spiral

It had been an eventful day for us, for we had the privilege to dine at the most sought out buffet in Manila at the Spiral by Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila located at CCP Complex Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.

Upon entrance we were enthralled by the spiral staircase paired with the spiral steel design, underneath that spiral steel design was a mini fountain that gave the interior of the dining area a different ambiance.  It’s as if serenity is what the ambiance entails.

A very serene place to dine, space is not an issue, for the dining area was huge and spacious.  Your choice where will you be seated as long as you make an early reservation or if the area is available.  May it be by the window where al fresco area, children’s play area and swimming pool are viewable, or you may opt to be near their different cuisines section such as the Korean cuisine wherein round tables were available, or by the Japanese cuisine section, or beside the mini-fountain at the center of the dining area.

seafood section

other side of seafood section

Their seafood section has shrimp, oysters, mussels and crabs all unlimited.  I was amazed as how each seafood were presented.  You can eat it cold or you can request for it to be baked or cooked with your choice of garnish.  I had my shrimps sauteed in butter and garlic, and ask them to fry the crab.  Shrimps were still delectable in it’s form even I have it sauteed again, but the crabs were disappointing.  I was excited that I can eat only the crab pincer but was disappointed that the meat became too dry.

wine and cheese section

Start of what they call the Mediterranean Cuisine Section.  Choices of different wine, cheese, dip and different whole wheat biscuits were available in this section.

salad section

Part of Mediterranean Cuisine Section are different approach to  salad.  You can have it the create-your-own-salad, or you can choose among the prepared one such as the combination of  Pomelo Orange Cranberries Salad, i find the combination bitter to my taste.  Their  Shrimp Orange Salad is a great tasting combination, for shrimp used was fresh and the orange was sweet and juicy, and there’s a  whole lot more of choices that I haven’t got the chance to take note of.

bread section

Another part of the Mediterranean Cuisine Section was the different kinds of bread, pizza, and pasta.  You can ask their chef to cook you a pasta according to your preference of ingredients and sauce to use.  It was exciting but warn you carbo load can bloat you immediately.  I have tasted their cheese pizza it was delectable.  I thought it would taste bland for theirs was thin crust, but to my amazement it was tasty and flavorful.

mediterranean food section

Another part of the Mediterranean Cuisine Section was the paella,  and chicken shawarma station.  Paella was okay but was not something that you would crave for again, while Chicken Shawarma was something!  I thought it will be just a typical taste of shawarma, but it was not!  Chicken was very tasty it has been marinated way before it was placed at the shawarma machine.

cold japanese

cold japanese

In Spiral, their Cold Japanese was part of the Mediterranean Section.  I noticed number of guests were in line for this section, and surprisingly, Chefs assigned managed this station to be well-stocked.

japanese food section

Now, their Hot Japanese Cuisine Section was separated from the Cold Japanese for the latter was part of the Mediterranean Cuisine Section.   This section carried the ever-famous Prawn Tempura, Yakisoba, Miso Soup, Lapu-lapu fillet on a sticky rice, mini scallops and a whole lot more!  It was really too many dishes to mention.  I like the freshness of every dishes served.

indian cuisine section

international cuisine section

International Cuisine Section was the home for their Prime Ribs, and Roasted Chicken that’s really worth visiting.

chinese cuisine section

Chinese Cuisine Section, where the famous mango-sago dessert was a hit! It was refreshing!  Dimsum, Noodles, Beef, Fish all cooked in chinese style was superb.

korean cuisine section

Their Korean Cuisine Section was where the Peking Duck stationed.  It was juicy but the skin of the Peking Duck was not crunchy as it should be anymore.

pastries and sweets

They’ve got tons and tons of pastries and sweets to name a few were Sugar-free strawberry panna cotta, sugar-free chocolate panna cotta, creme brulee, mocha brulee and other pastries that one couldn’t imagine that they can eat and taste it here all in Spiral.

fruit, chocolate fountain

Some fruit in season were available such as Dragon Fruit, Mangosteen, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Mango, Star Apple and Orange.   White and Dark Chocolate Fountain were also available where some skewered fruit and marshmallows were already prepared.

crepes, churros, cookies, halo-halo

Crepes with your choice of fruit and toppings , Baked Cookies, Churros, and Halo-halo were all in these section.  I can vouch for the crepes that it was good but was only disappointed as how it was prepared.  It was not as perfect as I have expected.  Baked cookies were on a bland side, Churros as expected was oily but delectable partnered with melted chocolate.   Halo-halo was still a hit eversince I have visited Spiral up until now.

ice cream

What’s a dessert without Ice Cream in tow?  Their Pistachos was superb! And has been the most favorite of the guests.  You can have as many scoops as you want with your choice of toppings of cereal, choco chips, and/or grated almonds.

For the price of P1927.00 net of tax and service charge per head,  if you don’t have their Accor Advantage Plus card or for the price of P1927.00 for two persons if with mentioned membership card.  There was a complimentary coffee and tea for the said amount.

All in all it was a very hearty meal.  I give 5/5 for the ambiance, 4/5 for the service, 4/5 for the price and 5/5 for the food.

NOTE:   If you dine at Spiral, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.

banapple

Another place for a great meal is at Banapple. Banapple is famous for their pies and cakes, but they do have good food for lunch and dinner as well. We visited this branch at IL Terrazo in Tomas Morato. The Restaurant is quite small with only 2-3 small tables inside which can only accommodate a few customers.  But They have more tables outside. The only problem is if you are a non-smoker you wont be too happy to sit outside. Another thing I do not like is the table. The design of the table is nice, they use round marbles (holen) with cement and use the marbles as the face of the table, but since the table is too small and marbles have very smooth surface, its really inconvenient to place your glass of iced tea or plate on the table as it easily slides off.

creamy chicken pie with potato salad

One of my favorites at Banapple is the Creamy chicken pie served with potato salad, price at P100.00, you’ll get a really huge pie cut in half stuffed with creamy chicken meat. I’m not a huge fan of potato salad, but the salad was just ok for me. This is also good for sharing for 2 persons. I personally loved this dish since I really like chicken pie, and this is probably the largest chicken pie I have encountered, and not to mention the good taste of the moist chicken meat of the pie, This is also best for kids who dislike eating rice for their main meal.

fettucine jacintha

For pasta, a good choice is the Fettucine Jacintha.  Price at P130.00, the pasta is cooked al-dente served with bread. Eating this dish reminds me of carbonara, not as creamy as a carbonara but equally delicious. The serving size is just enough for its price. A good recommendation for cream based pasta lovers.

herbed chicken rolls with basil cream sauce

For a rice meal, we ordered Herbed Chicken Rolls with basil cream sauce, served with garlic rice and some carrot sticks on the side.  Price at P160.00. The sauce is cream based and the chicken roll is stuffed with their special herbs which makes every bite a wonder. The chicken piece is relatively ok for the price.

iced tea

And like every meal, having a nice ice cold drink is the best way to complement your meal.  If you love the ice tea of CPK and Pasto, I believe you will also like the iced tea of banapple.

Overall, we give 5/5  for the food, 5/5 for the price and 2/5 for the ambiance. We will surely visit banapple again, and feature the desserts next.

Banapple Branches :

1. 225 Katipunan Avenue, Blue Ridge Quezon City Tel No. 439-2675

2.2nd Floor IL Terrazo, Tomas Morato Quezon City Tel No. 439-2675

NOTE:   If you dine at Banapple, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.