Lunch Buffet at Cafe Ilang-Ilang (Manila Hotel)

First things first, if you're going to the Manila Hotel in the next few days and will be coming from the northern part of Metro Manila, please allocate at least 30 minutes more travel time. I went last February 25, coming from south Caloocan, and got stuck in heavy traffic between Intramuros and Manila Hotel. There were lots of big trucks that late morning and half of the road was under construction (you know how it is when election time nears), going from Intramuros to Manila Hotel took longer than the travel from Grace Park to Intramuros.

But of course the annoyance I felt because of the traffic went away once I saw the food at Cafe Ilang-Ilang. Nothing soothes the soul quite like good food.

The buffet at Cafe Ilang-Ilang has several sections, such as the Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Korean, Mediterranean, Italian, Churrasco, and Japanese stations.

Some of the food offered in the lunch buffet:
 

siomai / dumplings

Buffet Dinner at Seasons (Manila Pavilion Hotel)

We arrived at Seasons at the Manila Pavilion Hotel at around 6:45pm. There were only a few diners then.

Following are some of the food that we ate (* = food that bf ate but I didn't taste):

soup (cream of veggie of some sort)
another soup*
pickled mushrooms
embutido
a variety of cheeses
a variety of breads*
squid salad*
Caesar's salad*
shake sashimi
squid tempura
sushi
siomai & dumplings
lechon kawali
roast beef with lemon butter sauce
roast pig (lechon goodness!)
strawberry pudding
durian cake
mango ice cream
ube ice cream
blueberry jam
paella
2 kinds of fish fillet
chilled orange juice
chilled pineapple juice*


Now, for some food porn...

Bf is a big fan of salads, so he had to try the salads.

Caesar salad, squid salad

He also has a love affair with cheeses and breads, thus this:

breads, cheeses, dried fruit

For this plate, the caption says it all...

I don't even remember this plate. Bf probably wolfed down all the food quickly.