When you get pushed for time during lunch like I am, every minute counts. Waiting for fresh food to arrive can drive you nuts. Thankfully, Dragonfly in Wailuku has a remedy for that–their new lunchtime buffet.
“I know people don’t have that much time for lunch,” says Annie Guan, the owner. “When they come order a lunch plate, I am cooking it right then so it takes time. So I thought I would do a buffet with many different things. That way you can just come and eat right away.”
The buffet is put together in the middle of their comfortable restaurant, and Guan has lined up more than 18 different dishes over sternos. I’m a sucker for all the Chinese veggie dishes, and she even has a fresh green salad which was a nice touch.
The buffet when I visited offered beef broccoli, fried fish, kung pao shrimp, orange chicken, fried chicken, tofu and veggies, and a fried potato dish I had never seen before. There are always two soups to choose from, and my visit included exquisite egg drop and hot sour soup. Guan didn’t forget the fried rice or noodle dish, either. Of course, there were also fried egg rolls and rangoon-style fried wontons.
The kung pau shrimp was great; it has a perfect blend of peanuts, zucchini, juicy shrimp and spicy peppers. I also crushed on the cabbage and black mushroom dish and the orange chicken. I don’t usually order soup, but indulged here. The hot sour soup was spicy, thick and full of mushroom–clearly, a winner.
The buffet is all-you-can-eat, meant to appeal to your mean lunch appetite. So obviously eating inside the restaurant is the best way to bang out your Benjamins. But there’s a caveat for those of us stuck in an eternal rush–Guan will pack a hefty portion in a take-out container for you. Just point out what you’d like to try. Guan’s service is always top notch.
Since I was having one of those days, the kind where you rush around here and there with never enough time for anything, that option came in handy. And it was well worth the $12.95. The dishes get changed up, but Guan says she will always have a beef, pork, chicken, fish, shrimp and tofu, so everyone can still enjoy their favorite protein.
Dragonfly offers the lunch buffet Mondays through Saturday, from 11am to 1:30pm. They always have plenty of shaded parking in front of the restaurant, located at 1063 Lower Main, just a few doors down from Tokyo Tei, in Wailuku.
Comments
comments