Lunch Buffet at Spiral Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel Manila

One beautiful sunday, my family decided to eat our lunch at Spiral at Sofitel.  It was our first time to try it.  We've heard a lot about it.  People say that it is the best buffet in the country.

Upon our entry at around 12:30 p.m., we were brought to our reserved seat.  We noticed that each part of the venue had different ambiance from western to asian.  Our round table had a european influence in it.  As we roamed around, we noticed that the place was packed.  There were foreigners and local Chinese and Filipinos.  

We quickly got up and started with the sushi section.  The Salmon Sashimi was fresh and sweet.   I also loved the Mackarel sushi.  I ate a lot of it.  It was tastier and was more fun to chew than the cooked one.  We also enjoyed the Temaki.  I think I ate around 3 of those.

After that we tried the fresh seafood section.  The Fresh Crab, Oysters and Prawns were so big and sweet.  I only added a few drops of lemon and it was very delightful.  We then picked out samplers of the salads.  We loved the Waldorf Salad.  We also tried the variety of cheese and matched them with crackers.  It was so many that I could no longer identify which cheese I was eating.  

We ordered the Foie Gras.  It was cooked on the spot by a chef upon order.  It was my first time to try one.  Initially, it was really good.  It was soft and tasty but as I ate more, it was "nakakaumay" (too tiring too eat).  I guess, it is best enjoyed at an ample amount of at most 2 pieces.  How about you? How much Foie Gras could you eat?

Just beside the Foie Gras, we took a slice of Pizza and got a Lamb Shawarma.  As expected they tasted ordinary.  The shawarma meat was delicious but the sauce was not.  

The next section was the tempura section.  There were all sorts of tempuras but we only chose the Tempura Shrimp.  It was a disappointment.  The prawns were small and the batter didn't taste good.

I got some Yakitori and Miso Soup from the Japanese section.  It was nothing special.  I think we got some dishes at the Mediterranean section but we forgot the names of those dishes.  

Then we tried the Roasted Lamb with the mustard sauce and Roasted Chicken at the International Cuisine.  We didn't like the tangy taste of the sauce.  We also tried the Salmon Puff.  It was good.  

Xiao Long Bao

We then proceeded to the Cold cuts section where we ordered Peking Duck.  It was sliced on the spot.  It was delicious and still crunchy.  Next to it is the Dimsum section where we got ordered Xiao Long Bao.  It took 15 minutes to cook.  We glanced at the Thailand Section and tried the Chicken Tikka.  We were too full so we skipped the Filipino section.

Now, for my favorite part, the dessert.  There were Assorted Cakes (some sugar-free), Sliced Fresh Fruits that you can dip in the chocolate fountain: one color brown and the other was green (I don't know what the green was...), Cotton Candy (Yes! I was the only adult to order one), Crepe (we chose blueberry), gummy candies and jelly beans, churros, cookies, halo-halo, ice cream and Teppanyaki Ice Cream (ours was chocolate mixed with pistacio and some sprinkled candy) similar to Cold Rock.  I tried all the deserts offered except for the churros, cookies and halo-halo but I don't remember which one stood out from the rest.

Overall, the meal was great.  In fact, we were so overwhelmed by the selection and the dishes that we forgot to take a picture.  The price was a bit expensive as expected from the longest buffet we have ever tried.  The experience is definitely worth it.  We were able to taste new dishes.  The food selections were delicious but nothing so special that would make me want to try it out again.   

Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, 

Pasay City

(02) 551-5555 loc 1086

Matsuri Eat all you can Japanese Cuisine at Tomas Morato

Last January, we were able to avail the Ensogo Promo of 50% off on Dinner all you can at Matsuri for only 295 php for each person.  As we have read in a newspaper article, the operated by the son of the Triple V restaurant owner so we were eager to try it out.  We were supposed to buy for many for my birthday but when I was about to purchase only two coupons were left.

