only if they're freshly made of course).
5. Avoid the usual suspects. You know what fried rice tastes like. You know what lo mein tastes like. You know what chicken teriyaki and General Tso's tastes like. You know it's all loaded with excessive MSG and you'll have cotton mouth while feeling like crap later.
6. Do try their Mongolian BBQ / Teppanyaki. The chef actually knows what he's doing and cooks kinda okay. If you're new to Mongolian BBQ, it might be daunting, but after a while you should be able to figure out what sauce combinations taste good. The chef can make a sauce for you, but I don't like my dishes as salty as your average patron.
I find myself eating their salmon nigiri, their dim sum, their beef brisket soup, and their "szechuan-style" pork. I also get some veggies, be it baby bok choi, green beans, or broccoli for the sole reason of pretending to be healthy. I stay clear of all their other sushi, their, pizza, sausage, pork loin, and random Americanized Chinese.
A quick nigiri fix with some handmade dim sum in Pittsburgh for 11 bucks seems pretty good for me.
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