iHop Restaurant
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On August 26, 2013
I’m probably the last person in Manila who tried out iHop Restaurant for the first time. Honestly, no matter how good the dishes of a restaurant are, I wouldn’t waste two hours of my time waiting in line. I’d rather wait for several months and visit the place at my most convenient time. That’s exactly what I did with the famous iHop (International House of Pancakes) restaurant at the Fort.
Fresh from the airport, I dropped by my house and left my luggage, then went straight to iHop Restaurant for dinner. Obviously, I was pretty tired but I enjoyed the dinner nevertheless because I was with my friends. Pardon my photos though, I realized they were pretty bad. I hope that it still gave you an idea on what iHop offers in their restaurant.
The iHop craze died down so we didn’t have to wait for our group to be seated.
I’ve never been to any iHop restaurant so I don’t have anything to compare it with. However, one thing I noticed is that it looked like a typical American restaurant.
I liked how they put iHop’s specialties even on their lighting. It’s a good personal touch and definitely fit the whole iHop ambience.
We were a big group. The consensus is for us to order one of every kind of dishes that iHop offers. Of course, pancakes won’t be missed. I asked an American friend beforehand for advice on what to order on iHop. I was told that the Harvest Grain n’ Pancakes were good. I took a mental note.
- Freshly Brewed Iced Tea (Php 95)
Refillable drink is love, love & love! After having my first sip of iced tea, I was surprised that it actually tasted different from the usual ones. As you know, restaurants tend to cut costs so if they offer unlimited drinks, it’s probably powdered. In iHop’s case, their iced tea was brewed!
Other refillable drinks in iHop are lemonade, soft drinks and fruit sodas.
- Big Steak Omelette (Php 325 + Php 50 for preferred pancake)
Tender strips of steak, hash browns, fresh green peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheddar cheese. Served with salsa.
We ordered the big steak omelette. I wonder what they meant by the word ‘big’ because iHop didn’t give us enough steak to enjoy the dish. I guess I expected too much. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted okay. I just wanted more of the steak and less of the other ingredients 😛
Every order of omelette comes with two pieces of buttermilk pancakes or seasoned mixed fruit. We opted for pancake but a different variant, we paid additional Php 50 for the substitution.
I asked for the Harvest Grain N’ Nut Pancakes because it was the flavor that my American friend suggested we order. The pancakes were made with grains, oats, almonds and english walnut. I didn’t find iHop’s pancakes extraordinary special but what made me giggle while eating were the pancake sauces!
There were butter pecan, blueberry, strawberry & old fashioned pancake sauces! Having a bite of the pancake then dipping it into the sauce is an experience in itself. It was like eating four different pancakes in one shot! I loved strawberry sauce the most. Yummeh!
- New York Cheesecake Pancake Combo (Php 385)
two fluffy buttermilk pancakes loaded with creamy, rich cheesecake pieces and crowned with cool strawberries, powdered sugar and whipped topping.
I wasn’t really crazy about iHop’s pancakes anymore after sampling the orders that we had. However, I loved the hashbrown included in the pancake combo.
The other sides included are two eggs and choice of two bacon strips or 2 pork sausages.
- Belgian Waffle Combo (Php 285)
Belgian waffle topped with whipped butter served with 2 eggs and choice of bacon or sausages.
Again, nothing special but I must say that the sausages were a disappointment. It looked malnourished 🙁
- Chicken Fajita Quesadilla (Php 365)
Grilled seasoned chicken breast with onions, fresh green peppers, and tomatoes in a grilled flour tortilla with cheddar and jack cheeses. Served with sour cream and salsa.
For Php 365, I thought that iHop’s quesadillas were overpriced. But after sampling it, wow! It was delicious and flavourful! This was one of the two orders that I really liked on our iHop visit (ironically, pancakes weren’t in that favorite list).
- Tilapia Florentine (Php 375)
Two delicate, seasoned tilapia fillets on top of spinach tossed in Alfredo sauce. served with mashed potatoes.
I’m not fond of fish dipped (or swimming) in white sauce. I didn’t dare try it. Have you? What do you think of it?
- Fried Chicken Dinner (Php 495)
Four pieces of fried chicken, crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, served with a savory biscuit, mashed potatoes and buttered corn.
