Chef Mateo

Todai             6 East 32^nd St. 212.725.1333

By Rafael Mateo

September 10, 2007

In the heart of Koreatown on 32^nd street, you can take your pick for bulgogi, bo bimbap, and kimchee. The old favorite, cook-it-yourself on the table-centered hot stone never gets dull or unsatisfying. But not much has changed around these parks, save for the arrival of the Todai chain of buffet restaurants, specializing in sushi, seafood, and in this case, a little Korean flare.

Now the word buffet often brings to mind lower quality food and gorging contests, but what’s surprising at Toddai is that many of the choices are quite good, and the “b” quality sushi is just as fresh as over half the Japanese sushi places in the city. Add to that various noodles, handrolls, and Korean delights, and you could fare very well with proper selection.

The point of a buffet is not to devour everything. Rather focus on small bite style of eating (tapas, if you will), and only choose what you really want to eat. Not everything can be as well prepared comparatively, so why eat everything? 

Starting with the sushi, I was first impressed with the variety and the size. Each piece was the right size, not burdened by too much rice (a trick to get you filled up). The tuna, and hamachi were my favorites, followed by the tamago and salmon. After I ate these pieces, I thought about seconds, which is always a good barometer. There were many creative rolls, and I enjoyed the ones with a tempura crunch. Many of the remaining rolls tasted similar, swapping in or out one ingredient, quite forgettable.

Beer is served cold, or try schochu, the rice vodka that could knock you on your butt the next morning because you forget just how smooth it is and drink too much. There is a small selection of sakes too, but nothing of note.

The long buffet counter also displays many hot entrees, which amounts to Asian fast bar food, fried and breaded for the pleasure seekers of chicken, pork or shrimp served unimaginatively. A very hit or miss proposition. The same holds true for the lackluster snow crab legs and peeled shrimp, a throwback to seafood buffets of yore, tiresome and incapable of maintaining fresh delivery or flavor.

The real treat was the Korean additions, such as raw bulgogi and the spicy kimchee, happy marriages to my deep bowl of white rice. There is fried rice and gyoza and yakitori, good when it is churned out fresh, not so when it has been sitting out under the bright lights a hair too long.

For vegetarians there is quite the salad selection, some using miso, tofu or jicama as main ingredients. Others are mere vehicles for fish or meat, rather than focusing on Asian vegetables.

If there is room, try one of the delightful green or red tea cakes, followed by the ice cream, a treat for any age and a nice capper to the carnage.

Overall, the price of your meal is astounding, given the variety and amount of food served to hundreds of patrons daily. But Todai closes promptly at 10 pm, so the idea of a making a late night out of it and lingering is out of the question. There is no ambience save for feeling part of the whole assembly line, a food chain with pockets of enjoyment and a genuine opportunity to bond with your friends, as this is no romantic date spot. But as far as buffets go, you will do fine at Todai, just remember to skip lunch and plan for a run the next day.

ROOSTER RATING: Satisfactory

 

PPP : $40.