Buddakan

The the longest time, I kept Buddakan on my must-try list of eats in Manhattan. Naturally when my mom and I stumbled upon the Atlantic City location, we stopped for lunch after gazing inside the beautiful restaurant.We started with the Spicy Rock Shrimp Bao Buns. Crusted with a sweet and sour sauce, the fried shrimp added a tanginess against the bun. A bit beavy, but one bao keeps you full enough till the entree arrives. Next came the Crispy Calamari Salad topped with the perfect amount of miso dressing. Cabbage, iceburg lettuce, cilantro and bits of fried calamari topped with a salty dressing composed one of the best salads I've eaten this year. As our entree, we ate the Vegetable Fried Rice that came with a delicious coconut foam the added extra flavor to a carb heavy dish I rarely ever order. We thought portions would come smaller and we added a side of corn with an aioli dipping sauce on the side. This meal could have fed three people perfectly, but we packed the leftovers for late night cravings.After trying the Atlantic City location, I still want to try the New York restaurant, and perhaps the Philly one.  If there's any reason to visit this place though, it's to gaze around and soak up the ambiance of a giant Buddha sitting center of the room and a sky full of stars.Buddakan is located in New York, Atlantic City and Philadelphia.