churrasco – Jellybeans in the City

A culinary journey at the International Buffet of The Manila Hotel’s Café Ilang-Ilang

There are few dining experiences that will have had me braving the July’s heavy monsoon rains, the threat of flooding and the metro’s infamous traffic jams, but that’s exactly what happened that particular Thursday evening, when I met up with fellow foodies to enjoy Cafe Ilang-Ilang’s much-celebrated dinner buffet spread.

A Legacy of Culinary Excellence

Named after the ilang-ilang tree which symbolizes love and romance, Cafe Ilang-Ilang is a much-beloved spot that transports diners to a world of culinary excellence. The Manila Hotel’s flagship restaurant has undergone several renovations and is now an architectural masterpiece. With a legacy spanning over half a century, Café Ilang-Ilang has become synonymous with exceptional dining experiences in Manila.

Global Flavors on Your Plate

Café Ilang-Ilang prides itself on offering an extensive array of cuisines from around the world. Here, my fellow foodies and I were able to explore the buffet spread that spans continents and satisfies every palate with a delightful showcase of diverse flavors.

Salads and Breads Station. Whet your appetites with Cafe Ilang-Ilang’s assortment of vibrant, crisp salads, freshly baked bread, cheeses and delicatessen. This station offers the perfect balance of flavors and textures to complement your buffet experience.

Churrasco Station. Immerse yourself in the tantalizing aroma of grilled meats and seafood. Indulge in succulent grilled beef, pork, chicken, lamb, sausages, and seafood skewers, accompanied by a variety of delectable sauces.

Pan-Asian Station. Embark on a culinary journey through Asia with a wide selection of dim sum, sushi, sashimi, noodles, dumplings, and stir-fries.

Italian Station. Indulge in classic Italian dishes that will transport you to the heart of Italy. Savor mouthwatering pizzas and pastas, freshly prepared and cooked to perfection.

Mediterranean Station. Delight in the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean. Sample refreshing salads, fresh seafood, halal dishes and perfectly grilled meats.

American Station. Experience the best of American hearty fare. Let loose your inner carnivore juicy steaks and tender roasts.

Dessert Station. Indulge your sweet tooth with a delectable array of sweet treats. From luscious cakes and pastries to creamy ice cream, the dessert station offers a delightful finale to your culinary adventure.

Anilag Festival: A Celebration of Culinary Heritage

The true showcase of that evening’s luxurious repast is the Anilag Festival, a carefully curated menu that showcases revered recipes from Calle Arco, an ancestral home in Pagsanjan, Laguna, renowned for its authentic Filipino dishes. Café Ilang-Ilang collaborated with Calle Arco in bringing the vibrant flavors of Laguna’s annual food festival, Anilag or Ani ng Laguna on a rotating basis to the restaurant’s Filipino buffet station throughout this month of July. These include:

Binagoongang Crispy Pata. A fusion of two Filipino classics, crispy pata and binagoongan made cuts of deep-fried pork leg braised in flavorful stew made with shrimp paste.

Fried Itik. A signature dish from Victoria, Laguna wherein a duck is marinated in special seasonings then deep-fried to a crisp.

Kare-Kare (Galapong). A rich and flavorful oxtail stew with vegetables, simmered in a peanut sauce made from ground peanuts, chili peppers, spices, and glutinous rice.

Pancit Habhab. A stir-fried noodle dish made with miki noodles, shrimp, pork, and vegetables.

Sinigang na Baka na may Langka. The tangy and refreshing flavors of a sour soup made with beef, vegetables, and tamarind with some sweet notes from jackfruit.

Grilled Pla-Pla with Pako. Grilled tilapia served with pako leaves, adding a hint of sweetness and bitterness.

Adobong Kangkong. A staple in many Filipino homes, this dish is made with a combination of water spinach (kangkong) and classic adobo elements such as pork belly, garlic, bay leaves, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, oil, and black pepper.

Café Ilang-Ilang at The Manila Hotel is a haven for food lovers seeking a remarkable buffet experience. With its rich history, stunning ambiance, and an exquisite selection of global cuisines, it promises an unforgettable dining adventure. Don’t miss the opportunity to savor the diverse flavors from around the world while celebrating Laguna’s culinary heritage during the Anilag Festival.

Personally, the trek across the metro’s congested streets in the midst of a deluge for this feast was well worth it.

Cafe Ilang-Ilang serves dinner buffet from 6pm to 10pm daily, priced at Php3,145/adult and Php1,572/child from Sundays to Wednesdays, and Php3,790/adult and Php1,895/child from Thursdays to Saturdays.

For inquiries or reservations, please contact +632 8527 0011 or +632 5301 5500 or send an email to restaurantrsvn@themanilahotel.com.

Cafe Lang-Ilang is located at the Ground Floor of The Manila Hotel, One Rizal Park, Ermita, Manila.

Know more about Manila Hotel and its offers by visiting its website or following it on Facebook, Instagram or Youtube.

