8.359
30 (Sat) December 2017
Caviar Canapes
2.5
at Niu
(SM Aura Premier)
-BGC, Taguig, Manila, Philippines-
with the Family
Niu is a buffet.
For me, the best part was that the price of admission includes unlimited beer and house wines.
The food was not too bad. Better sticking to the made-to-order items, like noodles, or carved-to-order, like grilled meat – e.g., the prime rib roast was excellent.
The caviar itself was only so-so, but the canapes were fun to make – I’ve always liked the idea of using a buffet as a kitchen to create my own dishes.
Best/Worst of Manila’s Buffets. Filipinos love buffets – luv ’em. Every major mall/hotel in Manila hosts a buffet. But as with all dining establishments in the Philippines, buffet restaurants here are either (a) overpriced and not too bad, or (b) cheap and not so good – nothing in between.
BEST
- Spiral (Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila) (7.345 Hooky)
- High Street Café (Shangri-La at the Fort) (8.036 Lobster, Meh) (8.053 Seafood)
- Market Café (New World Manila Bay Hotel) (6.082 Lobster, Baby) (6.214 Lobsters, for My Babies) (6.360 Lobster, Maybe)
- Niu (SM Aura Premier) (8.359 Caviar Canapes)
- Corniche (Diamond Hotel Philippines) (5.095 Peking Duck)
WORST
- Yaki Mix (Robinsons Place (5.245 Grill Buffet)
- Tong Yang Garden (Ermita, Manila) (5.214 Hotpot & Grill Buffet)
- Cabalen (Robinsons Place) (2.034 Gatang Sigarillas…) (5.087 Buffet Scraps)
I recall fondly that my first Filipino meal ever was at Cabalan, now ranked worst of the worst. In the post, I seem confused by the food, unfamiliar with the flavors, uncertain about the quality – I still feel like that today.