The Best Buffets - Taste + Value For Money

[Guest batabatuta]

finally!!! :boo: I suggest though that we do this after the festivities (Xmas & New Year) and after the first payday of 2005 (Mag eexhaust pa nang liabilities due to the festivities... ) Para at least sa second payday (end of January) e fresh ang mga resources ng mga members na gustong sumama......

[ATONG ANG]

as ccl has mentioned, we had dinner last night at market cafe located at the second floor of grand hyatt. it was then i realized that behind the eye of the storm lies a gastronomical haven. arriving at 7 pm, the winds were starting to build up and the traffic lights were out on roxas boulevard.

 

once inside market cafe, i could not sense any weather disturbance as the hotel is very properly insulated and gives a homey feeling. this was my second time here and the lighting has caught my attention again, bright enough for light gatherings and discussion without distracting any visual attention from the food. i had just had my second visit to circles in makati shangrila and one couldn't help but compare. circles was quite dim for family gatherings and had many distractions like the plasma tv inside the conference rooms and orange-haired waiters. here, attention was on the food and waiters were dressed in suits, giving a professional image to the place. we were also fortunate enough to be rewarded by the hospitality of the f&b manager for being some of the few diners bold enough to brave the typhoon.

 

the first area i set my sights upon was the sushi and sahimi section. i had high regard for the salmon sashimi from my visit last time and it still didnt fail me. i also tried the octopus, lapu-lapu and tuna. the lapu-lapu had the subtle sweetness, the tuna tasted fresh without being fishy and the salmon was just simply smooth. seafood sashimi bliss was completed with the soft and chewy octopus. the foodservers brought to ou table the ebiko sushi which was a harmonic contrast in taste and texture between the roe and the nori.

 

chinese food was next and i picked up where i left off last time with the dimsum and roastings. siomai was just right with the proper ratio of fat and lean pork. i tried the vegetable meat dumpling and it was another perfect yin-yang combination. we were discussing the exotic taste of the vegetable contents of the fillings and the manager later explained to us that it was coriander and preserved turnip. i tried the pork in beancurd wrapper and this was the only flaw in the dimsum. unlike the other dumplings, beancurd is quite thin and tends to absorb more water and cannot be steamed that long. duck was done just right with the taste of the spices perfectly blending with the duck. add just a little plum sauce which is not that sweet and overpowering and this fowl would have brought mao tse tung back to life. this has got to be the best roast duck i tasted locally so far. the roast pork was also very good, with just enough fat from a casim cut. one could tell it was marinated properly from the uniform taste of the meat inside out. the chinese sausages and cured pork were the best i tasted. i later learned that these were imported from ying wah, one of the most reputed hongkong sausage houses.

 

their fishball soup was more flavorful than any soup stock of any of the noodle houses in binondo such that i could taste the beef and pork essence. i detected no msg nor pepper and this was later confirmed by the manager with their policy of strictly msg. they used dodo fishballs imported from singapore. i could even smell the fragrance of sesame oil from about two feet away. i thought they used yuen yick brand sesame oil of hongkong, which is a superior brand that costs more than double the regular brands and is up to par with the original sesame oil used by nissin's ramen japan during the early 80's. this was also later confirmed by the manager.

 

as a summary, their chinese selections are not exactly feasts for an emperor but definitely gourmet selections for aristocracy.

 

the manager advised us human digestion would allow only around a kilo or so of dry food mass intake and i guess this was the reason i had to choose only an item from the grill and IT had to be lamb. my instincts and oneknightstand's advice didnt let me down. the lamb was somewhere between medium rare to medium well and was very tender and had no blood. the mint jelly that went with it was smooth and light.

 

their beverages were spectacular. we were served raspberry iced tea made from frozen raspberries, guava iced tea, lemon iced tea, crysanthemum tea. all their teas are brewed with tea leaves and not tea bags. their coffee uses a mixture of barako and other beans but still give an aromatic but full-bodied cup. even their dishes and silverware are all of the best quality. it is these little things that spell a big difference.

 

the place leaves little room for criticism. except for a few fruit flies in a remote corner where rattan-like wall decors, the place is very clean. the food is top-notch when quality is the concern and its main selling point is the point-of-serving cooking which makes an enourmous difference specially in certain cuisines which require food to be served not warm but piping hot.

 

we left the place fully satisfied not just gastronomically but intellectually with the widely knowledgeable f&b manager guiding us all the way through topics and updates in the food and hotel industry. this, coupled with their courteous staff, had completed our overall hunger for food skill and wisdom that night. with that in mind, i look forward to the next chapter of the "market cafe experience".

