The Philippine Online Chronicles

One thing that many Filipinos have in common is the love for good food. The equation would not be complete unless you combine good food together with great company. Filipinos find it more worthwhile to satisfy their gastronomic cravings when they are with family and friends.

An all-you-can-eat buffet is perfect for Filipinos because they can enjoy all they can eat platefuls of food while enjoying the company of people close to them.

Here are some of the great buffets in town (in no particular order):

1. Yakimix, Sushi-Smokeless Grill-Restaurant

The first Yakimix opened in 2009. It’s a buffet restaurant that specializes in Chinese and Japanese dishes. Yakimix has a spacious and well-designed interior. Its soft and wide cushioned seats give extra comfort to diners. It is known for its smokeless table grills, cooked and raw food selections, wide array of sushi choices and assorted dessert section.

According to Food Reviews Manila, Yakimix Greenbelt branch projects a posh ambiance similar to that of a hotel with its high ceiling and chandeliers. Yakimix dining tables are equipped with smokeless grills in the middle where diners can enjoy cooking their own raw meat dishes.

“My favorite was the rows of uncooked protein that you get to grill yourself. The marinades of the meat were delicious, amply providing earthy and robust flavors. You can choose from a wide array of seafood like shrimps and squid, beef, bacon-wrapped mushrooms, chicken, and pork.” - Food Reviews Manila

“On each table at Yakimix is a smokeless grill. As soon as you settle in, a crew member will fire up the grill for you. And yes, the grill is smokeless, so no worries about smelling like everything you had for lunch or dinner when you leave the restaurant.” – Certified Foodies

Branches:

1. 4/F, Trinoma Mall, Quezon City. Tel. No. 4755154

2. 3/F, Greenbelt 3, Ayala, Makati City. Tel. No. 9988039 / 4755153

3. Hobbies of asia, Macapagal Blvd. Pasay city. Tel. No. 3878120 / 3878112 / 5566673

4. G/F SM Mall of Asia, Entertainment Mall, Paranaque City Tel. no. 8361535 / 8361536 / 8361537

5. 270 Tomas Morato Ave., Forum Bldg. Quezon City Tel. No. 3857500 / 3939100 / 3521866 / 3328073

Buffet prices:

P580 - Eat-all-you-can (Saturday and Sunday)

P380 - Children below 4 feet

P55 - Drink all you can

P499 - Lunch promo (Monday to Friday)

(Public holiday not included)

P699 - Left over price

2. DADS (Ultimate 3-in-1 Buffet)

DADS Ultimate 3-in-1 Buffet by Triple V group is a popular buffet choice for all occasions. It offers over 200 buffet choices featuring Continental dishes from DADS, Japanese food from Saisaki and Filipino classic favorites from Kamayan. DADS has become a favorite venue for birthdays, graduation celebrations, baptismal, weddings and anniversaries. It now features an open kitchen where the busy chefs can be seen in plain view. The glass barrier that separates the diners and the chefs is now gone making the dining experience more interesting.

Branches:

1. EDSA, San Juan, Tel No. 722-8125

2. 2/F Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Tel No. 892-8908

3. 4th level SM Megamall, Tel No. 636-3785

4. West Avenue, Tel No. 413-6359

5. Padre Faura, Tel No. 528-1723

Buffet prices:

P 385 - KAMAYAN No Left Over Buffet, Everyday Lunch and Dinner (Regular buffet price P770)

P225 - For children below 4 feet, Toddlers free of charge

P 525 - Saisaki, Mon-Thurs Lunch except holidays (Regular buffet price P1,050)

P 625 - Saisaki, Fri-Sun Lunch, Mon-Sun Dinner (Regular buffet price P1,250)

P265 - For children below 4 feet, Toddlers free of charge

P565 - Dad’s Ultimate Buffet, Mon-Thurs Lunch except holidays (Regular buffet price P1,130)

P665 - Dad’s Ultimate Buffet, Fri-Sun Lunch, Mon-Sun Dinner (Regular buffet price P1,330)

3. Cabalen

Cabalen has been around for 24 years. It’s a favorite buffet restaurant of regular Filipino patrons as well as Balikbayans. It is known for its traditional Filipino entrees particularly Kampampangan dishes. Its daily buffet spread usually includes sisig, ginataang kuhol, crablets, bulalo, beringhe, lechong paksiw, bopis, morcon, kare-kare, kaldereta, adobo, pancit bihon, grilled catfish and dinuguan.

