Luxurious Buffet Lunch at HEAT, EDSA Shangri-La

HEAT (Healthy Eating, Amazing Tastes) serves a showcase of the hotel’s Asian and continental culinary specialties. It long had the cachet of having delicious and beautifully presented dishes amidst an elegant dining environment.

As a special treat for my mom on her birthday, I decided to take her to a buffet lunch at HEAT. Fortunately, I was able to book our table via Eatigo weeks ago, which gave us a 50% discount on the food bill. Our booking was scheduled at 2pm but the buffet closes at 2.30pm. Fortunately, we arrived at 1.45pm and the hostesses allowed us to come into the restaurant and dine earlier, thereby giving us more time to select our food and eat our fill.

The trick we try to follow when eating at buffets is to make a beeline for our favorites as well as the dishes we don’t get to eat frequently. We also do not linger on carbs that will make us feel full. Thus, among the kitchen stations we headed straight to were:

The Cheese, Bread and Cold Cuts Station. This station showcased a range of cheeses from mildly- to strong-flavored, savory spreads, as well as wraps and handmade breads from the pastry kitchen.

The Japanese Station. A showcase of sushis, sashimis and tempuras. Unfortunately, my favorite salmon sashimi was not available.

The Carving Station. We were able to get generous slices of prime beef rib, cooked to medium doneness, made even more flavorful by its well-marbled fat. We also sampled the Salmon en Croute, delicious salmon wrapped in flaky puff pastry.

The Western Station. This features an array of Mediterranean and continental main courses, of which the Greek Lamb Moussaka offered the most exotic taste.

The Filipino Station. This showcases traditional favorites, of which we selected the lechon. Sadly though, the lechon skin was not as crispy as we preferred.

The Dessert Station. Being a sugarholic, the highlight of my dining experience is no doubt the dessert station. Here, all manner of treats from cakes, tarts, creams and more from EDSA Shangri-La’s pastry kitchen to satisfy one’s sweet tooth abound. Standouts include the nutty chocolate bark, the tiramisu, the pecan tarts, the raspberry panna cotta, the flourless charcoal truffles (which stained our teeth black, hehehe), and the Orange Cardamon Gateux.

We also washed our meal down with a Passionata and Dalandan Lemonades.

Considering the sheer quantity and variety of food, the elegant and well-appointed surroundings, the warm service of the wait staff, and the sizeable discount of the buffet bill, my birthday treat for my mom was happy indeed.

She is already planning to ask my dad to take her here for Lobster Night, hehehe!

Heat is located at lobby level of the EDSA Shangri-La Manila, 1 Garden Way, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City and is open daily from 6am to 12mn. For reservations, call +63 2 6338888.

Regular Buffet Rates:

Breakfast (6am to 10.30am | Mondays to Saturdays): Php1,985
Lunch (12nn to 2.30pm | Mondays to Saturdays): Php1,985
Lunch (12nn to 2.30pm | Sundays): Php2,400
Lunch (12nn to 2.30pm | Sundays with overflowing beer and soda): Php3,275
Dinner (6pm to 10.30pm | Mondays to Thursdays, Sundays): Php2.425
Dinner (6pm to 10.30pm | Fridays to Saturdays): Php2,715 (Mad for Lobster Night on Fridays and Wagyu Night on Saturdays)

Want to enjoy the same awesome deal that I did? Register to Eatigo using this link and get up to 50% off your food bill in various restaurants in the metro as well as Php150 worth of rewards.