Walking in to a Mandarin Restaurant is nostalgic. The
emerald and gold carpeting leads you to the host’s station as instrumental
Muzak plays through the speakers. Their welcome is almost as inviting as the
aroma of the buffet, which calls to you immediately as you pass en route to
your table. My salivary glands immediately become active and my self-loathing
is pushed as far from my mind as possible – I know I’m about to go overboard.
For 35-years, Mandarin has been enticing indulgent Canadians
with their array of all you can eat offerings. What I immediately think of as a
Chinese buffet has evolved to incorporate the ethnic cuisine of our country’s
diverse cultural mosaic. Cantonese style lemon chicken and sweet and sour
spareribs, chow mein noodles and beef with broccoli, they’ve got that. But
sushi and now sashimi, they’ve got that, too. And pizza, and prime rib, and salads
and sweets, yeah, they’ve got it all.
Though their steamed snow crab legs, deep fried tornado
shrimp and wonton soup could independently satisfy me, there’s always one more
thing I have to sample. The latest addition to the spread is a selection of
Canadian favourites as an ode to the country that’s supported them for three
and a half decades.
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| Endless Snow Crab Legs |
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| Mmmm... Lemon Chicken |
So up until July 31st you can gorge yourself on poutine, tourtière,
maple-glazed salmon, bison cabbage rolls and a collection of Canadian desserts.
Personally, I found it hard to stray too far from my endless plates of crab
legs on a recent visit (there were many plates!), but when it comes to the
Mandarin it’s all about the variety, after all.
As I waddled out of the restaurant following three solid
hours of feasting, I was reminded of that other familiar feeling – fullness.
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