Branches:

1. 67 West Avenue, Quezon City (372-3515)

2. 3/L, Bridge way SM Megamall (633-1761)

3. G/L Robinsons Place Manila (536-7987)

4. 3/L Festival Mall, Muntinlupa (809-6698)

5. 2/L TriNoma Mall, Quezon City (901-3602)

6. G/L, Glorietta 3, Makati City (893-9884); G/L SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City (556-4874)

Buffet prices:

P298 per person for lunch and dinner

P392 per person at the Glorietta, TriNoma Mall and SM Mall of Asia branches (for its Filipino, Chinese, and Japanese buffet)

4. Spiral (Sofitel)

Personally, Spiral restaurant is the best buffet I’ve ever been to so far. I admit, I find the buffet price quite expensive but thanks to an online voucher, I was able to avail of the buffet for half the price.

Spiral is a multi-cuisine restaurant with several live cooking stations. It features a wide array of international dishes including Chinese, Japanese, Mediterranean, Italian and Indian. Spiral also offers prime ribs, different kinds of cheeses and an impressive dessert station.

My favorite stations were Chinese and Japanese. I definitely had my fill of dimsum, tempura and different kinds of maki. I enjoyed creating my own mix of homemade ice-cream, assorted sweets and nuts at the Ice Cream Tepanyaki section while my son had his fill of different sweets at the candy bar. The freshly baked chocolate chip cookies are a must try.

The Spiral Café was recently submerged in water when Sofitel was hit by a storm surge during the height of typhoon “Pedring”. Sofitel Philippine Plaza has temporarily suspended operations in some of its facilities including Spiral due to the consequence of the storm. However, Sofitel reassures that a new and improved Spiral restaurant will open next year. Spiral operations are expected to resume on June 2012.

Location:

Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza

CCP Complex Roxas Boulevard , Pasay City, Manila

Tel No. 551-5555 / 551-5610

Buffet prices: (based on Spot.ph)

Watch out for any price changes after opening of new Spiral.

P2,073 - Lunch (Monday to Saturday)/ P3,301 on Sundays

P2,319 - Dinner (Sunday to Thursday)/ P2,564 (Friday to Saturday)

5. Circles (Shangri-La)

Circles uses the concept of open theater kitchens featuring several stations with its own selection of specialties such as cold appetizers, seafood, Western cuisine, Asian cuisine and wide array of desserts.

According to Our Awesome Planet, Circles is one of the first restaurants that introduced the Interactive Theatre Kitchen, where chefs can openly interact with diners.

Our Awesome Planet recommends starting with expensive items such as prime rib, lamb, steaks, salmon, other seafood and lechon (during Filipino Fiesta Wednesdays) when dining at Circles to get your money’s worth. Check out the buffet table and try out the other interesting dishes you fancy then follow it with dessert. When it comes to sweets, Circles is known for its flourless chocolate cakes and homemade ice cream.

Location:

Makati Shangri-La

Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue
Makati City

Tel. No. 840-0884 or 813-8888 ext. 7588/ 7599

Buffet prices (based on Our Awesome Planet):

Everyday Lunch Buffet (11.30am-2.30pm) and Dinner Buffet (6.30-10.30pm)

International Lunch Monday to Saturday

P1,424 net adults, P712 net Children 6-12years old, Free < 6yrs old

International Lunch Every Sunday

P1,904 net adults, P952 net Children 6-12years old, Free < 6yrs old

International Dinner Sunday to Thursday

Filipino Fiesta Dinner Every Wednesday

P1,640 net adults, P822 net Children 6-12years old, Free < 6yrs old

Seafood Dinner Buffet Every Friday

Barbecue Dinner Buffet Every Saturday

P1,904 net adults, P952 net Children 6-12years old, Free < 6yrs old

6. Dusit Thani’s Crossover Sunday Brunch

Dusit Thani ‘s Crossover Sunday Brunch is considered by many as the best Sunday buffet in Metro Manila today. A lunch or dinner buffet at the hotel usually takes place in just one of its restaurants but Dusit Thani decided to upgrade the buffet experience into a higher level. Dusit Thani ‘s Crossover Sunday Brunch allows diners to try four buffets from their different restaurants namely Italian Tosca (2^nd floor), the Japanese Umu (ground floor), the Thai Benjarong (2^nd floor), and Basix (ground floor). Enjoy authentic dishes from different cuisine, live cooking stations, delicious desserts, sparkling wine and other signature beverages. Diners need only to reserve a table in any of the four mentioned restaurants and access is given to all the restaurants for a fixed price.

