FIVE STAR INTERNATIONAL BUFFET

FIVE STAR INTERNATIONAL BUFFET

ROYAL HAWAIIAN SHOPPING CENTER 

WAIKIKI

Quality not quantity sums it all up at the Five Star International Buffet at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki.  At $48 for adults and $24 for children 12 and under I was skeptical if this would be worth the price.  Was even more skeptical when I saw the small food lines with about half the items of a typical all you can eat buffet.  There is a cold food line and hot food line directly across from each other.  Directly above each line are the cooks preparing the food.  This design allows the cooks to monitor what needs to be refilled.  I like this because they do not put masses of food out at one time.  Rather smaller portions that are kept fresh.  The food presentations are done with care and look beautiful.  I started with the salad line because the hot line was a bit long.  Enjoyed the Spicy Pasta Salad, Crab Salad and fresh Tomato with Mozzarella.  I moved onto the Shrimp Cocktail that was served in its own square dish with cocktail sauce on the bottom.  Delicious.  The Scallops were moist and flavorful.  I ate slowly and sipped a nice Cabernet while my friend devoured a foot high plate of seafood and meats.  The wine list here is limited and expensive.  A bottle of wine here starts at around $50 and goes up to several hundred dollars.  Would like to see a few less expensive bottles on the menu.  Really enjoyed the fresh Ahi Sashimi and Sushi.  Again, the small portions set out assure freshness.  I sampled very small portions of the beef dishes and liked them all.  Even the mashed potatoes tasted good.  Service was good and the employees seemed to care and smiled all the time.  The dining room is small so there is not a large amount of people crowding the buffet line at one time.  We encountered a bit of a line for the hot entrees but after a few minutes were able to breeze through.  Our waiter nicknamed "Jersey" took good care of our table.  We all liked the Five Star International Buffet.  Worth fifty bucks?  Not sure about that but I do want to go back again.  Check out the menu and learn more at their website.

http://fivestarwaikiki.com/#menu-item-30

FIVE STAR INTERNATIONAL BUFFET

LOCATED ON THIRD FLOOR OF THE
ROYAL HAWAIIAN SHOPPING CENTER

ENTRANCE LEADS TO LONG BAR IN FRONT OF RESTAURANT

OUTSIDE LANAI SEATING.
NO ALCOHOL SERVED AT THESE TABLES

HOT FOOD LINE GOT A BIT LONG AT TIMES

HOT FOOD ON LEFT - COLD FOOD AND DESSERT ON RIGHT.
SMALL SPACE WITH LOTS OF BODIES PASSING THROUGH.

FOOD IS PREPARED DIRECTLY ABOVE THE LINE.  SMALL
QUANTITIES KEEPS FOOD FRESH, HOT AND TASTY.

SALAD SELECTION IS SMALL BUT REALLY GOOD

PASTA SALAD, POTATO SALAD, GREEN SALAD
AND TOMATOES WITH MOZZARELLA AND BASIL

MY FAVORITES WERE SPICY PASTA SALAD, CRAB SALAD,
CAESAR SALAD AND TOMATO AND CHEESE

SHRIMP WITH COCKTAIL SAUCE

FRESH AND SWEET PAPAYA

MY FAVORITES - WENT BACK FOR SECONDS.
CRAB SALAD, SPICY PASTA AND POTATO

PASTA, SUSHI, SCALLOP AND MEATS

FRESH SUSHI 

MY PLATE WITH FRESH AHI SASHIMI, TEMPURA, SHRIMP,
AHI/AVOCADO ROLL AND FEW SLICES OF BEEF

SCALLOP

LACQUERED SALMON

BRAISED PORK

FRESH SUSHI

SMALL BATCHES ON LINE KEEP THINGS FRESH

ROWS OF DELICIOUS SCALLOPS

FILET OF BEEF

MY PLATE INCLUDES FILET OF BEEF, MASHED POTATOES,
SCALLOP AND GNOCCHI

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

MORE CHOCOLATE

DID NOT TRY THE CAKE

MY FAVORITES - CHOCOLATE MOUSSE, CHEESECAKE
AND CHOCOLATE IN A SPOON