Well... I was really hoping this local Chinese lunch buffet met my tastebud standards. Unfortunately, the only thing that met my standards was the price! For only $5.75, you get a beverage and the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet.
ATMOSPHERE: Not very open to the busy Lorain Road, this little building is set back behind Malley's and across from Guitar Center. I saw it months ago from Lorain (while stopped at a light) and wondered what that was. Then, it was a bright salmony-pink building. When I finally got a chance to visit it recently, the building is now drab white. Outside there were various, cheap Asian statues. Also, from the parking lot, in full view, there was an industrial bucket, rags and cleaning supplies left out by the side of the building... Hmmm... Not a good sign of what was on the inside.
Upon entering this decidedly older building, the menu and counter area was dark paneled, the living room-sized dining area walls were painted mint green, with cheap plastic Asian plants, flowers and wall hangings dotting the corners, tables and walls. The tables & chairs are clunky, heavy wood -- like I'd expect to see in a Fisherman's Wharf restaurant. Nothing looked spotless.
We were greeted by a nice older woman and immediately asked if we were here for the buffet. We had not even looked at the hard to read menu on the back way. But, yes. We were there to test their buffet. She told us to grab a plate next to the register, and we could sit anywhere. We decided to find a table first. It was easy. There were maybe 20 tables and only 5 were taken. Perhaps what disturbed us the most was 3 tables were taken over by the owner's young children!! These adorable little Asian girls would sometimes yell to each other as they played with their TOYS sprawled across their tables. Puzzles, dolls, books, building blocks -- all strewn around their tables. Now, I understand that finding good daycare may be hard for some people. But, I thought it was completely inappropriate to leave your 3 little girls (all under 10 years old) to play in the dining room of your restaurant!!! No supervision whatsoever!! Their mother was busy running the kitchen, leaving another woman to handle the front counter service.
FOOD: Okay. As if the atmosphere alone didn't turn us off to this place, we ventured to the small counter next to the register that was the buffet. OK -- let's be honest. The "buffet" was only 5 feet long, a thin glass panel sneeze-guard and silly bright lights above the metal food bins.
Problem: the heating lights were NOT HOT!! This left all the food suseptible to becoming highly contaminated!!!
The food in the buffet bins was less than plentiful, and many bins only had a spoonful or two left in them. Not attractive nor enticing. We waited a short time for some fresh food to come out of the kitchen. When it did, the cook brought it out in a little saucepan and dumped it into a bin. If it wasn't what we were wanting, we had to wait another few minutes for her to bring it out in another little saucepan. Not very efficient at all.
I tried the Sweet & Sour Chicken, Black Pepper Chicken and egg rolls. The egg rolls were good. The Black Pepper Chicken was spicy hot, but lukewarm in actual temperature. And, the Sweet & Sour sauce was so cool, it was beginning to gel... Gross!!
Disappointed is the word. I would love an affordable AND tasty Chinese buffet restaurant in North Olmsted. However, where JUMBO II is concerned, I am left without one.
My lunch mate commented that I should contact Robert Irvine from FoodNetwork's show "RESTAURANT IMPOSSIBLE"!! Not a bad idea -- Mr. Irvine would have his work cut out for him, for sure. But, he could really turn this place around & make sure quality food is served at proper temperatures -- as well as refurbish the cheap, daycare atmosphere!!
With barely consuming any food, we were given the check with 2 fortune cookies. Mine should have read: "You will be LUCKY if you do not have food poisoning."