Oh yes, we loved iHop’s fried chicken! How surprising considering that iHop is known for pancakes and not chicken. We even ordered one additional because we all wanted one whole piece of chicken for ourselves! I guess the fact that iHop served the chicken newly-cooked made it more appetising.
Overall, my first experience with iHop isn’t that bad. I knew that there was a hype since everyone loves foreign franchises. iHop’s pancakes wont be something that I look forward to eat again but their fried chicken & quesadillas are good enough for me to pay another visit.
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iHop Restaurant
W Global Center, 30th St cor 9th Ave., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Philippines
+63-2-6875611
Croissant-Doughnut Demo at Enderun Colleges
Posted by Maus Sy On August 18, 2013
I’m excited to publish this post that my dear friend Maus had written. It’s nice to know that she enjoyed the cronuts demo at one of the best culinary schools in the Philippines, Enderun. I remember how I enjoyed my first trip to Enderun and how I gushed about the experience.
In this post, Maus will be sharing her thoughts and learnings about the Croissant-Doughnut Demo at Enderun. If you want to experience it yourself, there is still one demo class scheduled on August 31, 2013 from 9 am to 12 noon. You can contact Florence Elumba for inquiries at +63-2-8565000 local 505 or +639178811217.
– Roch
As a child, I was a huge fan of doughnuts; it’s my ultimate ulcer-stopping snack back in the days. Those were the days when it was only either Dunkin’ Donuts or Mister Donut! Soon, I started trying out other baked goodies, since I never really liked eating plain bread. I came to like quite a variety such as pita, roti and croissants – mainly for their texture and taste.
Fast forward to the current times – just a few months back, people start going gaga over croissant-doughnuts or popularly known as cronuts (this word is under trademark application as of this writing). It did pique my interest, with everyone talking about how good it was and the queues of people lining up to purchase these – though I didn’t made a budge to try…
And finally, last month, my friend Roch asked me if I would like to attend a demo class on making croissant-doughnuts on her behalf. I said YES! because…
- Demo class was held in Enderun – I’ve never been to any culinary school PLUS I’ve also heard about the out-of-this-country campus setting. And,
- Why not see what this craze is made of, and finally get to try it!
So, last July 27, Chef Marc Chalopin finally showed us all what it takes to bake a craze.
Ingredients for the croissant-doughnut:
45 mL cup of Milk
45mL cup of Water
125 grams of Bread Flour
125 grams of Plain/Cake Flour
8 grams of Dry Yeast
35 grams Sugar
4 grams of Salt
2 pcs of Egg
150 grams of butter
How to make the croissant-doughnuts:
- Combine all dry ingredients in a food processor (flour, salt and sugar) with the chunks of butter and pulse them.
- In a separate pan, combine milk and water. Warm over the stove and mix in the dry yeast. Make sure not to bring the milk+water to a boil.
- Combine the milk+water+yeast (2) with the flour+butter (1) mixture and add in the egg and mix this carefully – without mashing the butter chunks.
- Cover the dough with cling wrap and put into chiller for about 1.5 to 2 hrs.
- Take the dough out from the chiller after 2 hrs in time for kneading. During the kneading and rolling process, make sure that the table has sufficient flour to keep them from sticking to the table.
- Roll the dough until it’s about 1.5 cm thick with the chunks of butter still intact. Control the consistency of the dough’s thickness with your finger; by running them across the dough as you knead and roll it.
- Fold the dough into 3; and repeat rolling the dough.
- Remove excess flour using a brush
- Fold the dough into 3. Note that the folding process allows the butter to be blended in, without actually mashing them. This process is similar to that of making a croissant.
- Wrap the dough with a cling wrap, and place inside the chiller for 30 mins. Then roll and fold it 2 more times (repeating steps 6 to 9 twice)
- At the last folding step, cover the dough with cling wrap and place in chiller for 12 to 24 hrs to allow the yeast to ferment.
Cutting the dough
- Before cutting the dough, thread the dough with your hand
- Cut the dough with 2 cookie cutters (one small circle and one big circle) to create the doughnut shape
- Then wrap the cut dough with cling wrap, and proof them (to make the dough rise); either thru a proofer machine or in a warmer part of the kitchen/house.
Cooking the croissant-doughnut:
- At 170 deg Celsius, deep fry the dough. Approximately 2 mins at each side, without pressing the dough while frying.