 

n.b. my updated rating for market cafe is now 9.75

Edited December 3, 2004 by ATONG ANG

[fatso8]

sarap din sa Kamay Kainan! Only P218 per person.

 

sarap ng talaba & sinigang na ulo sa miso!

[fatso8]

sa January na ba tentatively scheduled ang Buffet EB?

 

Aaaaaargghhh!!! Di ako makakasama!

 

Next week na lang! Hehe!

[ATONG ANG]

how i wish i could arrange another eb specially for you but i fear that this would disrupt the eb scheduled for january. we asked for feedback a couple of weeks ago and there were few who replied so we presumed that it was either too early to hold it this december or that only a handful were interested.

 

if there be any clamor for an earlier schedule for those who cant make it on january, let me hear you holler. i'll see what i can do but the most you can expect is a small gathering of around 5 or less people.

Edited December 3, 2004 by ATONG ANG

[Guest batabatuta]

game ako sa January

[basketballcardsking]

game din ako! PM me pag may exact date na. Mas marami mas masaya!

[redbull100]

Guys,help naman,i needed your opinions/suggestions.Our group is planning a christmas lunch buffet get-together on a sunday,& we're choosing so far among 3 restaurants- hard rock cafe makati,alba's bel-air & mario's t. morato.W/c of this do you think is the better choice?or maybe you have other restuarants in mind,pls do recommend it.Our budget is arnd P500/person.

Your opinions/suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

Advance Merry Christamas & Happy Eating!

[ATONG ANG]

Guys,help naman,i needed your opinions/suggestions.Our group is planning a christmas lunch buffet get-together on a sunday,& we're choosing so far among 3 restaurants- hard rock cafe makati,alba's bel-air & mario's t. morato.W/c of this do you think is the better choice?or maybe you have other restuarants in mind,pls do recommend it.Our budget is arnd P500/person.

Your opinions/suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

Advance Merry Christamas & Happy Eating!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

a good alternative for albas would be el comedor. i'd go for albas than hard rock any day of the week

Edited December 9, 2004 by ATONG ANG

[redbull100]

Thanks for your recommendations,Atong Ang.Btw,where is El Comedor located?Honestly,i havent eaten either at Alba's yet,but have read good FR's about it here.Does Alba's & El Comedor only serve spanish cuisine or other kinds as well?

Btw, i heard that Makati Shangrila no longer gives 2persons,pay for 1only for buffets using their privilege cards, 20% discount na lang. Is this true?

[cebucitylocal]

Thanks for your recommendations,Atong Ang.Btw,where is El Comedor located?Honestly,i havent eaten either at Alba's yet,but have read good FR's about it here.Does Alba's & El Comedor only serve spanish cuisine or other kinds as well?

Btw, i heard that Makati Shangrila no longer gives 2persons,pay for 1only for buffets using their privilege cards, 20% discount na lang. Is this true?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Albas serves only Spanish food and is located on polaris street in Bel Air,its only a few blocks from my makati place.El Comedor is on Pasay road at the Anson arcade.Spanish food only

[ATONG ANG]

Thanks for your recommendations,Atong Ang.Btw,where is El Comedor located?Honestly,i havent eaten either at Alba's yet,but have read good FR's about it here.Does Alba's & El Comedor only serve spanish cuisine or other kinds as well?

Btw, i heard that Makati Shangrila no longer gives 2persons,pay for 1only for buffets using their privilege cards, 20% discount na lang. Is this true?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

lest time we went there, it was less 33.33% for 2 people or less 1 person for 3 or more people dining

[sweet&simple]

Sonya's Garden at tagaytay...all you can eat and drink....reservatin nga lang...P500 plus VAT so all in all P550. Sulit talaga...enjoy pa ang view, very relaxing

[Huge_Bird]

Sonya's Garden at tagaytay...all  you can eat and drink....reservatin nga lang...P500 plus VAT so all in all P550. Sulit talaga...enjoy pa ang view, very relaxing

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

YUP ... tried it before and it was good ... my wife, who doesn't like to eat uncooked veggies, had seconds and thirds ... and you forgot one thing, the hostess, Sonya, was so warm and friendly ... :cool:

[mangjoe]

Came from Circles of Shangrila d other day.. Sarap ng buffet nila, newly renovated yung restaurant so very nice ang ambiance din ! =)