This was the menu for the Media Lunch which greeted us upon arrival at the hotel. Swissotel Merchant Court’s Jack Chua and Yvonne Chua treated us wonderfully well during our stay. The room was fantastic and so was the service. Indeed, I will return to this hotel!

This is the famous Singapore Sling, a cocktail originally made for Long Bar of the Raffles hotel. The Singapore Sling is made with Cointreau, gin, brandy and grenadine.

And the Ellenborough Market Cafe has these on their buffet:

The Sambal Prawns. Really good! It’s not as spicy as you think.

Salmon and other seafood, fresh and ready to eat!

Ellenborough’s signature dish, the sea bass.

Looks like Adobo, but it’s called Babi Chinn (no kidding!)

More sauteed prawns!

This is NOT chicken. It’s duck! I loved this one!

Sambal squid. You’re probably curious what Sambal is. I will post a recipe in the next few days!

For dessert, Durian Mousse! More to come in the coming days!

The Swissotel Merchant Court has some of the best culinary talents in the Singapore. They have spared no expense in making sure that people who stay here always have the best experience that will enhance their visit.  The treatment that I got was just the best there is, bar none.  The breakfast buffet of the Ellenborough Market Cafe is one of the best I have tried.

The Swissotel Merchant Court lies right beside Clarke Quay, a riverside quay named after Singapore Second Governor Sir Andrew Clarke which has been converted into a busy kaleidoscope of colors and sounds where you can find some of the most incredible restaurants and coffee shops. It is also beside the Central department store which houses the Central Market, a place to buy food and things.

The Ellenborough Market Cafe of the Swissotel Merchant Court has some of the best chefs and service professionals. Of course they hired Filipino workers too because a lot of them help form the backbone of Singapore’s economy and society. In keeping with their multi-cultural heritage, the Singaporeans have no reservations in getting foreign workers to get things done. Swissotel was no exception. I did meet two of their really nice people, who happen to both Filipinos.

However, I did not lose sight of my objective, which was to partake of the Peranakan cuisine and the Ellenborough Market Cafe did not disappoint at all.

So this was my first plate from the breakfast buffet. I LOVED the salmon and I kept coming back for more.

This is egg custard. It came as a complete surprise because of what I know about egg custard, it is usually sweet. This one was not sweet. It was savory with mushroom shreds on top. I loved this because it went down the hatch easily and the texture was creamy. Now THIS is my kind of egg custard!

So I didn’t stop there, I had a second plate. Everything was delicious.

( to be continued )

I was invited by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to go to Singapore and experience the annual Singapore Food Festival. Being a foodie, how could I have resisted that? Upon arrival I checked in to the Swissotel Merchant Court beside Clark Quay (pronounced as “k-ee”) which will house the longest Peranakan buffet on Sunday.

This wonderful hotel treated me to a sneak peek at the Peranakan dishes to be featured at the longest Peranakan buffet on Sunday. Here are some of the dishes that I tried:

This is Kueh Pie Tee. It is served without the shell and the diners must put the condiments, shrimp, vegetables and all, by themselves. The cone is crunchy while the filling is fresh and hot. A little longer and the shell might go rubbery, but this Kueh Pie Tee went down the hatch faster than when it was made.

That’s Chef Shirley, the genius behind all the good food that afternoon.

This is Sambal Prawn. I asked the people around what Sambal means and apparently it refers to the chili paste used. It is fiery and tasty but not salty. I think all things Sambal is probably good, as in the case of this prawn dish.

This is Kueh Dadar. It is basically a thin pancake with coconut in the middle. The coconut filling reminds me of our own “bukayo” as the taste and the consistency effectively reminds me of my childhood. Yes, bukayo is a part of my childhood, and now Kueh Dadar is here to take it’s place with equally happy memories of a wonderful Singapore experience.

The Swissotel Merchant Court Singapore’s Market Cafe showcases of best of international and Peranakan cuisine. Stay here when you come to Singapore and enjoy the sights, sounds and food that is uniquely Singapore.

A lot of my friends have been asking me for my suggestions to help them decide where to dine, buffet-style, this holiday season. Thus I have decided to write a post about some of the really good places where you can take your family for a nice Christmas lunch/dinner. Because I am budget-conscious, I will begin with the least expensive and work my way down to the most expensive.

