X

Savory Seafood Selections

Columns Foodie Fare

June 16, 2013

Story By: Christina O Connor | Photos by: Leah Friel

Since opening its doors at Stadium Mall in Salt Lake last November, Stadium Camellia Restaurant has been drawing in customers with the opportunity for diners to pick and choose from a rich selection of meats, seafood and vegetables — and cook it up right there at their table.

“It’s a fun dining experience because they get to cook their own food,” manager Kris Kim says.

The restaurant offers a selection of more than 30 yakiniku items. Best of all, the buffet is all-you-can-eat, so diners are free to sample as many items as they choose.

While Stadium Camellia Restaurant might be best known for its meat selections — customers rave about the kalbi — Kim says you should not forget about all the great seafood options. These include Fresh Shrimp, which comes with a sesame oil sauce on the side, and Korean Crab, which is prepared with a special Camellia-style recipe.

“Korean Crab is a large crab,” Kim says. “After we deep-fry, we stir-fry it with our own recipe and ingredients.”

Other buffet items include barbecue beef, spicy pork and barbecue chicken. Plus, there are a number of fresh vegetables to complement any meat or fish dish. Onions, mushrooms, zucchini, bell pepper and more can be found in the buffet line.

For nice complements to your do-it-yourself dining experience, Stadium Camellia Restaurant also serves up a number of hot dishes.

“These are really popular with big groups that come in — especially families with children,” Kim says. “While they’re waiting for the meat to cook, they can get some hot dishes to feed the children.”

A popular hot dish includes Seafood Stir-Fry, which is a medley of shrimp, mussels and vegetables.

Another best-seller is Fried Noodles, which features noodles stir fried with vegetables, including cabbage, carrots, onions and celery. This dish was created in an effort to cater to its vegetarian customers.

“We notice that even though yakiniku is known for meat, we have some vegetarians coming in,” Kim says. “Also, children love Fried Noodles.”

To top it all off, the restaurant has soft-serve ice cream as a part of the buffet.

The restaurant boasts some of the best buffet deals around: Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and costs $14.95; $7.95 for children 5-11. Dinner is priced at $24.95; $12.95 for children 5-11. Children age 4 and under eat free.

On the Side

Stadium Camellia Restaurant at Stadium Mall may have opened less than a year ago, but manager Kris Kim is a seasoned veteran in the restaurant industry.

Her father opened a string of Korean eateries in the Islands, including a fine dining restaurant. And Kim is truly continuing the family business, as her father also used to run a buffet. Maybe it’s that background that helps Kim choose buffet items that customers love. The restaurant ensures that each of its buffet items are high-quality products.

Stadium Camellia Restaurant

Stadium Mall
4510 Salt Lake Blvd., Honolulu
486.3311
(Lunch) Daily, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5-10 p.m.
Note: BYOB

Honolulu, HI 96818

Ilima Awards
Hawaii's Best