Sprouting Up Veggies at Camellia

What makes buffets so popular is the variety of choices to satisfy just about any palate and, of course, you can eat heartily without breaking the bank.

But some of us enjoy a love-hate relationship with buffets: On one hand (or rather, plate), it’s delightful to have so many dishes to choose from; on the other hand, oftentimes the food can sit too long and become unappetizing, or the dining establishment offers the same old buffet standbys you can find at just about any similar venue. Factor in that you don’t eat meat or fish, and the choices can dwindle even more.

The solution? Camellia Buffet, a Korean yanikiku-style buffet conveniently located in McCully. Of course, barbecue means meat for many of us (yanikiku translates to grilled meat), and that’s also true at Camellia. But the great thing about Korean cuisine for non meat-eaters is its bountiful use of vegetables. There are more than 50 items on Camellia’s buffet, and its many vegetarian offerings include tofu, soybeans, assorted banchan kimchi, seasoned vegetables, seaweed, bean sprouts broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, green peppers and much more along with rice, soup and even fruit.

The idea at Camellia is to barbecue your meat (or tofu) and vegetables on a grill right in the center of your table (don’t worry, they switch out and clean the grills often), then enjoy the many condiments and banchan alongside your creation. Lettuce also is offered to wrap your barbecue if you’d like to keep things light.

Bring your appetite, as the all-you-can-eat buffet costs $15.95 for lunch and $23.95 for dinner, so you want to get your money’s worth.

An extensive buffet chock-full of vegetables to choose from. Ya gotta love it.

Camellia Buffet