Some notes that are not only applicable to cooking croissant-doughnuts but also to other fried goodies:
- it’s best to cook the <insert food item, in this case dough> straight from the chiller
- if oil is not hot enough, result is too oily
- if oil is too hot, the dough will not proof
- Place the fried croissant-doughnuts on paper towel to remove excess oil and chill them.
One realization I had from the demo class is that croissant-doughnuts are FRIED, not baked 😉
Now, there are several ways to customize your croissant-doughnuts! It can be the shape of the cuts or adding more flavors into the bread. During the class, Chef Chalopin showed us how to make 3 different fillings:
Pistachio white chocolate ganache
Ingredients:
210 mL Organic cream
100g White Chocolate chips
25g Pistachio cream
Drops of green food coloring
Procedure:
- Put creams in a pot
- Bring this to a boil
- Pour the boiled cream over the white chocolate chips
- Add pistachio cream
- Let the mixture sit, until the chocolate chips are melted
- Blend the mixture afterwards, and place in the chiller or on a bowl of ice to cool it. It’s best to have it in chiller for a day before use.
- Add green coloring to this mixture
Orange cream
Ingredients:
Juice from 5 pieces of oranges
60g sugar
25g of Cake flour
3 pieces of eggs
Procedure:
- Heat orange juice and bring to a boil
- Mix sugar and flour in a separate bowl
- Add egg to mixture from step (2)
- Pour the boiled orange juice into step (3)
- Heat the mixture from step (4) and bring to a boil. Whipping the mixture as you cook it to prevent it from sticking into the pot. This will take approximately a minute or 2.
- Spread the mixture on a rectangular pan.
Sugar Icing
Ingredients:
50g sugar
50g egg whites
Drops of lemon juice
Drops of red food coloring
Procedure:
- Place sugar, egg white and red food coloring in a bowl and whip this. This is similar to making meringues. The more you whip the mixture, the firmer it gets. Just in case it gets too tough, add more egg whites to soften the mix.
- Add drops of lemon juice or can be calamansi juice as an alternative. Adding the citric juice makes the egg white whip fluffier due to acid.
This icing can be used even after 1 to 2 weeks, provided that it is placed inside the chiller.
After all of the preparations, we’re on the final stretch before the croissant-doughnuts find its way into our tummies! :p
- Slice the croissant-doughnuts into half; and place the filling (sugar icing, pistachio or orange cream)
- Garnish with fruits and nuts to go with each cream. Strawberries for the red sugar icing, chopped pistachios for the pistachio cream and orange zest to go with the orange cream.
- Dip the other half of the croissant-doughnut to the filling and place it on top of garnished half.
Voila!:) Croissant-doughnut taken with my notes from the demo class, with pipe of pistachio cream and fresh strawberry on the side.
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Croissant-Doughnut Demo at Enderun Colleges
Enderun Colleges, 1100 Campus Avenue, McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Philippines
+63-2-8565000
Red 2 Movie Review
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On August 18, 2013
Red 2 brings back a team of top operatives for a quest to track down a missing nuclear weapon. In order to save the world, they have to rely on their wits and skills. They also need to face several assassins, terrorists and other bad people who wanted to get their hands on the dangerous device. The team had to do all they can to survive and save the world. The movie was inspired by a limited series comic book of the same name, written by Warren Ellis.
Watching Red 2 was part of my weekend plans last week. I was planning to watch it with a friend. As things go sometimes, a plan can get cancelled. Luckily another friend suggested we watch it. I came in the theater not having any idea what the movie is about. All I knew was that it was a Bruce Willis & Catherine Zeta-Jones movie.
What I like most about the movie is that the lead stars are all A-level celebrities who already proved themselves in the industry. Most movies these days highlight young rising stars in Hollywood. Red 2 is very refreshing in a way that we get to see Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Anthony Hopkins, Mary-Louise Parker & Catherine Zeta-Jones strut their stuff again. Adding one my favorite Korean hollywood star (Byung-hun Lee) in the mix is a nice bonus!
