Restaurant Review - Oriental Jade by Jody & Steve

Jody - 

We went to the Oriental Jade in Bangor for dinner Saturday night. The main reason for going to this place was that the kid likes it, it's inexpensive and has something for everyone in our little family. Steve and the kid had the buffet, so he'll review that part. I had the Vietnamese Summer Roll (also known as Fresh Thai rolls) and the Pad Thai entree.

 The Summer Rolls (2 of them for 4.95) were ok. The filling was cucumber, carrot, iceberg lettuce and basil. They came with 2 sauces: citrusy/spicy and sweet chili. Neither sauce really did anything to make the rolls anything but a tiny salad wrapped in rice paper.

The Pad Thai was also just ok. The flavors were muddy, washed out, and overall it was lacking anything special about it.

For my part I can't give the Oriental Jade any more then 2.5 stars, and the half star was for the good service we received. 

Steve -

So, one of the things we decided to do with this was not only talk about the food we’re making, but also the food we’re eating. You will occasionally see a restaurant review here as well. That being said, we chose a popular Bangor landmark, the Oriental Jade as our first landing spot.

The Jade has been in business for well over 20 years in a couple different locations, all around the Bangor Mall. Over time their claim to fame has become their All You Can Eat buffet. I am going to be very, very blunt and honest here, and say that the Jade’s buffet is…mediocre, at best. While you will most definitely get your money’s worth, (Lunch starts under 10 dollars, and Dinner under 14) you will, however, have to plow through the standard fare of Americanized Chinese food.

The service has always been attentive and polite, so that is a high point. The restaurant, at least what I can see of it, has always been clean and well presented. All this does not, however, make the buffet any better. One upside to the Buffet is that they offer a wide variety of dishes, ranging from chicken wings to vegetarian dishes. The variety and cleanliness are what get this place an extra half star, but no more than that. Go if you don’t mind adequate food, especially if you’re on a budget.

Stars: 2 1/2