1. Paul Calvin’s Deli - (Sorry, I didn’t take pictures when I was here.) The only thing that’s expensive here is how it sounds. You will be surprised that the lunch buffet in this quaint little restaurant will only cost you P275.00 (US$6.10) per person, inclusive of taxes and service charge. Surprised? So was I when I called the owner to ask for reservations. So I called the owner, (his name is Gerald) and I asked, “how much is your lunch buffet per person?” To which he nonchalantly answered, “P275.00″ So I asked again, “did I get it right? Could you say that again please? Did you say P1,275?” He replies, “No, I said two-seven-five per person, nett.” My officemate in the other cube stood up and said, “did you just say 2-7-5? Wow! That’s cheap! I’m in!” So I reserved for eight people and nine showed up. The people of Paul Calvin’s Deli are very accommodating, even to the most uncommon requests (Like this one time when Noreen called and asked, “can you extend your lunch buffet to 5.30 pm?” Believe it or not, they actually said yes to this one.) This is the best buffet I’ve had for it’s price. They provide free parking at the underground parking area.

Paul Calvin’s Deli
Manager: Weng Florentino
Mobile: 0917-8045133
Unit F-111 Forbes Town Center, Rizal Drive, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

2. Brazil! Brazil! - Ah the signature skewered meat being sliced in front of you! To fully enjoy dining here, you must be a carnivore, like me. I love sausages and red meat galore! The chickens that they serve are mostly thigh parts and it’s all juicy and tender. The beef is unbelievably soft and the pork is so delicious. What else can I say? At Brazil! Brazil! each person gets to enjoy the wonderful Brazilian barbecue buffet and all the other good stuff in their salad bar for only P773.00 (US$17.20), but this price does not include drinks. Remember that this restaurant is purely buffet so don’t expect them to serve ala carte dishes. The only things in the menu are drinks and more drinks. They give you a yoyo which is red on one side and green on the other. If the red side is showing, the staff will stop bringing you meats from the grill. If it shows the green side, the sausages and the meats will not stop coming. Try the corn, I loved it as much as I loved the steaks.

Brazil! Brazil!
The Piazza, One Serendra, Fort Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City, Metro Manila
(02) 856-0671

3. Circles at the Shangri-la Hotel, Manila – The mother of all hotel buffets. In my opinion. Circles is still the grandmomma of them all. Nice of them to slash prices from last years hefty 2k something, it is now P1,640.00 (US$36.56) per person for dinner on weekdays and P1,903.40 (US$42.30) for dinner on weekends. They have everything from local cuisine to Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Mediterranean. They also have an extensive dessert lineup that has everything from cakes, fondues, crepes to gelato to TAHO (sweetened soy bean curd). However, a buffet lineup this extensive must be attacked intelligently. I personally chose to gorge mostly on the expensive treats like the seafood and the prime rib.

The pasta was too good to pass up and the desserts were just as overwhelming.

Get only what you can finish. Wasting food is no way of making the most out of what you paid for. So it’s kinda pricey but hey, it’s worth it! Plus, it’s Christmas and I’m sure your family will love you for it.

Circles Event Cafe
Lobby Level, Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Ave. cor. Makati Avenue
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 840-0884

Remember that meals are best enjoyed with your loved ones. Depending on your budget, there is always a good place for you to dine and share laughs with your family. Christmas or not, it’s always good to have dinner and spend some quality time with your loved ones.

Where will you on the 7th of December? Once again, time will stand still in the Philippines and in all Filipino communities worldwide as the Philippine’s biggest boxing champ Manny Pacquiao will face Golden Boy Oscar Dela Hoya in a non-title bout on the 7th of December. Where else should you be? None other but at the Manila Diamond Hotel where you can enjoy the fight LIVE while being serviced the best food and beers, all you can eat (or drink) for only P650.00 (US$13.00)!

The fight generated so much hype as boxing pundits have conflicting speculations. Some say Manny Pacquiao must have lost his marbles when he agreed to fight a larger, heavier Dela Hoya. Others say Manny Pacquiao’s youth and speed and will be a complete surprise to the older Dela Hoya, whose golden days might have gone past him.

Those who avail of the Diamond Seat will get a 15% discount on the buffets of Palm Court Cafe for great after-game talks.

Telephone: (632) 528-3000
Fax: (632) 526-2255
Email: bizcenter@diamondhotel.com
Location Address: Roxas Boulevard cor. Dr. J. Quintos St., Manila, Philippines 1000
Website: www.diamondhotel.com

The Peninsula Hotel, Manila introduces a new and exciting way of enjoying an old dessert favorite. I highly recommend you visit the Pen and dessert to your heart’s delight! It’s ice cream like you’ve never had before.

With Unilever stepping in, Selecta ice cream has practically become the national ice cream brand besting all other brands and being the only ice cream in the world to have successfully made the first real ice cream on a stick!

Selecta now makes premiere ice cream flavors exclusively for the Peninsula Hotel, Manila. Yes, the wonderful ice cream concoctions of Chef Adam Mathis can be enjoyed at the Lobby of the Peninsula Manila, where wonderful dessert memories are made.

This is the Pen Pal. All 19 scoops of premium ice cream resting on a bed of fresh pineapple chunks, honeydew, cantaloupe and watermelon, topped with two large maraschino cherries, eight waffles sticks, 15 marshmallows, whipped cream and finally drizzled with chocolate sauce. How much more wonderful can it get?

