Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Sunset Bay Buffet at Sofitel Luxury Hotel

A grand Manila bay sundown, sliced through the glistening sea, and the breeze switch as it spurn. Oh well, not that day. It was raining so what could have been a deluxe Sunset bay buffet was moved indoor, at a huge tent they call Sunset Pavilion, just right beside the pool area where the buffet was ought to be held at.


If stare outside fro the glass, you can still see the Manila Bay, albeit on its sullen state. So while I can't control the weather, I just control my mood to it. After all, it's the buffet and the cultural performance that matters.


The epic culinary saga continues.


There were two sets of performers that night, the cultural performers dancing a melange of Filipino dances from all over the archipelago, and a band performing classical, bossa nova, and smooth jazz fusion.


I was thinking that the cultural show with the extravagant flare of costume would make my night, it ends up that I like the band more, perhaps because I love the music genre(evidently, my iPhone is filled with those type of music).


I noticed that the foreign nationals right beside my table were so immersed with the cultural show, especially when they started dancing Maglalatik, Pandango sa Ilaw, and Tinikling. One of them gladly joined the Tinikling dance.


As far as my rustic memory can recall, the buffet includes, Grilled Shrimp, Grilled Mussels, Grilled Lamb Chop, Hungarian Sausage, Grilled Chicken, Grilled Salmon, Potato Au Gratin, Grilled Squid, Corn Kernel, Carbonara, Ratatouille.


And if a US steak and lechon alone wouldn't make you crave for more, I don't know what else does.


On the other side of the table were the Kilawins varieties, fresh salad that you can DIY, and some fruits to boot like Watermelon, Pineapple, Mango, Melon, and Papaya.


The far side includes desserts section with plethora of cheesecakes, black forest, and a lot more that I forgot their names. They also have Filipino desserts in fact like Ube Halaya and more. Of course, the sweet tongue in me picked cheesecakes, and a DIY halo halo with two scoops of ice cream on top.


To top off your meal, they also serve overflowing soda of your choice, iced tea, San Mig Light, and Red Horse Beer. But since I brought a bottle of wine in my room, I opted for an iced tea


It was a feast that had me drink a lot of wine to speed up my digestion because I will have to take the hotel's breakfast buffet upon waking up.

15 comments:

  1. after fixing the format, i found out that i can neither restore or move comments into right posts, so let my write is here verbatim:

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  2. At least it's still Sunset..sunset pavillion nga lang..LOL! Ang daming dessert!

    By peachkins(http://www.thepeachkitchen.com) on Sunset Bay Buffet at Sofitel Luxury Hotel on

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  3. thanks for the lovely comment on my blog! btw, any good food reco for spiral breakfast buffet? thanks a lot!:))

    By wickeRmoss(http://wickermoss.blogspot.com) on Sunset Bay Buffet at Sofitel Luxury Hotel at 8:31 AM

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  4. @Peach: oo nga, mas ok sana kung di umulan at nasa pool area ang buffet, kaya ayun binawi ko nalang sa dami ng kinain ko.

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  5. @Charles: if you'd want to hit Spiral, go for lunch or dinner buffet. i'm a bit disheartened with the breakfast buffet having no steak or lamb. :) oh well, it's breakfast. i shouldn't have expected more.

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  6. : we will be there this Saturday, hope the weather will be ok

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  7. @Frankie: yeah, hope the weather will cooperate, otherwise, you'd be housed-in a tent.

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  8. ey there! i didnt know you were such a power blogger. nice blog! im looking forward to reading more from you bro...

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  9. @catie: thanks for dropping by. i can see your blog is centered to the korean-derived marvels. keep it up. and more power.

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  10. Wow! I was searching for blogs about the the Sunset buffet. Finally, I found one! :) I'm planning to use mine next week. Do I need to call for reservation?

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  11. @April: yes, all voucher-based accommodation requires reservation, which is good because you are already assured of your seat.

    wish that it won't rain, if it does, you will be moved to the Sunset Pavilion, like mine.

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  12. Oh okay. How many days before should I make the reservation? I don't really have an idea. Haha! And if it does rain, could I cancel my reservation instead and come back some other time? :)

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  13. @April: to be safe, make it 3days prior to the date of dining. i don't know if you can cancel it, but i am guessing you can. weather is really volatile, it could be extremely humid and hot by the entire day but will rain during sundown. or it could be the other way around.

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  14. Hi! I just tried the sunset buffet last night and I was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. The range/menu was the same as you described which I already think is a limited fare to begin with (I didn't know this beforehand) but the worst part is the quality and taste has been "dumb-ed" down and can only compare with a 3-4 star hotel restaurant! (Legend Villas in Pioneer is a 3-star hotel and their buffet is almost comparable to Sofitel's sunset buffet at only Php500 more or less). I've eaten at Sofitel about 3 years ago and their catering is exquisite but this was the first time I tried their buffet and it will be my last! I was also able to check out the food they had in Spiral but it was only about 5-6 courses more than the sunset buffet menu and sure they offer international desserts but it is just as well, limited! I just think over-all for Sofitel buffet, you don't get the price you pay for (Php2,073 for sunset buffet and Php2,200 for Spiral). I highly recommend instead Dusit Thani's crossover buffet (which let's you eat at 4 different restaurants inclusive of drinks) and Shangri-La's Heat buffet (which comes up with different culinary themes every month) which for me is the best buffet this 2011 (at Php1,600 only). The range is comprehensive and taste and quality is what you expect it to be - 5 stars. If you've got good money to spare and you want to spend it on a hotel buffet, trust me, Sofitel's sunset buffet is not the type of buffet you want. I'm afraid Sofitel's not living up to its reputation and name or either it's just been left out by the competitors that offer better food at a better price. It just does not give you the kind of gastronomic experience that you would want to keep going back for more. I have yet to try Holiday Inn Galleria's buffet which is one of the buffets raved about for past 3-4 years.

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  15. @Anonymous: thank you for that. i have tried all the buffets you have mentioned, Sofitel's Spiral and Sunset Pavilion, Shang EDSA's heat, Legend Villa's Lola Maria something, but for the Dusit, I only have have tried the Basix. i think i have blogged all of them here except for the Shang's because it was a long time ago. perhaps Sofitel is too complacent not knowing that their competitors are already innovating the dining experience. have you tried Marriott Cafe, Escolta, and Cafe Ilang Ilang too?

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