Where I'm Staying at this New Year | Dusit Thani Hotel

Okay make that next year's new year.

If I had mind reading powers, I would've planned differently and booked a hotel room. But hey, you on the otherhand have time to change plans and reserve a room here.

New Year's Eve Countdown - December 31, 2010 only

Deluxe: Php 9,788 ++
Suites: Php 11,788 ++

New Years always stresses me out, the smoke, the noise, and gory visuals of amputated fingers. Forget all that at Dusit Thani's Devarans Spa.

Inclusions:

• Crossover Dinner for 2 persons
• New Year's Eve Countdown party with unlimited drinks for 2 persons
• 20% discount from Deravana Spa
• In-room wine
  

I'd love to wake up to this pool instead of the warzone-like scene New Year leaves behind. And I'm also excited to see if my 7 month old knows how to swim :)

The Crossover Dinner takes you across Dusit Hotel's 4 restaurants for a spectacular fest.

Basix which serves International Food

Umu for authentic Japanese Cuisine

Tosca for exquisite Italian food, Manila's latest fine dining restaurant

Royal Thai dining experience at Benjarong

I think I'll try the famous Dusit Crossover Brunch this Sunday, first day of 2011! So far, I've only dined at Basix where I spotted Amazing Race Asia winner Richard Hardin.



Time to race to Dusit and begin the year with a luxurious feast!The Crossover Brunch happens every Sunday, 11.30AM to 3.00PM. Php 1,600 for adults, Php 800 for kids aged 6-12, for kids under 6, it's free of charge.



For reservations contact 867-3333 ext. 3888

See you!

Marriott Hotel Manila Launches the Festive Season with Habitat for Humanity

Here's more Christmas good news. To celebrate the Festive Season, Marriott Manila joins hands with Habitat for Humanity in building decent houses to live for families in need. Another “Spirit to Serve” activity of the hotel, the project aims to raise funds by working to improve the environment and well-being of the community they serve.



By purchasing a Christmas ball worth P200 each, anyone gets a chance to be part of this worthy cause. Another excuse to enjoy Marriott Hotel's dinner buffet at the M Cafe.



Phoemela Beranda, Ruffa Guttierez, Cory Quirino, and Tim Yap

Spearheading the Christmas Ball donation is Model/Actress Ruffa Guttierez, Pasay City Mayor Antonio Calixto, Marriott Manila General Manager Richard Saul, Marriott Manila Director of Sales and Marketing Indraneel Benadikar, and Chief Executive Officer Ricardo Nicanor-Jacinto.



Marriott Hotel Manila is set in the world class tourism complex of Resorts World Manila. Affording a splendid view of the adjoining 18-hole Villamor Golf Course, it boasts 342 exquisite guest rooms that offers luxurious bedding, high-speed internet, 40" full high definition LCDs with IPTV and the new remote jack pack plug-and-play system.

Hotel facilities include Quan spa, 6 meeting rooms and a Grand Ballroom, 5 superb restaurants, outdoor pool and a health club.



Don't you wish you can spend your Christmas here? Check out their Holiday Buffet rates at the Marriott Cafe. Thank me later ;)

Christmas Brunch Php 1,850
Dec 04,05,11,12,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24

Christmas Eve Buffet Dinner Php 2,500
Dec 24

Christmas Day Buffet Brunch Php 2,500
Dec 25)

New Years Eve Buffet Dinner (Dec 31) Php 2,500

New Years Day Buffet Brunch(Jan 01) Php 2,500

Walk Through of Mariott Hotel's Buffet at M Cafe

If you are a food monster like me (noted I am getting fat), leave room for the newest buffet spread in town at the Marriott Hotel. Restaurant's name is M Cafe. I was there a few days back for their Guiness World Record-Breaking Thai Dinner Buffet. Tonight, I want to go back. Shall I take you to a salivating tour of their spread, yes?


Lovely spread of bread for starters, and those cute imported butter in small packages :p


Cold cuts.

During the Thai Dinner buffet, I had the chance to taste authentic lip smacking spicy thai dishes like curry, pad thai, etc. It was excellent and for Php 1,200 ++ it is worth it.



Japanese. Their prawn tempura is one of the best I ever had. Thin crisp batter but juicy prawns inside. They make it in front of you too, hot and juicy.





Grilled Veggies to go with their roast beef station.



Though I would suggest to the chef, if possible, to make the desserts a bit richer. Pretty please, because I want my cheesecakes really cheesy, heavy, and all of its sinful glory.



Desserts are best friends.

The Thai Dinner is over and M cafe at Marriott Hotel should be serving the usual Filipino, American, and Japanese buffet by now. Since the hotel is new, the buffet is a good excuse to go see the place and tour the entire Resorts World complex.

Happy Eating!

Mixed Feelings on Yakimix

People waiting for Yakimix to open as early as 5PM

Being food monsters, my sister and I decided one day to go to Yakimix. We've been reading and hearing about it everywhere so we planned to line up at 5PM. At Yakimix Mall of Asia, 5PM is not early to line up for dinner. How crazy is that? At 5PM we were already the 29th walk-in customer to wait to be seated when the restaurant opens at 5.30PM


Me and my lil sis super excited to eat!