In all honesty, the movie didn’t have a solid plot but I didn’t care as I enjoyed the movie thoroughly! Red 2 was sooooooooooooooo funny! I was really laughing all throughout. While Red 2 was marketed as an action-comedy movie. I would say that it’s 80% comedy and 20% action. No complaints there because for me, we watch movies to entertain. Red 2 did just that and more. I left the movie house with a huge smile on my face and a good mood to boot!
My Rating for Red 2: 4 out of 5 stars
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On August 8, 2013
I didn’t plan to blog about anything that day so I left my DSLR at home. Then I saw Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant. It was one of the newest restaurants at the Fort. How could I resist wearing my blogger hat? I ended up using my iPhone and taking pictures of everything that we ate at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant. That said, please pardon my photos in this post 🙂
I didn’t have any expectations as I haven’t read any of the reviews online. Actually, I didn’t have an idea of what menu they offered. When we arrived at around 11:40AM, it still felt early for lunch but after just 30 minutes, the place got easily filled up!
Gyu-Kaku is marketed as the biggest Yakiniku restaurant chain in the world. With over a thousand branches, I think they deserve the title. Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ restaurant first opened in Japan and quickly expanded worldwide (including franchises)! They have branches in Japan, USA, Singapore, Indonesia, Hongkong, Malaysia, Thailand and now, the Philippines.
It took us some time to browse through the menu. There were selections on ramen, rice, pork, beef, seafood, salad and soup. All three of us are foodies so it was our common goal to try out as much as we can. We ordered ramen, bibimpap (a rice dish), two yakiniku items and dessert. It wasn’t as expensive as we thought. We were all full and satisfied after our meal.
- Ishiyaki Mentaiko Bibimpap (Php 195)
Rice, salmon, cod roe, and greens topped with shredded dry seaweed and sesame seeds served in hot stone bowl.
It was already picture-perfect when the bibimpop was served. But what made me like this dish are the beautiful mix of flavors and the yummy rice crunch! The three of us shared this dish so we ended up with just 3 spoonfuls. I admit I was longing for more after I finished my portion. However, I knew that we ordered some more dishes so we had to have space for them 🙂
- Gomanegi Ramen/Udon (Php 225)
Japanese ramen/udon noodle in special shio broth topped with egg, sesame seeds and spring onion served in hot stone bowl.
I do not know if I was hungry but I felt Gyu-kaku’s ramen was very filling! The noodles were tender and the restaurant gave us enough pork slices to enjoy. Broth was pretty tasty and flavorful too! Considering Gyu-Kaku being a Yakiniku place, I’m quite surprised that other variants in their menu tasted good!
Gyu-Kaku’s Specialty – Yakiniku
Yakiniku is defined in the dictionary as:
Style of cooking meat and vegetables over a charcoal or gas burner (or on a griddle).
In Gyu-Kaku’s case, they use charcoal, a special one at that! The charcoal looked so different that I asked what it’s made of. According to the server, the charcoal Gyu-Kaku used is made of saw dust.
I appreciate the service that the restaurant provided. At first, we were a bit hesitant to start the cooking. The server who prepared our cooking area gave us some valuable tips on how to cook what we ordered.
Some things that stuck in my mind: (1) place meat along the sides of the grill (because center area is especially hot) and (2) don’t let the juices come out of the meat by pressing them on the grill.
We were provided with two different sauces: Sweet tare and spicy. I prefer the sweet tare more.
- Buta Karubi (Small – Php 135, Large – Php 175)
Pork. Sauce choices: tare, ship, miso, spicy miso & garlic.
We asked for recommendation which sauce to use for pork. The answer was garlic so we had that. I couldn’t say that Gyu-Kaku’s pork had anything special but I felt it was just the same as other yakiniku-type of pork that I tasted.
- Chicken Thigh Fillet (Small – Php 125, Large – Php 165)
Chicken. sauce choices: tare, ship, miso, spicy miso, teriyaki, garlic, basil.
We ordered teriyaki sauce for the chicken. Isn’t this the popular sauce for chicken in Manila? As usual, nothing special but I just love how we get to enjoy cooking the pork slices on the grill. Conversations flowing included 🙂
- Ice Cream Platter (Php 245)
(1) Gyu-Kaku Ice Cream – vanilla ice cream topped with soya bean powder & japanese brown sugar soup (2) kurogoma ice cream – black sesame ice cream topped with hokkaido red beans (3) matcha ice cream – green tea ice cream topped with hokkaido red beans (4) yuzu sorbet – japanese yuzu citron sorbet.
