When you are unofficially dubbed as “The Girl Who Can Eat
Anything,” lavish buffet spreads tend to be your jam. Standing in the middle of a myriad of
culinary stations, each one enticing all of your senses to devour morsel after
morsel of what it offers, gives you a thrill that usually comes when in a candy
store. Or a bookstore, in my case. In fact, buffets have become your thing that
planning to eat your way through one is something you have down to science –
which explains the X number of plates you have had to ask to be dished
out. And at times, you resist the urge
to smirk and shout “Hell, no!” when people say there is no way one can eat each
and every dish in a buffet spread.
Anyway, when I sat down to plan on refocusing the purpose
and intention of this blog, I decided to do away with food posts because 1) I
wasn’t a food blogger; and 2) I wasn’t a food blogger. But last weekend, I conquered yet another
buffet that is too good not to write about.
I admit that while I have tried a good number of buffet
spreads in the metro, it hardly makes me an expert but Makati Diamond
Residences’ Champagne Everyday Brunch is truly one for the books. While the spread is comparatively small, it
offers all the good stuff in a brunch buffet.
And when I say, all the good stuff, think US Angus Rib Eye Steak, Rack
of Lamb, Conchinillo, Raclette… And overflowing champagne!
The brunch has an inviting array of starters: quiches, fried eggplant with a tartare-like topping, and creamy shrimp balls are just some of them. There is a small salad station with fix-ins to
dress up your greens but the salad is amazingly flavorful because the greens
are tossed with the Caesar dressing in a hollowed out Parmesan wheel. The cheese is scraped as the greens are
tossed.
After that, I got to the good parts:
US Angus Rib Eye Steak with all its accoutrements: roasted vegetables, roasted heads of garlic
(great for spreading onto the steak!).
There is a creamy sauce for drowning all these greatness in!
Australian rack of lamb cooked superbly it rids itself of
the funny aftertaste lamb is known for.
Grilled prawns. Which
I couldn’t stop myself from having seconds.
I had a "surf" plate with the prawn and crusted baked fish.
Smoothest mashed potatoes. Ever.
Bagnet Paella. Who
would’ve thought?!?! It was yummy!
Conchinillo. It’s
like pork bliss.
Fresh ravioli
A true blue cheese enthusiast, I went weak in my knees at
the Raclette Station. Devouring the
gooey melted cheese sprinkled with fresh black pepper, I thought I’d died and
gone to cheese heaven.
And then in between bites, there are the drinks. Apart from the bubbles, one can knock
himself/herself out with coffee (they brew Toby’s Estate coffee) , soda, juice,
red and white wine, and cocktails.
Raclette and caprinha
For dessert, their options include Limoncello Tiramisu,
Bouchon, and homemade ice cream. I am
not big on desserts but I chose to try their ice cream. Asked to choose among Super Moist Chocolate,
Raspberry, and Cheesecake, my husband went “All three,” so I followed
suit. I was thankful I did because they
were all creamy and tasty. If freshness
was a taste, I’d say it was so because one can really tell it was freshly made
and tastes unlike commercially-made frozen treats.
It’s true that not all buffets are created equal (ly). The Makati Diamond Residences’ Champagne
Everyday Brunch is a relative David among the bigger and well-known buffets in
the city. The enticing spread, however,
along with the intimate ambience and soothing piano melodies, manages to slay
the Goliaths and it’s largely credited to its premium and inspired selections
that were prepared JUST. DARN. WELL.
As far as my appetite’s concerned, it has emerged gastronomically victorious. The old adage “Less is more” cannot be truer.
Same with “The early bird catches the worm” because this
delightful brunch offering won’t last long!
And if that doesn’t convince you yet, we were also served foie
gras macarons (which I did not manage to take a picture of) which tasted a lot
like heaven so if you’re still reading this, run! Don’t walk!
Or think. Just eat. And toast.
And thank me afterward. :)