We thought we would have a seat inside but after the 27th customer - all tables were full and we had to have dinner al fresco :( Did I mention that a lady using a megaphone calls the names listed? And everyone was standing up waiting at the door. It was bad that the lady was reading some names incorrectly, we almost skipped ours because she amputated my sister's last name. The scenario was not really classy, we felt like waiting in a terminal. But for food, we were all willing to undergo this 'experience'. I was in a bit of panic because I was with my 2 month old son and it is always sticky humid in this area. Thank God for the evaporative fan beside our table.



Now onto the food, Yakimix offers lots of maki aka sushi. These are made fresh at the Japanese station where sashimi is also served. If you are a Japanese food lover like me then you are in for a treat!


Yey! for the seaweed salad

Aside from the sushi and sashimi, there's the crowd favorite - tempura which disappears in seconds from the buffet table. I actually waited for the tempura to be brought out and the diners swarm to the plate like bees to honey. The tempura is good but I wish they had more of it and I couldn't find the tempura sauce too. It also takes a lot of time before they replenish this tempura. Otherwise, it would have been more relaxed to eat.

Up next are the dishes, they had lechon macau with sauce which is heavenly crispy, fried chicken which I found tasty but a bit dry, vegetables with mushrooms which are juicy and tasty, and other dishes I didn't had space in my stomach to try.



Yakimix is known for grilling on the table, shabu-shabu style. But here, it's solely for bbq. You can choose from different meats like pork, beef, shrimps - all were really tender. I loved how the bbq was soft to the bite, it was perfect with hot rice. The grilling activity also makes dining more fun, I grilled hotdogs and vegetables wrapped in bacon.

For dessert, I first ran to the nearby Coffe Bean and Tea Leaf shop to buy a latte. I knew this would be the perfect match for all the sweets! I grabbed blueberry cheesecake which were in tiny slices, so I had to get 4 servings. Then, I also grabbed an egg tart which was also tasty. I wished they had real round cakes that guests can slice for themselves. The only cake that was present was an ube mango cake



Other desserts available are Selecta Icecream, popsicles,brownies, and fruits (Pineapple and Watermelon).

I could have missed some items but overall, Yakimix is a good casual place to enjoy an affordable buffet with friends. I would like to think more casual because it is a busy place, people lining outside waiting to be seated, diners walking to and from the buffet area, and busy servers. It might take some minutes before you can get their attention but with the price of Yakimix's buffet P599 - I guess this is just alright.

Lesson learned is to set a reservation to fully enjoy Yakimix minus the stress. Then maybe, come in at exactly 6PM when walk-ins have been seated and the crowd waiting outside are settled. It was Saturday when we went to Yakimix and we got to enjoy the free fireworks display by SM Mall of Asia. It also pays that you do not have any appointments after dinner so you can enjoy dinner and the buffet for a long time and be able to pace yourself :)

A Glimpse of Escolta Buffet at Manila Peninsula Hotel

These days, it's a miracle I think I am not gaining weight but it could also be the green tea I drink several times a day. And what better way to celebrate a freeze in weight gain than a buffet?



Escolta is one accessible buffet restaurant inside the Manila Peninsula Hotel. I heard the price per head is around Php 1,500 - I didn't know because someone else hosted the dinner when I experienced their food.


All the oysters found their way to my plate

I swam in a display of fresh seafood : oysters, shrimps, and mussels. The oysters were big and I just loved dipping them into Kikoman with wasabe. I thought I wouldn't enjoy the mussels but they were soft, juicy, and delectable as the oysters.



There's also the Japanese food area where sushi and sashimi are available. What I like best is the seaweed salad I've been searching for everywhere. The sashimi is sliced fresh in front of you and you can choose from tuna, salmon, and another type of fish I cannot remember.



My sushi and sashimi plate with seaweed salad

At Escolta, you can enjoy your favorite Caldereta with cheese and other viands like herbed veal, chicken barbecue, grilled vegetables, etc. They had a crisp salad bar which I didn't had the time to try but my companions seemed to enjoy their greens with a serving of soup which is also available in the buffet.



My seafood plate, I know I shouldn't eat like this! ugh goodbye diet

I was looking for rice to enjoy my seafood with but at Escolta, they only had two types of rice: seafood rice and steamed rice. Although, rice is no biggie when it comes to buffet, I always look for fried rice or yang chow fried rice.

I know they have more main dishes to offer but my plate is attracted to sushi and seafood like a magnet, so I apologize for having little info about the other food available. What I remember though is they also have a carving station for roasted meat.



One part of the dessert spread, the other half are made up of cakes, cupcakes, and desserts in shot glasses

Now my favorite part, dessert dessert dessert! I rejoice that Escolta had lots of items to offer to people with a sweet tooth. Icecream that you can mix with candies and cookies to become an icecream teppanyaki, native delicacies like buchi, turon, and bibingka, at least 3 types of cake which includes New York Cheesecake and Chocolate Fudge.



My almost perfect dessert plate which I enjoyed with a cup of green tea

Whatchathink? I think I'm gonna head out to Manila Peninsula next time with my mini family :) Not as plenty as other famous buffet spreads but the quality and choices are excellent! lab it.