Location:

Ayala Centre, Makati City

Tel No. 867-3333

Buffet prices:

Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

P1,600 – Net per person, half the price for kids 7-12 years.

7. The Seafood Club by Red Crab

Seafood Club by Red Crab offers Spanish-inspired dishes with a wide array of appetizers, main entrees of fish, seafood, chicken, beef and pork, with live Visayan blue crab and Crab dish of the day. The restaurant also offers fruits and pastries, soft serve ice cream and a chocolate fountain for dessert.

Location:

2nd level Greenbelt 3, Makati, Tel No. 757-4129, 757-4716

Tomas Morato, Tel No. 374-8406

Buffet prices (based on Munchpunch.com)

P588+ Lunch Buffet Monday to Sunday
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

P644+ Dinner Buffet
Sunday to Thursday
6:00 - 9:00 PM

P700+ Grand Dinner Buffet
Friday and Saturday
6:00 - 900 PM

8. Mongolian Rice Bowls

At Mongolian Rice Bowls, diners can choose their own ingredients (vegetables, beef, pork, chicken and seafood) and sauce to make their own eat-all-you-can perfect mix.

Branches:

1. Mongolian Rice Bowls Las Pinas Branch

South Park Highs Commercial Complex

262 Alabang-Zapote Road, Las Pinas City

Tel. No. 875-2225

2. Mongolian Rice Bowls SM MOA Branch

Ground Floor Veranda, Entertainment Mall

SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City

Tel. No. 659-8490

3. Mongolian Rice Bowls TriNoma Branch

Second Level Food Choices

TriNoma Mall, Quezon City

Tel. No. 496-6618

4. Sweet Inspirations Katipunan Branch

311 Katipunan Ave., Loyola Hts., Q.C.

Tel. No. 433-4200

Buffet prices:

Eat-all-you-can with desserts

P280 – Weekday lunch rate (M-F 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.)

P380 - Regular rate (available every weeknights and weekends)

9. KingOne Rotary Hotpot

KingOne Rotary Hotpot features rolling hotpot ingredients on a conveyor belt right beside your table. There are over 90 ingredients to choose from including six soup bases namely Satay Soup, Century Egg Wansoy Soup, Spicy Szechuan Soup, Plain Soup, Hong Kong Curry Soup, and Korean Kimchi Soup. Hotpot meals also come with a choice from Spare Ribs Salt and Pepper, Yang Chow Fried Rice, or Oyster Cake.

Location:

M2-A Lower Hobbies of Asia

#8 Macapagal Ave., Pasay City

Tel. No. 556-1370

Buffet prices:

P479 - Eat-all-you-can and drink-all-you-can lunch (Monday to Saturday)

P529 - Dinners, Sundays and holidays (without drinks)

Add P65 – To upgrade to drink-all-you-can

P100 – For leftovers

10. Kamay Kainan

Kamay Kainan offers Filipino dishes buffet style including lechon paksiw, fried bangus, fried tilapia, binagoongang baboy, papaitan, caldereta, menudo, beef steak, kare-kare, pork sinigang, beef nilaga, adobong pusit, inihaw na liempo, and steamed oysters.

Branches:

1. West Avenue, Quezon City, Tel. No. 371-4659

2. Kalayaan Avenue corner Malamig Street, Quezon City, Tel. No. 921-5904

3. Market! Market!, Taguig, Tel. No. 889-9883

4. TriNoma Mall, Tel. Nos. 435-0061, 916-7178

Buffet prices:

P248 – Buffet per person without drinks

P295 – Buffet per person with bottomless drink

Photos: From Dad'skamayansaisaki Facebook page; "Candy Bar" by Rachel Yapchiongco.