Last, but definitely not the least, we tried Gyu-Kaku’s dessert which is the ice cream platter. It comprises of 4 different flavors: vanilla, black sesame, green tea and citrus sorbet. I do not know if the restaurant made the ice cream in house but it doesn’t seem so. If I own a restaurant and we make our own ice cream, I would market it as such. My favorite among the four is the black sesame ice cream topped with red beans. I guess when I order ice cream the next time around, I will choose an individual serving of kurogoma ice cream (Php 95).Assorted ice cream: Php 95 separate price
I searched through the web for reviews and was surprised by the large number of negative reviews. I guess everyone’s experience is different. My colleagues and I enjoyed our first visit at Gyu-kaku Japanese BBQ restaurant. I wouldn’t mind going back to try their other dishes.
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Gyu-kaku Japanese BBQ Restaurant
W Global Center, 30th St cor 9th Ave., Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
+63-2-553-8962
Spiral at Sofitel Manila
Posted by Rochelle Sy Chua On August 3, 2013
Spiral is one of the most popular hotel buffet in Metro Manila. I’ve actually bought a lot of coupons when it went for sale at 50% off. Unfortunately, a huge typhoon in Manila pushed Sofitel (where Spiral is located) to close down for a year (September 27, 2011–October 28, 2012) and renovate the whole place.
We had to wait for one year before being able to try out the super yummy dishes that were served in Spiral. Last November, Spiral finally re-opened its doors again to the public and boy, it was a big change! With 11 million US dollars as investment, Sofitel definitely made a big comeback.
Here’s what Sofitel general manager Goran Aleks has to say:
“We are proud to announce the rebirth of Spiral which is set to revolutionize the art of interactive dining. This has never been seen before in Asia-Pacific and it can be found right here in Manila. The 21 dining ateliers of the new Spiral reflect the best of the world’s cuisines in one magnificent destination. It is Sofitel’s vision to showcase not only the best of French culinary heritage but also combine it with the best of Eastern, Western and Filipino cuisine, produce and artistry.”
As for security & safety, Spiral spent 210 million pesos to ensure that the hotel is strong enough to withstand our country’s climate & flooding. Three levels of typhoon protection was considered and done:
- Construction of a retaining wall that is 0.9 meters high, which serves as defense for the property’s building perimeter.
- Improving the hotel perimeter’s drainage. This required a new drainage piping layout, thus declogging and increasing the size of the existing pipe network. Waterworks expert Veltrup was commissioned to eliminate the hard deposits and stone to ensure proper flow. Regular maintenance of the system will also be done before any typhoon season.
- Construction of a 100 meter long trench canal to enable the water coming in the hotel to be diverted back to Manila Bay. In case of strong typhoons, ten submersible pumps are ready to redirect overflowing water to Manila Bay.
With that information, we are assured that Sofitel and Spiral are here to stay.
I was lucky enough to be given the chance to tour around Spiral and take pictures. As you know, taking photos inside a hotel is usually not allowed. I remember when I tried to do that before, I was asked to stop. That’s the reason why I haven’t blogged about Spiral until today…
So with that rare chance, I took as much photos as I could, got myself information about new Spiral and its 21 dining ateliers.
THE PLACE: a Multi-million Dollar Culinary Investment
Sofitel hired the same company, Spin Design Studio of Japan, to work on the new design of Spiral. Usually, people would outdo themselves whenever they re-do a project. I guess they are successful considering how beautiful the new Spiral is. I heard that the concept was meant to bring together the best of both French and Filipino design into a hotel setting.
The Sofitel team travelled around Asia and Europe to search for the best dining concepts. They came up with 21 dining ateliers where the chefs prepare food from a wide range of cuisines for every dining customers to see. More about the ateliers on the food section of this write-up.
Spiral’s wine cellar can be seen at the dining area which according to Sofitel, reflects the hotel’s Voyage du Vin program. It features wines from the best vineyards around the world. I couldn’t tell or appreciate the wines though as I don’t drink wine, hehehe!
The new Spiral is just so big that touring the whole place took me almost 30 minutes to do. Next time I eat at Spiral, I have to make sure that I only eat, eat, eat, and eat!