Of course I couldn’t finish it by myself. Such wonderful goodness is meant for sharing. Other ice cream greats were paraded during the launch.

My personal favorite was the Cafe Crumble Creation.

Mind you, that striped thing is NOT a wafer stick. It is pure chocolate.

Halo-halo Harana is still available. It’s a real classic!

Choco Loco Brownie Sundae is perfect on a Sunday afternoon.

Lori Balthazar and Carlos Celdran also came for their share of the ice cream.

Everyone enjoyed the ice cream as well as the regular goodies of the Lobby at the Pen. Grab your ice cream creations this November and make your own happy memories with your friends and family at the Lobby of the Peninsula Hotel, Manila.

Indeed, this is far from the usual fare that I feature in this website. Yours truly has decided to experience a little cultured dining and try the very food I like the least; cheese. In this case, it was raclette.

The name “raclette” refers to both the meal and the kind of cheese that’s featured as the “main event”. A raclette meal originated in Switzerland and is considered to be comfort food at it’s best. In a get-together, the Swiss would gather around a large raclette grill and wait for the raclette cheese to sizzle signifying that it’s time to scrape it and watch it flow into a plate of potatoes, biscotti, small onions or whatever it is that you want to have raclette cheese on. Of course, it is always accompanied by good wine, something that I could not enjoy because I am unable to consume any alcoholic drinks (allergic).

True enough, melted cheese is different from it’s room temperature version. It is softer to the bite and just tastes better. Admittedly, it’s a little salty but the taste is quickly countered by the bread or the potatoes, which I happen to love eating it with.

At Astralis, which is a Diamond Hotel restaurant located outside the Power Plant Mall along Lopez Drive, you can sample great wines and their raclette buffet for only P990.00 plus tax (US$19.80). If you prefer the raclette buffet alone, which is what I will come back for, you can enjoy all the raclette you can for only P390.00 plus tax (US$7.80). Not bad, right? Your P500.00 (US$10.00) can still buy you a great meal at this classy restaurant.

Service is also wonderful at this place. You get five-star, hotel-grade service for casual dining prices. I will definitely come back to Astralis.

After last Friday’s bout with hypertension, Noreen was up and about the next day, August 9. Why? It’s her birthday and most of her anxiety came mostly from work stress. So I decided a Saturday lunch out would be a good way to celebrate. After being at the Cake Club launch, we decided to cross city limits and venture into Roxas Boulevard, where the Diamond Hotel sits facing the Manila Bay. It was a delightful surprise that we bumped into Executive Sous Chef Melchor Taylo. He was nice enough to indulge us in a short conversation, as well about some of the changes he was planning for the Palm Court Cafe buffet spread. He said it was going to be a themed change and next month was a surprise so watch out!

It was indeed fortuitous that their buffet were featuring Asian favorites like Korean Chapchae, Japanese sushi and Filipino seafood greats! Noreen truly enjoyed this buffet! The Palm Court Cafe is where the hotel’s buffet is served and charges P1,049 (US$23.31) per person inclusive of all taxes and surcharges and the first round of drinks. They do have an ongoing promo. For groups of six people, only five will be charged and the sixth person eats for free. They also get two free swimming passes. For groups of 10 people, only eight are charged and two eat for free! They get four free swimming passes. The pictures below will tell you how good it is to dine at Diamond Hotel’s Palm Court Cafe.

They definitely did not scrimp on the shrimp! Their shrimp were fresh, large and ubiquitous! Bubba was right, you can do so many things with shrimp.

Works well with salads.

Tempura too!

The crabs were also fresh.

Time to flex a little mussel.

Make your own salad and go crazy with the possibilities.

Chips and nachos galore.

Hors d’oeuvre anyone?

Very few hotels offer a wide range of cheeses in their buffet line. The Diamond Hotel does.

There is also a wide variety of breads to choose from.

Plus a machine that automatically heats your bread!

What was on Noreen’s plate?

On my plate?

You gotta love the sushi.

One of my favorites, the meatloaf with onion and Shiraz reduction sauce.

Noreen’s favorite, the seaweed.

They have a barbecue section with so many options, chicken, beef, pork and fish. I got the pork marinated in ginger and Mirin sauce.

Got room for dessert?

Noteworthy to mention here that most of their desserts are sugar-free. With the wonderful taste, I couldn’t believe they didn’t use sugar.

Of course, if you’re the fruit person, there’s some for you too!

I got her the smoothie of the month, the Mocha-lympics which came with a stuffed toy named “Mawz”. This smoothie was topped with gold dust.

Yup, that drink made her day. So why don’t you stop by the Diamond Hotel for lunch or dinner? Bring your loved ones. They will surely cherish the experience.