The Weekly Eater: Finding safety at the buffet

McCully Buffet was one of the last restaurants I visited for dine-in service before the first COVID-19 shutdown. We didn’t know a lot about the disease at the time, but by late February we generally knew that buffets were risky businesses because of the mass handling of shared utensils and possibility of food contamination.

During what was to be a last small gathering of friends for what we thought would be two weeks of isolation, but ended up being more than two months, I brought disposable gloves for all my friends for the handling of utensils. I couldn’t help noticing none of the other diners thought twice about picking up tongs after the person in front of them had just used them. It was pretty clear that most people just didn’t understand basic sanitary principles. During the prolonged shutdown — even as grocery stores moved toward packaging their hot bar and salad bar items — it became apparent that without similar adjustments, buffets might never return because of the risk associated with shared food situations.

I’d had a good experience at McCully Buffet and wished I could revisit for its mix of all-you-can-eat sushi and Korean- style grilled meat. Happily, the restaurant recently reopened with its all-you-can-eat format and spread of food intact. The difference is that while the food is still on display to ogle, staffers behind the counters follow you down the line to serve you.

The funny thing is, the servers tried to give me more than I would take for myself. You might want to insist on just several pieces of sashimi and a couple slices of meat, etc., because they do charge extra for uneaten food.

Cost of the buffet ($27.95 for lunch; $37.95 for dinner), is very reasonable when you consider that the cost of a deluxe platter of eight to 12 pieces of sushi typically runs about $35 to $45 at Honolulu’s sushi bars and izakayas.

The sushi at McCully Buffet is limited to rolls and nigiri with just a few kinds of seafood — recently salmon, shrimp and marlin — so there’s not a lot of variety, but there’s still a lot of value for people who love any type of seafood.

I’m pretty sure many diners will feel they can easily eat $45 worth of sushi and sashimi alone, before ever moving on to the pork belly, kalbi, barbecue chicken, skirt steak and more.

The restaurant is able to keep prices reasonable by leveraging the cost of seafood with sister business Ahi & Vegetable.

For me, starting with sushi and sashimi is a plus, but the Korean grilled meat is the main attraction. Again, compared to Korean specialty restaurants, the meat offerings are rather limited, to seven types. But the general diner won’t care as long as their faves are represented, such as marinated kalbi, honeycomb-cut pork belly and barbecue chicken. Give me pork belly and I’m happy. The surprise for me was the tender, sweet marinated skirt steak. Other options are pork steak, Portuguese sausage and arabiki sausage.

An abundance of lettuce is provided to go with the meat, for wrapping with onions, mushrooms, whole garlic cloves, jalapenos and an array of banchan side dishes.

There’s not as much attention paid to other side options because most diners opt to fill up on the sushi and grilled meat. Chapchae is a welcome sight. You may find beef broccoli, clams boiled in a very mild broth and vegetable tempura left wilting under a heat lamp. A mellow imitation crab soup is soothing.

Dessert comprises orange and pineapple slices and Jell-0.

All-day menus for Christmas Eve and Day, and New Year’s Eve and Day will see the festive additions of crab legs and pork ribs ($45.95, $39.95 for kids).

MCCULLY BUFFET

930 McCully St.

Food: ***

Service: ***1/2

Ambiance: **1/2

Value: ****

>> Call: 951-0511

>> Hours: Open 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. daily

>> Cost: $27.95 lunch; $37.95 dinner per person ($18.95 and $29.95 for children younger than 10)

Ratings compare similar restaurants:

**** – excellent

*** – very good

** – average

* – below average

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.