Hong Kong House Restaurant

Visited Fri March 4 evening.
I generally dislike buffets as they encourage binge eating. Don’t come here to too often, you’ll ruin your girlish figure.
Pros
Lots of good food around 20 – 30 items including soups, meats, salad bar and dessert.
It’s definitely not fine dining, there were several fried items which are a personal weakness :)
Place was about 80% full, high-​turnover = generally fresher food.
Service was acceptable.
Ice cream, 6 flavours some were empty tubs and hadn’t been replaced yet.
Cons
Some food trays were empty, guess it’s hard for them to keep up with all the guests.
They don’t bother to seat you, you look for an available table on your own which kind of sucks walking around aimlessly.
As the servers clear your plates, their server station is clearly visible so I could see the pile of garbage/​scraps and it did not look appetizing haha.
You have to walk up to the cashier to pay by credit card.
Parking lot was full and hard to find a spot.
Damage — $ 56.55 for 3 adults.
Protip — I think they had the same price for weekdays and weekends which is good. Some buffets charge different pricing on weekdays and weekends.

Went on a Tuesday night and it was quite busy, always a good sign. The buffet had a good variety and the food was. hot and fresh. The restaurant was clean and the service good for a buffet. It isn, t fancy but a very good value for the money. We will definitely go again the next time we are in town.

Really really bad «Chinese» food.

I’ve eaten in some bad restaurants in my time. However, I’m quite a passive, easy-​going person. So what’s driven me to writing this — a review of the WORST CHINESE RESTAURANT I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED IN MY WHOLE LIFE?
Hong Kong House in Nanaimo has pushed me over the edge. The food they served us wasn’t bad, it was INSULTINGLY BAD! It was so indescribably revolting that I find myself absolutely hell bent on warning anyone in, or planning to visit, Nanaimo NEVER to eat at this god forsaken hell-​hole, this wretched, stinking, rancid abomination and insult to Chinese cuisine.
We ordered spring rolls. I think they were left over from the buffet and quickly refried. The «plum sauce» came in sachets. I knew we were in trouble.
The egg fried rice arrived and went cold before any main courses materialised.
The meat in the Kung Po Chicken must have come from an extra-​special factory. One where they save the fattiest, nastiest scrapings of an intensively reared bird’s rectum are collected, frozen, and bagged up for the lowest bidders.
The «beef» in the strangely absent black bean sauce was off white /​grey. It was about 90% pure fat and gristle.
These guys couldn’t be using cheaper ingredients if they tried.
So this occasion marked the first time I ever got up from my table and told a restaurant’s management that I wasn’t eating it, and wasn’t paying for it.
The manageress ranted and raved at us.
«We been in business 12 years nobody ever complained.»
«REALLY! I said. Well as of tonight you can NEVER say that again. Because I’m complaining!»
Then she tells me not to get angry. I’m not angry. I’m just insulted that she thinks she can get away with serving us meat that’s barely fit for a dog to consume.
As I suspected, the anger was all hers. I’d affronted her ego.
«We been serving everyone in Nanaimo. Everybody say they like it. Now you say you don’t like it. But this is YOUR problem. It is not OUR problem.»
I hope you’re reading this Ms. Manageress. Because I must expose you to as the charlatans that you are. I bet it’s your white Mercedes parked outside isn’t it? Made from the huge profits derived from 12 years of serving chicken and beef abortions with tinned mushrooms in pre-​packaged MSG-​ridden sauces and calling it Chinese food to the people of Nanaimo who really, really should know better.
HONG KONG HOUSE, Nanaimo. My name is Nemesis. If you had taken my constructive and polite criticisms with a little grace you might not have created this monster. You know and I know that the quality of the meat you buy in is the lowest that is allowed for human consumption. In fact, I wonder even if it is. That’s why I’ll be tipping off the health inspectors to pay you guys a random visit.