Disclosure: I attended a food tasting event held at this restaurant. Food items mentioned here were served at no cost to the attendees.

The Manila Hotel’s Café Ilang-Ilang and The Champagne Room reopens

The Manila Hotel’s dining outlets, the famed Café Ilang-Ilang and the iconic Champagne Room reopens soon after undergoing a few weeks of general maintenance. The hotel chose to suspend dining operations as the holiday festivities died down to ensure food quality and guest safety, as well as spot-checks on its facilities.

Come visit Café Ilang-Ilang

Café Ilang-Ilang is scheduled to reopen on January 28, 2022 (Friday). The dining outlet enjoys a loyal following among local and foreign guests as it offers authentic international fare as well as family-friendly dining experience. It continues to draw diners with its daily offering of gastronomic delights coupled with the culinary team’s passion to create an amazing spread of dishes that is in keeping with its acclaimed status as one of the best buffet restaurants in the country.

The Manila Hotel’s Café Ilang-Ilang and The Champagne Room reopens

Diners can indulge in Café Ilang-Ilang’s wide range of food selections for lunch and dinner daily. This brings together Italian, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and even certified Halal dishes under one roof for an indulgent eat-all-you-can feast featuring crowd favorites like the US Beef Rib Roast; items from the Churrasco station like meats and salmon; seafood like prawns and crabs; a glorious spread of different sushi and sashimi; Filipino favorites like Lechon with truffle rice; Chinese highlights like duck and various dimsum; an array of desserts including bibingka, puto bumbong, and halo-halo; and many more.

Fine dining at The Champagne Room

Meanwhile, Manila’s premier destination for exquisite fine dining will start accepting diners again on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. To date, The Champagne Room is a premier restaurant whose timeless beauty remains, coupled with fine dining of choices for discriminating diners who put a premium on impeccably prepared dishes, outstanding service, and luxurious ambiance. The most romantic room in the country marks the return of its fine dining just in time for Valentine month.

The Champagne Room will welcome guests with an option for walk-in and reservations four days a week (Wednesday through Saturday), with select a la carte items and special multi-course degustation menus to choose from—conceived by the hotel’s Executive Chef to showcase what this dining outlet is all about. Think generous servings of Black Angus Tenderloin, US Prime Beef Rib, the Chilean Sea Bass, or the satisfying Seafood Medley; there are also choices of starters; and for dessert, don’t miss out on the indulgent sweet delight—its signature Baked Alaska.

Safety standards

Both The Manila Hotel premiere outlets elevate the dining experience: broadening our palate with flavors from global cultures and cuisine and applying elevated standards of safety that allow guests to dine comfortably and with peace of mind.

Café Ilang-Ilang and The Champagne Room still implement physical distancing and reduced capacity measure that are compliant with the IATF and DOT guidelines for restaurants.

For more information regarding reservation and dining rates, please call our hotline numbers at (02) 85270011 or 0998-9501912. You may also email restaurantrsvn@themanilahotel.com; or check and book online for Café Ilang-Ilang via https://www.manila-hotel.com.ph/dining/cafe-ilang-ilang/ and The Champagne Room via https://www.manila-hotel.com.ph/dining/champagne-room/.

Details and images provided by The Manila Hotel in a recent press release.

The first 3D buffet experience in the Philippines: SIX Doors BBQ Buffet

Here comes a new buffet dining concept that’s sure to appeal to foodie adventurers: a 3D dining experience!

Managed by Kungfu Master Cooking Group, Inc., SIX Doors BBQ Buffet is the first buffet restaurant in the country with 3D element features: a 3D-inspired stage, 3D reception, table mapping projections at the VIP rooms, and a whole gamut of 3D experiences that will give diners an extraordinary experience.

Recently, my daughter #ExhibitA and I joined other foodies, bloggers and media reps when SIX Doors BBQ Buffet held its Media Launch prior to its grand opening on December 5.

SIX Doors has an open dining area that can accommodate over 200 people and function rooms that can seat anywhere from 10 to 40. With a showcase of European, Asian and Brazilian dishes, including a BBQ and churrasco grilling station, a sushi bar, a beverage and filling station, pastry chillers with artfully presented confections and cakes, a hotpot area and an extensive collection of wines and beers, SIX Doors is ready to be the newest buffet dining destination.

However, the restaurant’s claim to fame is its 3D dining which can be experienced at the VIP Rooms. It immerses diners in another world through images projected on the tables and all throughout the room.

Dining in the VIP Rooms also affords patrons with butler-style service and an exclusive premium menu selection.

