Vikings Buffet !

I love birthdays ! For this year, my family enjoyed Vikings Buffet.  We went all the way to SM Marikina because this branch offers celebrant's to eat free at 3 days before and after birth dates.  The SM Mall of Asia branch offers promo on the exact birthday only. My kids were really looking forward to the buffet.  They have heard about it from their friends.

My friends mentioned it has a wider spread than the standard hotel.  It delivered!  Of course, it' not like the other buffet restaurants available where you grill your food at your table (which was actually very challenging).  Here, I enjoyed walking.. and walking... and walking around looking at the wide array and the various presentations of each dish (japanese, filipino, chinese, american, pastas, etc etc).  You would not know which one to pick first.  So I suggest, you take small amounts that you most want to try and work from there.  My favorite has always been Japanese food, so I always start with that.  The oysters though did not fail me.  The Angus steak was really tender and filled with flavor.
Lastly,  I enjoyed the brewed coffee at the end of my meal (I had 2 cups!)

Buffet rates at SM Marikina :
   Adult at P688 lunch / P888 dinner for weekdays and P888 on weekends
   Kids 4ft - 4ft 6in at P388 lunch/ P588  for weekdays and P588 for weekends
   Kids 3ft - 4 ft  at P188 lunch/ P288 for weekdays and P288 for weekends
   Kids below 3ft are FREE
   75 yrs old and above get 50% discount
 

Fresh oysters with lots of cheese !

My son could not get enough of the squid.  But you have to wait some minutes for it to cook. Hurry ! because they run out fast.  But they do replenish.

The Salad spread 

The shushi and maki spread were very enticing

The cold cuts

I love Japanese food so for today , this is my choice : Pumpkin soup, Maki and Ebi Tempura

Birthday cakes for the celebs!

Enjoy!

Abe Restaurant !

A Korean friend visited and we wanted to let him taste the best of Filipino cuisine.  I have heard about Abe restaurant by the LJC group but have not tried it yet.  My friends have though and they said the food is really good.  So we went and they did not disappoint!  Pronounced ah-beh , the restaurant is a tribute to Larry Cruz's father, Abe.

We tried the one at Alabang Town Center.  Ambience is nice.  On the walls you will see sketches inspired by our Filipino tradition.

First on the list is the rice cooked in bamboo.  Unfortunately,  it was served already and the bamboo discarded before I could take a photo.  It was good.

Next is the Crispy Pata.  Oh dear, I forget the I am on a diet ! Very crunchy pork skin, moist meat. Cooked to perfection.

Love the Baby squid rice. It's bagoong rice topped with baby squid and one whole salted egg.
The Binagoongan is all also good/

For dessert. we tried all kinds :  the Leche Flan , thee Halo-Halo , Sansrival and the Sikreto ni Maria.  The Sikreto is made of suman with  ice cream and caramel - Yum!

I was surprised that on a weekday , the place gets full packed during dinner !

The Leche flan is too sweet for my taste

The Halo -Halo that our Korean friend enjoyed!

The Sansrival.  Big serving !

And this is the Sikreto ni Maria!

Enjoy!

Amici !

The name Amici itself suggests an Italian restaurant and it's one of the best I have tried.  The branches I've tried are the Don Bosco branch in Makati and the one at Ayala Triangle.

The Ayala Triangle branch was full packed as expected on a Friday and not to mention that it is the Christmas season after all.

Here's what I think of the place :

Service - good but of course serving time is 15 to 20 mins.  I must say they were happy to send a small birthday cake for my cousin

Food - great ! I especially love the Spaghetti Ai Tesori Del Mare (spaghetti pasta topped with seafood : mussels, clams, scallops with tomatoes).  You should try this !

Ambience - It's tight  and there is a waiting line (especially on a Friday).  But it's worth the wait.  You could go watch the light and sound show at Ayala Triangle while you wait

Price - reasonable. The Spaghetti Ai Tesori Del Mare is about Php344 and it's a big serving.

Spaghetti Ai Tesori Del Mare - try it !

I just had to try their Mozarella sticks

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Mediterranean Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad

My cousin's birthday cake

The blue lemonade is actually good

If you would like some Italian food - do try Amici this Christmas !

Union Jack Tavern !

The family was looking for a new restaurant this Christmas season.  I have heard of Union Jack Tavern and had always wanted to try it. So today we did and we were not disappointed.

Union Jack Tavern is an English pub serving authentic British food including Haggis among others. Unfortunately, I was not able to try it but I will next time.  Instead, we had the lamb shank and I had the buffet spread of roast turkey, roast beef, pudding, apple pie among others.

Next time, we will try the Fish and Chips and the Haggis and Tatties.
By the way, they also have Indian Curry Buffet which  I think is worth trying.  But I'd have to go back again to find out for myself :)

Location - Festival Mall in Alabang
Price       - Ok.  Lamb Shank was about Php465 and it was a big serving
                 The buffet was Php 545 +
Ambience  - Great for dining with family (If you are with kids, I suggest to go for the non-smoking area)
                    Great for  dining and drinking with friends while watching sports
Food      - love the lamb shank !

What is Haggis ?  It is a Scottish dish made from heart, lungs and liver of a sheep cooked in a casing traditionally made of the animal's stomach.  Hence , it is some kind of a sausage.

I like the crew's uniform.  Shown here are British delicacies from sausages to pies

Here is the buffet spread that I tried.  Yum !

Slow cooked Lamb Shank.  Believe me you won't forget it

My buffet  - with roast turkey and roast beef.  I love the gravy !

The apple pie and English trifle

First time to try Carling beer.  It's light and flavorful.  

In case you want to try the Indian Curry , here's the list.

Want to try something new ?  Come on over to Union Jack Tavern.

Enjoy !