Golden China

Open daily 11:30am - 9pm, Friday and Saturday until 9:30pm

Friends of ours have children that actually like Chinese food. Fortunately our kids like their kids, so we happily agreed to join them for the lunch buffet where our kids, not wanting to be outdone, ate more Chinese food in one sitting than they have in the last two years. Granted, most of the foods they liked were fried and swimming in sweet and sour sauce, but at least they didn't complain and my husband and I were able to enjoy our meal.

The buffet at Golden China had a nice selection of salad items, fruit, and desserts along with the expected soups and Asian dishes. The hot and sour soup was pleasant although it seemed to be missing something. I don't recall there being any pork, and it lacked the intense heat that I love in a delicious hot and sour soup. The chicken dumplings and sesame chicken were quite good. One of my favorite dishes I believe was mislabled - it reminded me of the filling for moo shi pork (cabbage, mushrooms, egg, bean sprouts). The vegetables in various selections were crisp and colorful and not overcooked. As is often the case with buffets, most flavors were mild and nondescript.

The fried foods were abundant, ranging from crab rangoon and shrimp to donuts and fried bananas. The fried fish was a bit bland, but the portions were a good size. The chips (for dipping in sweet and sour sauce) were very large and tasty and I certainly ate my share.

Adult pricing for the buffet is as follows: Monday - Saturday lunch; $7.95, Sunday lunch; $9.35, Monday - Sunday dinner; $11.95. Buffet prices for children are set according to age, which threw our youngest for a loop when the server asked, "How old are you?" rather than the expected, "What would you like to drink?" Children are free under the age of 3. From 3-12 years, they are charged per year at $.65 (lunch), $.70 (Sunday lunch), and $.90 (dinner). Suggestion: check the Sunday paper for a coupon.

I believe Golden China offers the only Chinese buffet in town. The service was kind but not overly attentive. Our table was set with hot tea and our dirty plates were cleared often. Our water glasses were refilled at the end of the meal, but I expect we could have asked and gotten refills sooner. Our friends, who dine at Golden China on a weekly basis, warned us to check our plates and silver since the dishwasher has a reputation for missing grains of rice from previous diners. All that said, the servers were happy to bring a clean fork when requested, and I'm confident our friends will return for another meal next week.

Golden China is located at 500 Embarcadero in Morro Bay, one block south of the Shell Shop.