On February 10, 2011, we decided to use the voucher.  We made our reservations at 6:00 p.m. and arrived on time.  We were asked for our vouchers upon being seated since they have to verify them first.  After being verified, we were given their Eat-all-you can menu.  This style was similar to Red Kimonos style of eat-all-you can.  It was ala-carte style with limited choices.

Salmon Sashimi

Aspara Kani Maki

Philadelphia Roll

Crazy Maki 

Chawan Mushi

Ushi Ebi Tempura

Sanma

Miso Soup

We begun by ordering appetizers Salmon Sashimi, Makimonos : Crazy Maki, Aspara Kani Maki  and Philadelphia Roll. The Salmon Sashimi was naturally sweet and freshly sliced.  I loved it!  (Kurt doesn't eat anything raw but we ordered this twice=p)The Makimonos were not that special but worth trying.  We then ordered Miso Soup.  I liked it because it had mushrooms aside from tofu and seaweeds.  Of course, let's not forget everyone's all-time favorite Ushi Ebi Tempura.  It was better than most out there so we ordered this twice.  Then we ordered Chawan Mushi (steamed egg).  Their version was topped with green onions and bits of mushrooms.  Usually, when Japanese Resturants serve Sanma (Seasoned Pacific Saury/Mackarel), customers expect it to be a little to expensive for its price.  So we were quite surprised that it was included in the menu.  This was the most disappointing dish for the night.  It was only a local fish called "Gigi".  It was mostly bitter because the intestine were uncleaned.

Kamameshi Mix

Tofu Steak

Chicken Teriyaki with Asian Pesto

Salmon Teppanyaki

Seafood Teppanyaki

Yakitori Teriyaki

Tartufo Spaghetti

Our Mix Kameshi came together with the tofu steak.  This marked the beginning of our sweetened dish adventure.  The Kamameshi rice had the usual ingredients and used authentic japanese rice which was short and sticky.  But it was overpowered by sugary sweetness.  The Tofu Steak had some cripsy batter on top and had a sweet soy-based sauce with mushrooms.  We thought the Chicken Teriyaki with Asian Pesto sounded unique so we had to try it out.  It was good.  The sweetness of the Teriyaki sauce was balanced out by a hint of asian pesto.  We then tried the Salmon Teppanyaki and Seafood Teppanyaki.  It was the usual teppanyaki but a little sweeter.  They were also a bit overcooked and dry.  They have failed to draw out the unique taste of the Salmon fish which we were longing for.   Next came the Yakitori Teriyaki.  It was chicken grilled with teriyaki sauce.  It was not too sweet and the chicken was tender.  At this point we were already full and all the Teppanyaki and Robatayaki dishes has already maxed out our sugar limit for the day so we decided to order just one last dish before desert.  Wondering why a pasta dish is included in the menu, we tried the Tartufo Spaghetti.  It tasted like ordinary carbonara.

Chocolate Ice Cream

Muscovado and Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

For dessert, we ordered Muscovado and Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee and Chocolate and Mango Ice Cream.  The Brulee actually tasted like leche flan with a hint of vanilla.  Although I usually like desserts, it did not appeal to my taste. 


Overall, the service was good.  Two waiters served us with out most attention.  They also made their recommendations and advised us on what to order.  The food came out fast except for our last orders.  But it was understandable since a large group of  people came and they became more busy.  We also noticed that they were attentive with our empty plates.  But they were very strict in terms of their no left  over policy since they do not collect our plates until we ate the vegetable side dishes.    We were also quite disappointed that some of the dishes in the menu were unavailable like the Manhattan Panko Roll and the Creamy Chicken Ragout.  


    This was our first time to use a voucher and it was worth it.  In fact, we couldn't believe that we don't have to pay for anything extra that we confirmed it with the waiter before we left.  


Matsuri 
233 Tomas Morato extension corner E. Lopez Street
Quezon City
(02) 376-6351