Open only nine days, the new Main Japanese Buffet restaurant in Federal Way on Friday, July 10, was filled with chatting customers who munched on sushi and other Asian delights during the lunch hour.
Freshness, simplicity and quality are key to making the Main Japanese Buffet customer happy, restaurant manager John Wah said.
To ensure this, he said a team of five experienced sushi chefs, trained in New York, prepare the food, which starts with early morning fish selection at the Seattle commercial fish market and ends artistically displayed on sparkling white ceramic serving trays. Sushi chefs also prepare the rice, cut the fish, slice the vegetables, roll the rice or shape and tuck a small clump of it under pieces of thinly sliced fish.
Quality is also reflected in the sushi rice, Wah said: “We use only top line rice and rice vinegar for taste, texture and form.”
A myriad of sushi choices are offered: Raw and cooked fish; hot and cold; tempura; and different styles, such as Japanese, California and French.
One of the fish options is saba, or whole mackerel, traditionally prepared by rubbing sea salt on the fish skin after grilling, Wah said.
For soup lovers, one buffet section is dedicated to building your own bowl of soup with noodle, salmon, shrimp, vegetable and broth options.
Additionally, customers will find Korean cuisine, Chinese dim sum and a buffet of American-style Chinese food.
“Our buffet restaurant is like a one stop eatery that strives to make everyone happy,” Wah said.
The dessert section also considers different taste palates. For example, options include fresh fruit, sweet treats and six flavors of hard ice cream.
The Main Japanese Buffet opened after a four-month redesign and remodel of the 6,400-square-foot interior space, located at 1426 S. 324th St., B-201. Customers will find sky blues, bronze hues and earthy browns and yellows, plus a party room (with a view of Mt. Rainier) that can accommodate groups as large as 60.
Wah, who has been in the restaurant business for 18 years, oversaw the renovations. He arrived in Federal Way after 12 years of managing similar Japanese buffet restaurants in New York City for New York owner Eric Lin, who also owns the Federal Way buffet and the Main Chinese Buffet in Lacey, Wash.
The Federal Way restaurant employs eight waiters from the local area, Wah said. Staff meetings are held twice a week in the restaurant where the food tasting, education and discussion about customer feedback occurs.
Wah is originally from Hong Kong where his father owned a restaurant and taught Wah how to taste foods, critique their flavors, compare them and offer new ways to improve flavor.
