Location: 3500 E. Indiana 38 Lafayette, IN (map it)
Phone: (765) 838-1975
Cuisine: Asian

I had a lot of people recommend Fortune House as a place to try, and everyone on Facebook was very complimentary so I decided to head out there today to check it out. It’s located over where the Old Country Buffet used to be, by Michaels and Staples and Petsmart. I was skeptical at first, because a number of restaurants have tried and failed in this location.

Upon entering, we were directed to our table and had our drink orders taken. The place is pretty nice inside, with large buffets arranged in the buffet area. The restaurant is clean with lots of tables and there were plenty of people there for lunch.

Our drinks arrived and then we were left at our table with no directions or instructions about how everything works, so we eventually just got up and started wandering around. I wasn’t sure when we got there what the cuisine type was – Chinese? Japanese? Mongolian? And apparently, the answer to those are yes.

The first buffet table was sushi, and I was happy to see two sushi chefs behind the counter, making the sushi and dishing it out. There is nothing less appealing to me than a sushi buffet with who knows how old sushi sitting on a cold plate. At least here, you could tell it was being made fresh and put out for you to try.

There were also several buffets of mostly Chinese food. You had your regular fare of lo mein, chicken with broccoli, and sweet and sour chicken as well as some other options that were new, such as Hong Kong Chicken, Mongolian Pork, and a lot of sea food options as well.

Then the last buffet was a raw meat and veggie station where you can get your stir fry cooked to order.

After wandering around, I chose to start with the Chinese fare and got a plate of that. It was just okay. While I was impressed with the selection, the food itself was nothing spectacular, and the lo mein noodles were really not good at all. I was underwhelmed with the Chinese food.

Next I hit the sushi buffet. It is well documented here that I am no connoisseur of sushi. I always try it, and often like it, but it’s never my first choice and my palate is not very discerning. I got a plate of various choices and they were all okay. Again, nothing spectacular, but nothing bad either.

Finally, even though I was getting very full, I needed to try the Mongolian stir fry area. I had to ask another patron for the procedure here, because there were no instructions. Just a bar of raw meat and veggies and a guy with a grill. So the basic premise is that you fill up one plate with your meats and veggies that you want stir fried, then another plate with your rice or noodles. Then you take them over to the grill and set them down and the grill guy cooks it all up for you. Some people stood and watched, others went off to get other food and come back. I watched him cook. It was cool. He asked if I wanted spice, and I said a “little” and wuhoo, was it spicy. It was good though. As far as the food I ate, that was the best part.

They also had salad, fresh fruit, and desserts as well. There was definitely a lot of everything as far as selections go.

It doesn’t stand out as best sushi, or best Chinese, but if you can’t decide what you want, or have a group that wants different options, it will definitely fit the bill.

Friend’s opinions: From @kristenrielly, “fortune house – 1st Chinese buffet but thought it was good, chicken & steak were tasty. Will try the ‘make your own’ next time.”

Kid Friendly: Yes. There were french fries and other kid friendly items on the menu.

Price: Lunch buffet ist $6.25 – full pricing on their Facebook page.

Restaurant Name: Nanking

Location: 3800 Indiana 26 Lafayette, IN  (map it)

Phone: (765) 449-8728

Cuisine: Chinese

Review: A mighty thank you is now going out to all my fabulous Lafayette Eats readers. When planning my evening out and looking for a good place to try on the east side, I sent a call into Twitter and Facebook and was deluged with many tasty options. I chose Nanking, though, because that was the only one that got four separate nods.

And wow, am I ever glad I took the advice! It was fantastic!

I guess I’ve probably driven by Nanking a million times and just never really paid attention to it. It’s got a giant sign and everything, but when I went to find it tonight, I had to really look. It’s on SR 26, just east of Creasy, on the north side of the road. Trying to get across 26 and into the parking lot is a bit of a challenge, especially at night, but if you can manage, it’s totally worth it.

We arrived and went in and found the restaurant really full of people. We were greeted quickly and given a table. I’m almost ashamed to admit how long it’s been since I’ve eaten at a Chinese Restaurant where you sit down with a menu. A mistake I don’t plan to make again for a while. After sitting down, a server immediately came out and filled our water glasses and then, before we could even think about ordering it, poured us two cups of hot tea and left the pot on the table. That was super cool! We were going to get tea anyway. And the tea was quite good as well.

I was told in both Twitter and Facebook that I should skip the standard menu and go with the traditional menu. I wasn’t sure what that meant when I got there, but when you open the menu, you do see all the standard American style Chinese food – beef with broccoli, etc. Several pages of it actually. But when you flip to the very back of the menu, there’s the “authentic Chinese dishes” that I heard about and that’s where we chose our meals.

I ordered the mixed meats with pan fried noodles. I was a little scared of the whole “mixed meats” thing – what kind of meat are we talking about here? But I’m glad I ordered it, it was really good. And the serving was ENORMOUS. The meats included shrimp, chicken, and beef and possibly pork but I wasn’t entirely sure. Broccoli, carrots, and then of course the noodles rounded out the dish. It was most excellent.

My husband ordered diced chicken in hot brown sauce. When they brought out the dishes, his looked amazing. I was actually jealous of what he ordered. He scooped a bunch of rice onto his plate, loaded it up with diced chicken and went to town. He reported that while it was hot (hence the name) that it was really good.

So after my first helping of my pan fried noodles I had my own helping of his dish to compare. And wow, it was great too!

The portions were huge, the food was amazing and it was a nice place to eat. It is now my most favorite Chinese restaurant in all of Lafayette/West Lafayette and I know we’ll be eating there again.

Kid friendly: Yes, if your kids will eat Chinese food. There were children eating there.

Price Range: Pretty cheap, I thought. We paid less than $20 for our two giant plates of food, with enough left over for lunch tomorrow.

Restaurant Name: Super China Buffet

Location: 109 Beck Ln # 110 Lafayette, IN (map it)

Telephone: (765) 477-5558

Cuisine: Chinese

Review: Located in the strip mall by Pay-Less on Lafayette’s south side is the Super China Buffet.  The name says it all.  It is your run of the mill Chinese buffets.  The restaurant is large with lots of long tables and booths in the front and several long buffet tables in the back.  My kids love Chinese food, so this is often a stop for us when we’re hungry and don’t want to mess with a full-service restaurant.

The restaurant is relatively clean.  It’s decorated in a way that almost reminds me of a casino – stuff everywhere.  There’s a big screen TV on one wall that was show TRU TV, so if you are dining alone or don’t like what your dining companions are talking about, you can imerse yourself in some cop drama.

The food is pretty standard.  Salad bar with the basics.  Egg Drop soup and Won Ton Soup.  Chicken with broccoli, egg rolls, steamed and fried rice, General tsaio’s chicken, pepper steak, lo mein, and more.  I especially like the sugary biscuits – I’m not sure if they have a special name or not.

In essence, this restaurant fits the bill for a Chinese buffet.  Nothing stands out as extraordinary, but it’s easy to get in and out, the food is fine, and you can eat as much crab Rangoon as your heart desires.

Kid friendly: Yes

Methods of payment: Cash or credit.