The weekend seafood dinner buffet is back at the Circles Event Cafe of the Makati Shangri-La Manila. Available every Saturday night, what is now called the Tail and Claw seafood buffet will again feature an amazing spread of lobsters, prawns, crabs, mussels, scallops and more.
All food stations will also showcase their own seafood dishes, starting from fresh salmon and tuna in the Japanese Station, sustainable seafood at the Cold Seafood Station, Grilled Fish at the Carving Station, Fish dishes at the Mains Station, seafood dishes at the Indian, Filipino, Southeast Asian and Chinese stations.
As you enter the restaurant, you will already be welcomed by the display of seafood at the Cold Seafood Station. All items here are pre-cooked already, chilled and are ready to be eaten. You may eat them cold or have them re-cooked over grill if you prefer to eat them hot.
Some of the seafood available during my visit were the Curacha or Spanner Crab from Zamboanga. There's also piles upon piles of Lobsters and Lobster Claws. You can be very creative with the way you can enjoy the lobsters. You can combine them with other dishes from the buffet to make a unique dish out of what's available on the buffet.
Aside form the lobsters, another crowd favorite were the prawns. If you want to experience how Filipinos love eating prawns, just ask for vinegar with minced garlic and use it as your dipping sauce for he prawns. Some would have them grilled with butter and garlic.
There's also a variety of shellfish such as mussels, clams and scallops. The crowd favorite were obviously the scallops. Again, you can be very imaginative on how you can enjoy these shellfish. For instance, you can have them cooked with your pasta of with a noodle soup. If you are too lazy to shell your seafood, there are shrimps, mussels and clams already shelled for you.
By the way, if you are coming in with an empty stomach, I don't recommend eating cold seafood straight away. Start with some appetizers first. The buffet has some amazing salads and canapes. I totally love the Crabmeat Salad and the Lobster Burger.
Here is my cold seafood platter consisting of lobsters, prawns and scallops. These three, I think, are the most premium items from the spread. There are dipping sauces available. If you are unsure of which one to choose, just approach any of the chefs and they will be able to recommend on or even make a special sauce for you.
Makati Shangri-La Manila uses the freshest and best quality seafood in their cooking. The lobster and the prawns were very tender and easy to chew on. The have a natural sweet taste which is sign hat of their freshness. I also did no itch which only means that they are very clean
Of course I had to try the grilled version of the lobster. Just to set the expectation, the lobsters are already cooked, so before grilling them, the chefs would quickly blanch them in boiling water to re-hydrate them before they are cooked on the grill. This results to the flesh being a bit chewier compared to when it was served cold.
One of the special dishes served during the Tail & Claw seafood dinner buffet is the Seafood Paella. They really went all-out with all the seafood toppings on the paella. There's prawns, mussels, clams and squid.
Here is my plate of paella which I paired with Lobster Thermidor and Steamed Salmon. Don't forget to squeeze some lemon juice on the paella to bring out all the flavors of the seafood. The salmon was very tender and sweet while the lobster thermidor was very creamy.
Here is my plate of dishes from the Indian Station consisting of Lobster Biryani, Fish Curry, Prawn Valuva and Fish Tikka.
Remember the lobster from the Cold Seafood Station? I got three lobsters added in my Laksa, two of which were shelled and one added with the shell. I also had prawns and fish cakes added in the soup. This is perhaps the fanciest laksa I ever had.
Looking for the Tempura? You won't find them in the Japanese Station because there is no kitchen in that area. Instead, head to the Mains Station where a variety of tempura are served fresh from frying.
If someone in your group does not eat seafood, no worries. This is an international buffet so you can still find non-seafood dishes. Roast Beef is still part of the buffet. The Mains Station also has chicken and beef dishes available, and so does the Filipino and Southeast Asian stations.
The Chinese Station also deserves a spotlight for serving Beijing Duck during the buffet. As always, there is a variety of dim sum available at the Chinese Station.
Some fancy pasta dishes are also available, such as this Ravioli with Pesto Sauce. The pasta was made fresh in the Pasta Station. You can really taste and feel the texture in every bite that the pasta they used was freshly made.
For dessert, you can choose from the many cakes on display at the Dessert Station. There's also Halo-Halo and ice cream. I chose to end my meal with fresh fruits which I paired with raspberry sherbet.
The sherbet has a refreshing taste in the mouth which is perfect after eating so many savory dishes. The buffet also include free-flowing coffee (including latte and cappuccino) as well as tea. If you wish to order fruit juices, soda, wine or cocktails, just ask for the beverage menu.
During my visit, most of the dining guests were there to celebrate birthdays, and so I think the P3,080 nett per person is a good value for money especially when there is a reason to celebrate. For its price, I would want to see oysters and fresh fish for grilling to be part of the buffet as well. None the less, it was still a worthwhile dining experience.
I highly recommend that you reserve a table in advance by calling Circles Event Cafe at +63 (02) 814-2580 or email them at rric.slm@shangri-la.com. You can also book your seats online via bit.ly/CirclesBookATable.
PS: I got to try this seafood buffet for free, thanks to the Golden Circle points I earned when I stayed in various Shangri-La hotels in China during my 2018 Winter trip. Wanna know how you too can dine for free with Golden Circle? Watch the video and continue reading below.
► THE TABLE FROM GOLDEN CIRCLE
When dining at Circles Event Café, don't forget to provide your Golden Circle (GC) Membership Number upon payment to earn GC Award Points. You can then redeem these GC Award Points to pay, in full or in part, your future dining bills at any participating Shangri-La restaurants around the world. If you're not yet a Golden Circle member, you can join here for free.
Earn 1 GC Award Point for each USD 1 qualifying spend when dining at over 500 participating restaurants & bars worldwide. GC Award Points will be credited to a you account two weeks after the date of transaction. Stay Earn 1 GC Award Point for each USD 1 qualifying spend when staying at Shangri-La, Kerry Hotel, Traders Hotel or Hotel Jen. Experience Earn 1 GC Award Point for each USD 1 qualifying spend at CHI, The Spa. |
Redeem your points instantly at participating restaurants & bars with 10 GC Award Points covering every USD 1 of your dining bill. You may also choose to redeem your points for dining vouchers online. Stay Redeem free room nights at any Shangri-La hotel, resort, Kerry hotel, Traders hotel or Hotel Jen worldwide. Experience Redeem spa vouchers at CHI, The Spa, exquisite fine wines, and signature "Shangri-La" fragrance. |
Circles Event Café
Lobby Level, Makati Shangri-La, Manila
Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Contact: +63 (02) 814-2580
Email: rric.slm@shangri-la.com
Website | Facebook | Instagram
No comments:
Post a Comment