Of course, I couldn’t miss the 21-foot sculpture located behind the staircase, which is where we sat during brunch. The ‘Rhythmic Movements’ sculpture was made by national artist, Eduardo Castrillo, a man’s tribute to nature by using bronze sheets & tubes to simulate a developing plant.
Spiral is huge and I can see that the interior designer, Masakazu Koizumi, made good use of the space. It was a wonderful sight to see.
THE FOOD: Spiral’s 21 Ateliers
The Spiral Sunday Brunch operates from 12 noon to 3pm but I believe those 3 hours aren’t enough for us to be able to try each and every section of the buffet. Honestly, my stomach couldn’t handle all the dishes at that short time as well. There are 21 ateliers in Spiral.. I’m going to share here how Spiral describes each one and I, on the other hand, would post the photos from my visit.
Sadly, I wasn’t able to try everything but boy, I wish I could! It was just too many! Only a lucky few have that big appetite. But this one’s for sure: everyone will get to enjoy their favorite dishes! I do not think Spiral missed anything apart from the palitaw (a Filipino dessert) which I requested for them to add in their menu 😛
Salad and Appetizer
Fresh locally grown produce and organic colorful vegetables freshly picked from our garden will be tossed for you by our chefs with your choice of home made salad dressings.
L’Écailler
Jewels from the sea from oysters, salmon, prawns, crabs and other seafood sourced from all over the world prepared with fresh organic vegetables and your choice of sauces from white wine, vinegar or zesty lemons. Indeed, the world is your oyster, this time, its freshly shucked oyster by the l’écalier.
Sushi Sashimi
A raw bar with all the fresh sushi and sashimi prepared for you by our sushi chefs. Japanese rituals abound at this cold stone counter. Temakis and nigiri are in abundance.
L’Epicerie
Meat and Cheese lovers will be on seventh heaven in this room where one could feast from a wide variety of premium aged hams, charcuterie, smoked fish, artisanal cheese from France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Switzerland creamery products. Pair them with olives, herbs, sun dried tomatoes, olive oil, sauces and condiments for a real gourmet experience.
Hot Japanese
From a delectable choice of fresh natural ingredients, Japanese cuisine never ceases to amaze one with its simplicity and artistry. Enjoy a selection of traditional grilled sea food, meat and vegetables cooked at the robata or at the teppanyaki.
French Stove
With every dish meticulously prepared, authentic French dishes are a labor of love. Savour home-made seared foie gras, luscious roasted meat and carving, seafood, grilled food and regional French cuisines that will surely impress every gourmand.
Rotisserie
The aroma of roasted meats triggers the sense of taste and brings back the time honored traditions since 1400 in Paris. Slow cooked meats give you a chance to try a selection of home – cooked lamb, chicken and pork with its rich natural juices blended with various marinades and herbs from the secret recipes of our chefs.
Wood fired oven
Pizza with pizzazz – just as the Italian “Mama” makes it at the traditional wood-fired oven with fresh ingredients.
Churrasco
Savor a variety of mouthwatering juicy skewered steaks and sea food with matching hot sauces and your choice of herbs straight from the churrasco which originates from Brazil. Ask the chefs that move around to grill what their fine meats and seafood are on offer that day.
North Indian
Inspired by maharajah of Northern India, your taste buds are in for a fiery and spicy treat. Discover the pomp and pageantry of Indian cuisine – North (naan and tandoori) and South Indian cuisine (dosa and chutneys) at its best. Lavish and homemade dishes include tandoori-spiced meats with Indian and Asian breads and sauces. Vegetarians will surely have a feast with a selection of dal, paneers and chutney.
Asian Noodles
Hand pulled Asian noodles prepared many hours before; with a variety of broth, sauces and an extensive range of condiments and soup stocks to choose from. If that is not enough, ask the chef to make your own noodle recipe. Try the authentic steamed and fried dimsum from different parts of China.
Peking Duck Oven
Roasted to perfection, enjoy peking duck, one of the Chinese atelier’s star dishes which goes back to the tradition of the Emperors Palace in Beijing during the Imperial times. Also on offer are Chinese barbecue.
Chinese Wok
The sight of flames, the sight and sound of the Chinese master chef cooking stimulates one’s appetite. Let him entice you to try his signature dishes reflecting all parts of China whether Cantonese, Hunan, Sichuan and regional. Also choose from a selection of Wok cooked Chinese dishes.
