Usually in celebrations, there would be the buffet table to showcase the food of the house. In hotels and classy restaurants, the buffet tables abound with countless of dishes. And what is your favorite? For me, it's not turkey because turkey is not a delicacy here. It's not also the roasted pig which is our most famous delicacy particularly the lechon Cebu (roasted pig from the province of Cebu). What I relish is the lobster and prawn. Most often, there are prawns in the buffet table. My usual request for the chef is buttered prawns. When there is lobster, I give it priority because lobsters are not common here. The same cooking - buttered.
I must mention Polish dishes as my favourites from the buffet table; Chłodnik - cold soup made of soured milk, young beet leaves, beets, cucumbers and chopped fresh dill; Czernina - duck blood soup; Pierogi - dumplings, usually filled with sauerkraut and/or mushrooms, meat, potato and/or savory cheese, sweet curd cheese with a touch of vanilla, or blueberries or other fruits, such as cherries or strawberries, and sometimes even apples—optionally topped with sour cream and/or sugar for the sweet versions; Zrazy - twisted shape thin slices of chopped beef, which is flavored with salt and pepper and stuffed with vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, and potato; Kapusta zasmażana - sauerkraut pan-fried with fried onions, cooked pork, whole pepper, and rich spices makes for a truly hearty side dish.
My favorite is usually the seafood, that is what I fill my plate with the first time. Seldom do I see Lobster at a Buffet, even at the pricier ones but they do have shrimp and crab and sushi and oysters on the half shell, mussels, etc. I could eat raw oysters all day, especially the west coast ones, they are much sweeter than the East coast oysters. Nowdays they are served with some type of champagne vinaigrette and some sort of other topping which can vary. Different from long ago when it was just cocktail sauce.
I have only seen lobster twice on a buffet. Once at a very expensive place in NYC which I can't remember the name of, and another at a very posh wedding a long time ago. Shrimp, I see often. I would be giving shellfish the priority as well.
I love shellfish...but I also love smoked salmon and smoked trout...so if I was to pick just one item on the buffet table it would be Blini's with smoked salmon topped with Taramasalata and black pepper..
I just had my fill of smoked salmon at my daughter's this Thanksgiving...she makes an appetizer with it. I've never had taramasalata, Holly and googled it...sounds delicious.
Buffet tables here vary from celebration to celebration, and these are also common on a daily basis as a popular dining alternative for people working mainly in the downtown area. So depending on the kind of buffet, it would be choice; if stopping at one of those restaurants downtown, it probably be the selection of Chinese food, particularly love to eat fried wontons. If a regular celebration, I probably would go with the cheese, bread and cold meat selection. And for main celebrations --as these falling by the ending months of they year-- certainly is turkey and gravy what catch my eye.
Chinese buffets are very popular up here but unfortunately, where I live, there are NO buffets of any kind.. In the larger cities, yes but in the small villages it is only the traditional turkey at Christmas or the fish in summer..
The best buffet I have ever seen or tasted was in a hotel in Colombo in Sri Lanka. It was all vegetarian and I could have spent hours there. I really had to drag myself away from it. The Galle Face Hotel was the name of the place and it was as near to perfection as you could possibly get.
I recently attended a celebration at our local Long House. Oh, the buffet! It is difficult to choose a favourite, but I think it is a toss up between smoked salmon, barbecued salmon, or oolichans!
My favorite buffet of choice is the end cut of a roast beef if it's being served. Love noodles like fried noodles or fried saimin that rarely comes on the buffet menu. Like the rest of you I love seafood like scallops preferably breaded scallops or shrimp tempura. I love tempura veggies too. A must at buffets for me is fresh garden veggies. Combine them and I got all my favorites and I will go for the fourtrh serving without being ashamed! image from https://www.google.com image from http://www.pressurecooker.com.au/beef-pot-roast-recipe image from http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...iews-Big_City_Diner-Honolulu_Oahu_Hawaii.html