Style and Soul

The Carving Counter focuses on the Australian prime rib with roasted lamb and traditional lechon served with sauces, condiments and salsas.

My boyfriend particularly loved this station because it also served foie gras, a luxury dish which originated from French cuisine, which is made of fattened duck or goose's liver. JR shared that during his stay in France, he wasn't able to afford this due to its very steep price. On this food trip, he seized the moment and got two pieces on his plate!

Marriott Cafe also has a unique pasta bar called Antonio's which features Italian specialties that are all cooked right before your eyes. You can actually see the chefs making the pasta noodles out of scratch using dough. Unlike other buffets wherein the pasta doesn't taste good anymore because it has been sitting on the counter for hours, at Marriott, all the high-end ingredients are laid down and the customer picks a pasta on the menu. The chef will then whip it up and serve it hot and fresh!

Other than pasta, Antonio's also offers other mouthwatering Italian dishes like pumpkin tortellini's, spinach gnocchi, salmon and cream cheese ravioli with truffle paste (I love this!), risotto and fresh truffles. The station's menu changes every week so each visit remains exciting!

Of course, expect the standard buffet sections to be present as well - a definite epicurean treat: Yakitori, Tandoor, Chinese, Chowder, Gourmet Salumiere, Cheese Studio, Salad Bar and Desserts.

Another stand-out area at  Marriott Cafe  is the wine and cocktails station. I'm not into alcoholic drinks but judging at how all the people got giddy in this area, it's safe to assume that this is indeed a hit among Marriott's clientele. 

You won't believe how delectable, hefty the dishes (that I've tried) are. Since I'm not much of an eater unlike my boyfriend, I only got the pasta, seafood and steak but overall, I liked what I've had. 

After all that cosmic appetizer-main course goodness, never forget to save some space for desserts! It has a great variety of pastries and baked treats of flans, cakes, pies and brownies. You may also choose among its wide assortment of yummy gellato variants.

You won't believe how long we stayed there just to eat - three whole hours! Haha. For a brunch buffet price of P2,000/head every Sunday, you really have to make every peso count. I know, it's pricey for some of my budget-conscious readers. But when you save up for it, you'll discover that it's worth the food quality, elegant and classy ambiance and the total fine dining experience. Of course, if times are really tight, just go here for that very special occasion this year. Definitely a must-try!

It's the best buffet that I've had so far. I still have a hang over, can't wait to go back!

Special thanks to Anton Carranza, Savannah Santiago and Marriott Cafe for the generous accommodation. 

Photo Credits: Dennison Uy of Audio Visual Junkie

Is katsu just a food fad that will soon lay low after a couple of months? With Yabu, I don't think so. Bias aside, I really believe it has one of the best tasting katsus that I've ever had so far - soft, crisp and scrumptious. Nothing compared to other Japanese restaurants, really.

I would like to personally mention Sir Mon and Ms. Jessica of Yabu for the warm accommodation. They even gave us a free choco lava for dessert. Super thanks po!

Some of you might find it a bit funny that the first few 2012 blog posts published on my site have something to do with food. Seems like I haven't had enough of eating these past holiday festivities (oh you bet, haha!). After underscoring Yabu's full main course meals of delicious kastsu dishes as a new year starter, I will be featuring a dessert bistro that you definitely should try (just in case you havent)!

For one, if you're looking for a relaxed place to hang out at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig, you might want to check out Burgos Circle because it has a good line up of cafés and restaurants. So far, I've only been to one, Bar Dolci, a snack bar which is very popular for its sugary servings of macarons and Italian gelato!

Since I've been trying to lessen my saccharin intake, I was pretty pleased to know that  Bar Dolci also offers various dough delights. Not  a lot of people know that I'm sucker for breads. In Shakey's I can even finish up their small basket of garlic bread on my own! Bar Dolci's roster of breads all looked incredibly tempting. However, I only tried Bar Dolci's Bacon and Cheese Bruschetta (P260), an Italian antipasto with bacon and creamy cheese toppings over seasoned focaccia bread.

The bruschetta is pretty much like a bacon and cheese pizza made so much better. The focaccia bread that they used was soft and easy to munch on. The toppings and all the herbs came together in such an appetizing treat.

Despite my attempt to cut on the sweets, I couldn't help but gratify myself with  Bar Dolci's famous macarons which are said to be one of the best in Manila. They come in yummy flavors that I wish I could all try but at a retail price of P50 for each piece, around five or less would be enough to indulge on.  

And because the macarons are small and a bit pricey to fully satisfy my craving for heavenly sweets, I was told that a trip to Bar Dolci is incomplete without giving their so-called "authentic, Italian gelato" a try. Gelato is just a fancier term for ice cream or sorbet (haha!), but it was definitely a moment wherein I just had to give in to that urge. Just looking at the array of flavors, how can I say no right?

I was torn between the organic yogurt with blueberry and again, my weakness, Ferrero (hihi)! But since it was a first time, I decided to go with their bestseller, a mix of caramel and Ferrero. A cup costs around P120 and it was refreshing to relish on something that is not too sweet which was totally far from what I expected it to be.