Steam Baskets
Savor endless authentic steam and fried dimsum from siao long pao, siomai, dumpling and wonton from all over China.
Filipino
Warm your palates with a delectable array of traditional Filipino dishes like beef tapa and adobo with its unique sauces from coconut base and dashed with spices. These can be paired with your all-time favourites such as the mouth-watering kare kare with its peanut based sauce and the amazing crispy pata among the many which will want you to crave for more. Surely just take the culinary adventure and try the Filipino dishes with homemade and heirloom recipes from our notable Spiral Chefs.
Thai
Fiery flavors of Thai cuisine beckon you with its fabled soups and curries. In contrast to the chili dishes Thailand is known for, Thai food infuses a lot of zesty lime, kaffir and basil to its rich flavors.
Korean
Sizzling plates and freshly tossed vegetables await Korean food aficionados. Korean dishes like dakdoritang (spicy chicken stew) and changjorim (soy braised bean), kimchi, bulgogi , beef short rib barbeque, chili chicken barbeque, pork rib barbeque, squid chili barbeque, bibimbab , five kInds of kimchi and five kinds of namal will be on offer for you.
La Boulangerie
Follow the smell of warm and freshly baked baguettes, pain au chocolat, croissants and you end up at the La Boulangerie right at Spiral where you can choose from a selection of freshly baked breads – all hand rolled. Healthy choices include rye and gluten free breads.
La Patisserie
Sweet endings are the perfect way to end a memorable dining experience – succumb to the temptation of freshly baked French pastries of all shapes, fillings, textures and sizes.
* check the right picture and notice that the container holding the bread is also made of bread! Total coolness! 🙂
Chocolaterie
Chocolates are the stuff sweet dreams are made of. Indulge in artisanal chocolates, truffles and pralines intricately designed whether dark, white or milk chocolate from the best cocoa in the world and all freshly made for you by our chocolatiers. One bite of these devilishly good chocolates will surely send you to seventh heaven with its intense flavors and colors.
Creamery
Imagine sweet temptations – all types of ice cream at the tip of your tongue from your favourite fruity and citrus flavors along with dark chocolates and toppings
Couldn’t get enough of Spiral’s dishes? Why not take some home? Spiral recently added the option for us to take home some of their cold cuts, cheeses, sauces, organic products, cookies, chocolates and a lot more. A perfect pasalubong for your loved ones!
THE EXPERIENCE: Catchup & Food Overload
I’ve shared a lot about Spiral’s interior and food in this post already. Suffice to say, I was really impressed and satisfied with the new Spiral. Maybe the only thing that would take me aback is its price. Considering how full Spiral is (I’ve tried the Spiral buffet both during weekday and sunday brunch), I can conclude that people believe that they are getting their money worth.
Sofitel Manila spent so much in research and getting the best people in the industry to design the dining area, the menu, and the overall security of the hotel. It just proves how serious Sofitel Manila is in bringing the best experience we diners can have. I appreciate that.
When dining at Spiral especially during Sunday brunch, I wouldn’t miss the foie gras and the lobsters. I can eat them over and over and over again.
Your kids will definitely enjoy hanging out at Spiral while you munch your heart away. That’s because the friendly clown is available to entertain them and give them balloon toys for them to play!
Another reason why I enjoyed the Spiral sunday brunch a couple of weeks ago is I was able to hang out with a long lost friend, Blessy. We’ve known each other since late 1990s and I’m just so glad that after a decade or two, we were able to hang out and catch up on our lives.
I’m once again tortured while writing such a yummy experience (because it just makes me wanna drive to Spiral at Sofitel Manila and eat again :D). I do not have the luxury to eat at a buffet often especially that I’m now looking after my weight. However, for special occasions or for the times that I crave for the complete foodie experience, Spiral is definitely one of my top five choices.
The sunday brunch at Spiral costs about Php 3,600 per person (champagne included) or Php 3,200 per person (without champagne).
So there… My super dining experience at one of the best hotel buffets in Manila —> Spiral.
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Spiral
G/F, Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila
CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard
Pasay City 1300 Manila, Philippines
+63-2-5515555
http://www.sofitelmanila.com