Unintentionally, Ive been eating cheap these past few weeks. Luckily, Ive found some great food.China Buffet fills the bill nicely in that area, and adds a bonus: The surroundings are attractive. China Buffet is located in the shopping center on Scottsville Road that has Kmart and Kroger as the anchors; China Buffet is between Kroger and Shoe Carnival.Once inside, youll find modern shiny black metal chairs and tables with the buffet line decorated with brass and an etched-glass divider separate the buffet from the dining area. Dominating the restaurant is a very large back-lit photo of the Great Wall of China. It is an attractive restaurant, considering the minimal decorations. After being greeted and seated promptly, ordering was easy my dinner companion and I both opted for the buffet.The buffet choices change, but generally you will find a nice selection of Szechuan, Hunan and Mandarin dishes. You can start your meal with a lettuce salad, but I recommend you give the hot and sour soup a try. This soup is a chicken base with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, chilis, pork, tofu, scallions and much more. As you can imagine, its quite a burst of different flavors. They also serve a very good egg drop soup. Thats the fun of buffets you can take a little taste test and, if you like it, go back for more. They also serve cold peel-and-eat shrimp, which is one of my favorites.Entrees on the buffet included beef with garlic sauce, chicken with broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, chicken with cashew nuts, moo goo gai pan (chicken, mushrooms, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots), pepper steak, sesame chicken, General Tsos chicken (served with broccoli, soy-based sauce and ginger for some zing), pork on skewers and a lot more. There were 20 different stations on the buffet for main courses. For dessert, there were four different kinds of ice cream that you scooped yourself. I enjoyed butter pecan, and since I am an ice-cream-dipping expert, the tiny dishes were no match for my prowess at piling it high.Along with the bill came the requisite fortune cookie. The fortunes inside can be fun, but for an R rated version, try this: Read the fortune as written and, at the end, add the words in bed. We left China Buffet satisfied and glad we visited. I think youll enjoy the atmosphere and the food if you give them a try (in bed). The reviewer is employed at the Daily News. He/she pays for his/her meals and his/her gym fees to maintain his/her figure. New restaurants are given an eight-week grace period before being reviewed. To comment, contact managing editor Mike Alexieff at 783-3235.