The Food Club’s Buffet
The burgeoning number of luxury buffet restaurants has made it possible for the average restaurant goer to enjoy limitless gourmet food in a lavish setting for only a fraction of the fine-dining price.
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Among those who recently joined the growing ranks of luxury buffet joints in the Philippines is The Food Club (TFC), a 400-seater installment in the sassy Blue Baywalk Complex.
The Food Club has all the essentials requisite for fine dining without frills: snazzy chandeliers and centerpieces, plush tangerine seats, Zen-themed counters and spaces, impeccable service, and above all, a top-notch buffet spread consisting of signature dishes from every part of the world.
A total of eight different stations line the capacious hall. You can start off with either of two soups available for the day. Or you can head to the adjacent pastry station and pick from freshly baked baguettes, rolls, loafs, and other dough-based goodies.
Cold Station
The cold station consists of fresh seafood like oysters, mussels, prawns, and lobsters. Guests may have them raw or cooked in butter. Assorted salads are also served here, as well as spring rolls, fish cake, sushi, and sashimi rolls.
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Asian/ Oriental Section
Apart from an extensive sushi selection, TFC also specializes on other Japanese and Chinese specialties including dimsums, blue marlin teriyaki, and crispy tempura. The Asian station features a couple of Indian and Middle Eastern dishes too.
Filipino Station
Founded by a Filipino entrepreneur, TFC dedicates one entire station to Filipino hot meals, mostly regional specialty stews like Bicol’s ginataan and Kapampangan pinakbet. Crowd favorites include lechon kawali and beef caldereta.
Western and European
This section hosts several kinds of Western dishes, including stews and baked meat. For lovers of La Italia, there’s a handful of pasta dishes and pizza to grab. Mexican tacos and nachos can be made from scratch here too, do-it-yourself-style.
Carving Station
The star of the buffet, TFC’s carving station staples include soft and juicy grilled US Angus beef, lamb, and lechon.
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Desserts
Among the restaurant’s best assets, the Dessert station has a wide range of toothsome cookies, panacotta shooters, and petit fours–most notably the chocolate cake, mango shortcake, and crème brulee. Fresh crepes, along with choice toppings, can be made upon request.
Kids will definitely love the ice cream and chocolate fountains station.
The Food Club’s buffet costs P800 for weekday lunch; P1,000 for weekday dinners. Both are priced at P1,188 on weekends. Rates include unlimited access to drinks in the beverage station including tropical fruit shakes, juices, iced tea, sodas, coffee, and Dilmah teas. Kids below 3.5 feet get to eat for free.
For inquiries and reservations, you can call them at (02) 736-8001.
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Photos and article by Gretchen Dublin