Tom Angleberger knows what he likes. So we've asked him to eat at NRV restaurants and write about them. If you have a restaurant to recommend, e-mail him.

Tom Angleberger

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There are a lot of Chinese buffets in the New River Valley, and the Hong Kong Buffet in Christiansburg is one of the least assuming.

Tucked away in a Christiansburg strip mall, its humble facade hides both a large dining area and a large buffet.

To come straight to the point, I found that many of the items on the buffet were not to my taste. A strong flavor -- the same strong flavor -- was found in a number of dishes, such as the mei fun, the soup and maybe even the Jell-O. I'm really not sure what it was, but I did not care for it.

Luckily, I did find items on the buffet that I really did like. The sizzling chicken was delicious. And the intensely hot squid dish was fantastic, despite a possible hint of the mystery flavor. Before digging in, you'll want to have plenty of their very good iced tea on hand.

(Speaking of which, I was very pleased to find out that it cost only $1. I felt as if I were back in the good old days before some restaurants started charging outrageous prices for a drink.)

Along with Chinese buffet standards, such as crab Rangoon, fresh fruit, beef and broccoli, ribs and egg rolls, the Hong Kong Buffet also serves sushi and crayfish. I did try to eat one of the crayfish, but I really didn't know what I was doing.

Despite perky music and colorful lanterns, the restaurant was pretty sleepy on the Saturday evening that I visited. Slow business at a buffet means that the food can lose some of its sizzle while it sits in the warming tray.

Bottom Line: The Hong Kong Buffet is a pleasant spot with a nice atmosphere and friendly service, but it may need to do more to stand out from the crowd of similar buffets. The fiery squid dish is a good start.