After its grand opening, SIX Doors will treat its guests to exciting performances and stunts from 7pm onwards, such as:

Jenine Desiderio (December 10)
Bobby Skyz (December 12)
SIX Doors Living Statues with SIX Doors Mascot FIDO (December 15, 18, 19, 22 and 29)
Clark Dizon (December 20)
Selena Marie (December 28 and January 4)
The Bloomfields (January 15 and 20)
Jinky Vidal (January 26)
Joey G. (January 30)

https://flic.kr/p/2amT6B3

SIX Doors BBQ Buffet Rates are (exclusive of service charge):

Weekday Lunch: Php859
Weekday Dinner, Weekend Lunch/Dinner: Php1,390
VIP Room: Php4,500/head

SIX Doors BBQ Buffet is located at 2nd Floor, Uptown Mall, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 918 4843255 or email sixdoors3dbbqbuffet@kfmc.ph.

Photo credits: Images of the 3D Dining Experience in VIP Rooms provided by SIX Doors. All other photos are mine.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers and media representatives, I was invited to join this restaurant’s pre-opening Media Launch. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Novel churrasco dining experience at Chateaubriand, Roxas Boulevard

Being a certified carnevore, I jumped at the chance to dine at the Chateaubriand Premium Steak Restaurant, braving last night’s rainy weather and the perennial traffic from Quezon City to Pasay.

I’m used to eating steaks and grilled meats in a more casual, even American West-style setting, so setting foot on Chateaubriand’s walkway and stepping into its posh dining area was quite a novelty. Nope, no cowboy hats adorn the walls nor down-home-type bric-a-bracs lie about. Instead, opulent white chairs and tables are artfully arranged on the restaurant’s elegant marble floors.

The focal point of the sprawling dining area may be the tastefully presented buffet spread. This buffet is pretty extensive with over a hundred items, catering to almost any preference as it includes:

a classic salad station
“Create Your Ceasar Salad”
authentic Brazilian dishes
Continental cuisine
imported cheeses
fresh fruits
a chocolate fountain
international breads
various types of pastries and desserts

However, as the restaurant’s PR representative Mikaela Mutuc tells it, the all the inclusions in the buffet actually are intended to serve as sides to grilled meats that the restaurant serves.

Well, true enough, the meats do take center stage and how!

The meats are all premium cuts, most of which are sourced from various countries, grilled and served churrasco style. By flipping the medallions on your table, you signal the churrasco boys to bring their grilled meats and other grilled items in skewers straight from the churrascaria to your table and cut off a generous and juicy slice for you right before your eyes. These include:

Picanha (signature Brazilian rump cap) – the real star of the show, IMHO!
Alcatra (top sirloin seasoned with a rich soy glaze)
Garlic Steak (sirloin marinated with garlic and fresh herbs)
Linguica (classic pork sausage basted with garlic butter
Frango (chicken quarters marinated with lemon rosemary)
Presunto (tender ham leg with pineapple glaze)
Milho Assado (baby corn roasted with garlic butter)
Abacaxi (pineapple with cinnamon and brown sugar)
Caramelized Banana (bananas with cinnamon and brown sugar)
Roasted Mixed Vegetables

More grilled treats may be added to the dinner menu such as:

Chuleta (rib eye with mesquite crust)
Fraldinha (choice flank steak marinated in Brazilian spices)
Lombo (pork loin with a delicate herb marinade)
Carneira (boneless lamb leg with a minted oil rub) – another winner for me!
Bacon-wrapped chicken breast with peri-peri marinade)
Pescado (grilled marlin or tuna)

To add even more flavor to your meats, you can dip or slather them (up to you, really :-)) with any or all of these three sauces:

Chimichurri
Salsa Rojo
Chateau Steak Sauce

Note: Other sauces and dips are available at the buffet but these are the essential ones.

You can wash down your meal with any or all of the three juices available: Honey Orange, Four Seasons and Strawberry Iced Tea.

The service staff are friendly and knowledgeable about the resto’s offerings. The churrasco boys, in particular, even give diners tips on how to better enjoy their selections and gamely display their grilled meats for food photos. They are also quick to assist requests and queries.

Feasting on churrasco at the pre-Grand Opening rates below is actually a steal:

weekdays dinner: Php2,000 (Php1,600 within October 2018 at 20% discount) + 10% service charge
weekend lunch: Php2,000 (Php999 within October 2018 at 50% discount) +10% service charge
weekend dinner: P2,200 + 10% service charge

If you want some spirits to go with your meats, you can get some by the glass at Php300 per glass or treat yourself to Chateaubriand’s wine buffet at Php599 + 10% service charge. Other alcoholic beverages and cocktails are also available.

Birthday celebrants also get to eat for free on the day of their birthday as long as they are accompanied by a full-paying adult, or on any other day of their birth month as long as they are accompanied by four full-paying adults.

While the churrasco-style dining may have casual roots, Chateaubriand’s opulent surroundings and top-rate service staff make it a fine dining experience.

Chateaubriand is located at Unit 105 Sunset View Towers, 110 William Street corner 2230 Roxas Boulevard, Brgy. 13 Zone 4 District 1, Pasay City. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 821 2031 or +63 905 1403748.

Disclosure: Together with other food bloggers, I was invited to attend a foodie meet-up held in this restaurant. All the food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Need some tips to maximize your eat-all-you-can experience? Read my buffet survival guide.