When I first heard about a new all-you-can eat sushi buffet in Northampton, I was wary. As someone once said, the words “discount” and “sushi” should never appear in the same sentence. Buffet sushi sounded awfully close. However, I took the plunge and stopped in one day, and I’m glad I did.
The Chen brothers, Jimmy and Yen Hong, who own Sakura (261 King St., Northampton, 587-0388), had two similar buffets in the Springfield area so have experience with the concept. Plus, Jimmy, Sakura’s affable greeter, told me they grew up in the restaurant business in Hong Kong.
The brothers recently sold their East Longmeadow restaurant, kept the Sumner Avenue restaurant in Springfield, and looked around for a spot to open their first Northampton restaurant. After passing on several sites, they checked out the location of the former Hunan Gourmet, and decided to open up there.
Sushi isn’t the entire menu at Sakura. There is a steam table of Japanese dishes, two more of Chinese food, and several stations with cold salads (including some Korean staples), steamed dumplings, soups and dessert. Unless you simply do not care for Asian food, you are likely to find more than a few dishes to like.
The buffet is reasonably priced: $9.95 at lunch, with dinner $15.95 during the week and $19.95 on weekends. Weekend dinners include King crab legs, lobster, oysters and clams and more seafood-based entrees. There is a full liquor license that includes five or six types of sake.
To start with, the soups (miso, hot and sour, pumpkin and tom yum) are good. My wife, who can be particular, liked the hot and sour soup a lot. The dumpling station is near the soups, and the shrimp shumai go nicely with soup. The last two steamers hold peach buns (filled with sweet bean paste) and simple steamed buns. The peach buns work better as dessert for me, and I recommend them as a meal closer.
I won’t list the various types of sushi, but they include simple California rolls, tuna and shrimp maki, as well as more ingredient-laden combinations. The Chens have noticed that the Northampton crowd likes variety in its sushi and they are constantly experimenting with the menu. There is inari sushi – sweetened rice wrapped in fried bean curd skins that I have previously only seen at my friend Linda’s house. There is also tamago sushi, the sweetened omelet on rice that also seems to be rare in these parts. The key is variety, and limited quantities. Rather than fill trays which then sit, Sakura puts out smaller amounts and replenishes them regularly. If something looks old or tired, mention it. Every time I have, it has been replaced quickly.
Buffets bring out the gluttons in us. When confronted with trays of food “free” for the taking, even the most delicate eater tends to pile high. There are several rules for buffets, in my opinion. The first is to go easy. Take small portions and then return for more if you like them. Second, if something looks a little old, pass it by. The third rule is that the better stuff – the expensive protein – is at the end of the line, meaning that by the time diners arrive there they’ve already filled their plates with vegetables and starches. Because of its setup, Sakura breaks that rule: You can jump into the line at multiple points.
The lunch buffet is fine, but it expands quite a lot at dinner. The weekend seafood buffet includes King crab legs and lobster, but also dishes like udon noodles, scallion pancakes, glistening spareribs and sautéed Chinese broccoli. Both the lobster and crab legs are prepared simply, but that lets the flavor emerge. New platters are brought out regularly, so keep an eye out. At one point last Friday night the lobster was reduced to some bits of the bodies, but when I checked again, the tray had been freshened, and there were claws and tail meat for the taking.
Desserts include an array of fruits, including canned lychees. There are also cookies, fried sesame balls stuffed with sweet bean paste that you should not pass up, and a soft-serve ice cream dispenser. Last Friday, the restaurant had just gotten a shipment of Chinese desserts – colored gelatin with coconut and other fillings. The Chinese palate considers texture a vital component. Some textures may be strange or unfamiliar to Western tastes, but the advantage of a buffet is that you can try a small amount and see whether you like it or not.
The cons are those of any buffet. Some dishes work better when they are served hot straight from the kitchen. Sakura plays with the balance between a hot steam table, which can overcook the food, and a lower heat which can allow the food to cool. Caveat emptor. Also, tea comes in the form of tea bags, in cups that servers replenish with hot water. Given that every other Asian restaurant seems to make a pot of tea for the table, I’d urge Sakura to do the same. The plates are large, which encourages overindulging, but that decision is up to the diner. Note: My wife claims they came around with tea and not hot water. At lunch, it’s a teabag and hot water and at dinner it was a teabag, too.
Sakura is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. seven days a week. The restaurant closes at 2:30 and reopens for dinner at 4:30. Closing time is 10 p.m., except for Fridays and Saturdays, when it is 11.
Originally published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Friday, January 15, 2010
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It seem almost like a destination place as all you can eat sushi which is usually very pricey if you over indulge. Thanks.