WOO BUFFET (10 Dundas East, fifth floor, at Yonge, 416-977-9966) Open daily for $13.95 all-you-can-eat lunch buffet 11:30 am to 3 pm, and for $20.95 AYCE dinner buffet Sunday to Thursday 4:30 to 10 pm, $23.95 Friday and Saturday 4:30 to 11 pm. Licensed. Access: barrier-free. Rating: NNN
Up three long escalators and a flight of stairs, woo Buffet sits atop the AMC, the jewel in the theatre complex’s fast food crown.
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This recently launched Mandarin-style self-serve resto comes from the team responsible for the similar Star Walk Buffets in Scarborough and Mississauga. I’m normally not a fan of these pan-Asian mega-spreads, preferring quality to quantity. But glitzy Woo, all glowing pink neon and Blade Runner view, is potentially a wow.
Yes, a good third of the AYCE lineup comes battered and deep-fried, and the longer things sit on the steam table, the worse they get. But choose carefully and Woo can be better than a bargain.
At lunch, rudimentary sushi comes pre-rolled, the fish surprisingly fresh if flavour-challenged. Har gow and shiu mai dim sum dumplings stand up in the steamer without turning to mush. Barbecued beef ribs and green New Zealand mussels in black bean sauce might be somewhat overcooked, but that doesn’t stop the extended families and squeegee kids here today from going back for seconds.
Salads are pre-made and mostly of the pasta variety, the standouts a nifty wakame seaweed combo, another of cold sesame soba with scallions. Additional anomalies: $2.50 pots of green tea, 70s jazz funkateers Tower of Power on the CD player (What Is Hip?) and half-price cocktails 4 to 7 pm nightly.
Woo hoo, indeed!
stevend@nowtoronto.com
