Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE

Media Credit: Kyle Phillips China Town Cafe is located on the corner of University and Bonnie Brae in the Albertsons shopping complex.

It's your own fault if you go home hungry from Chinatown Cafe.

This Asian buffet has something everyone is bound to love, and the prices were as happy as our tummies.

As we made our entrance into the restaurant at 2317 W. University Dr., we were amazed at the vast amounts of food on the buffet.

It turns out they use mirrors to make it seem like there's twice as much, but we still had no problem finding mountains of food to pile on our plates.

The steam from the freshly made food hovered underneath the sneeze guards, and the low lighting helped create a gluttonous ambience.

The massive amounts of fried foods were a bit much for us and we would have liked to see a bit more variety.

True, when most people think of Chinese buffet, they may expect it to be filled with artery-clogging spring rolls or greasy strands of lo mein, but some of us prefer a little green on our plates.

We all know how bad these types of buffets are for us, yet we go back for a second or even a third plate. The restaurant wouldn't have lost any respect from us if they offered more sautéed vegetables or chopped up different types of fruit.

The fruit that was provided in the dessert bar looked as if it hadn't been touched in hours and may at any moment start attracting tiny flying insects.

Interestingly enough, after trying a cantaloupe and an orange slice, we were pleasantly surprised by the fresh taste.

Back at the table, we experienced the newest form of water torture: receiving refills faster than we could drink them. It was a little obnoxious, but at least the servers were attentive and our mouths were never dry.

On our second trip to the buffet, we discovered that the crab legs were chewy, thick and unlike the soft, crumbling meat we were hoping for, making it obvious that this "crab" was something else entirely.

The sushi was equally disappointing, tasting no better than the pre-packaged rolls usually found in grocery stores.

As if to hide their shame, pizzas that strongly resembled Totino's were nestled in the back corner by the desserts, but we didn't expect much better from a Chinese restaurant.

We looked past these pathetic faux-Italian creations and skipped straight to dessert.

The cheesecake was dry and flavorless, raising the question of how much cream cheese was actually in it.

There were some other unlabeled cookies and baked goods that we couldn't identify, but the winner was the frozen yogurt, which was available in three flavors: vanilla, chocolate and swirl.

How innovative.

All in all, we got what we wanted from this Chinese buffet. For $8.95, you'll eat your money's worth in no time and go home with that wonderful "I never want to see food again" feeling.

To test your stomach's capacity, Chinatown Cafe is open seven days a week.

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