Weekend Family Buffet at Eastwood Cafe

Summer time is family time! I know most of you have already been busy planning a lot of summer vacations and activities which your entire family will enjoy. But if planning for a summer fun is getting to be a challenge, why not just indulge into a family feast and bring the folks and the kids to Eastwood Richmonde Hotel's all-day dining restaurant, the Eastwood Café, and have a delectable yet affordable feast that everyone will surely love? :)

I was invited to the launch of Eastwood Café's Weekend Family Buffet yesterday at Eastwood Richmonde Hotel. Along with other guests and food bloggers, Mark and I got to indulge into an extensive buffet spread, with stations strategically placed in the cafe, featuring hot-off-the-grill meats, healthy hot pot, native delicacies, unlimited sweets, and so much more!

Starting this weekend, Saturday, April 6, and for all weekends of April, May, and June of 2013, Eastwood Café pays tribute to the summer sun and brings a scrumptious Weekend Family Buffet packed with dishes to satisfy every family members' cravings all for just Php 880 nett!

Dad's cravings for hot-off-the-grill meats will surely be satisfied at the Barbecue Station.

Barbecue Station

You can take your pick of fresh fish, chicken, pork or beef, and an array of sauces to complement your choice of meat, and have them cooked just the way you like it.

Mackerel

Cream Dory

Chicken

Pork

Beef

Mark and I both enjoyed our Grilled Chicken and Cream Dory in Teriyaki sauce. The chicken and fish were grilled to perfection. Freshness of the meat is very evident as it maintained its tenderness and juiciness.

Sauces for the grilled meats

There's also the Carvery Station which features Executive Chef Pat Obia's signature specialty, Crispy Pork Lechon.

Carvery Station

Executive Chef Pat Obia's Crispy Pork Lechon

I wasn't able to try this one, but this mouth-watering and hearty dish sure looked very tempting and would definitely go well with the cafe's specially concocted liver sauce.

At the Hot Pot Station is where mom's fondness of healthy hot pot will surely be satisfied.

Hot Pot Station

Despite the hot weather, a steaming bowl of flavorful Chinese hot pot filled with your favorite ingredients, like squid balls, fish, chicken, pork or beef, plus veggies and noodles, will still definitely be a welcome treat.

There are also some sauces and spices that you can mix and match to go with your hot pot. If you're not sure of what spices or sauces would go well with each other, never fear because there's a staff stationed at the area to help. :)

Another haven for the healthy eaters is the Salad Station with a choice of ingredients for Filipino Salad and the usual Garden Fresh Salad, plus a variety of salad dressings.

But if you really want to indulge, let your guard down and be sure to make room for oriental favorites like Mongolian Bowl, Japanese Tempura, and Chinese Dimsum, plus other international selections.

The Mongolian Station has a variety of vegetables, spices, and meats that you may also mix and match to come up with a great tasting Mongolian Bowl. And as with the Hot Pot Station, a staff is also stationed and ready to help at the Mongolian Station.

Just right next to the Mongolian Station, are the Tempura and Dimsum Stations.

I'm a sucker for shrimp tempura so I made sure to get myself a couple of it. I liked that the tempura wasn't too oily. The batter was also very light which made the shrimp's taste stand out. There were also other seafood and vegetable tempura and of course the very tasty tempura sauce to go with it.

I also got a couple of Pork Siomai from the Dimsum Station. The pork meat in the siomai was very compact, you can tell that pure meat was used, and a distinct taste of the onions and garlic was very evident. Dipping it in soy sauce with calamansi juice even made it more delectable.

There were also some veggies, spices and ingredients which are perfect for the man tao.

Other international selections include the Spicy Adobong Pusit, Thai Northern Pork Curry, Korean Beef Bulgogi, and Vegetable Kare-Kare with Ginisang Bagoong.

Except for the Kare-kare, I tried all selections which were all perfect with steamed pandan rice. :p The Spicy Adobong Pusit has a mild spiciness which was tolerable for me. The squid was cooked well as it was very tender and the sauce was seasoned just right.

Spicy Adobong Pusit

The Thai Northern Pork Curry was also good. The pork strips were also very tender and there was a mixture of sweetness and spiciness from the curry. There were also come eggplant slices and fried onion strips which gave an interesting texture to the dish. The distinct curry taste was there but it was not overpowering which I loved.

Thai Northern Pork Curry

The Korean Beef Bulgogi was very flavorful. The thin slices of beef were tender and juicy and a distinct taste from the sesame seeds was evident. It was a little too spicy for me though. But if you're the type who indulges into spicy food, this will definitely be a hit!

Korean Beef Bulgogi

The Kare-kare as what Mark said was equally delectable. Its rich peanut sauce had the right combination of sweetness and saltiness. The veggies were also cooked well and still maintained that crisp.

Vegetable Kare-Kare

Grandparents' cravings for native delicacies will surely be satisfied at the Dessert Station.

Eastwood Cafe serves up a medley of yummy native delicies like Leche Flan, Maja Mais, Puto with Cheese, Pastillas, Palitaw, Biko, and Ginataang Bilo-Bilo.

Leche Flan

Maja Mais

Puto with Cheese and Pastillas

Palitaw

Biko

Ginataang Bilo-Bilo

Also present at the Dessert Station is an assortment of fresh local fruits such as Banana Señorita, Star Apple, Watermelon, Chico, Pineapple, Honeydew, and Melon.

Banana Señorita

Star Apple

Watermelon

Chico

Pineapple

Honeydew, Melon, and Watermelon

Breads and butter, plus cheesecakes and chocolate cakes are also available.

A chocolate fondue is also present at the Dessert Station with mallows, raisins, and apricots which you can generously dip into the oozing chocolate fountain.

Food Carving Centerpiece at the Dessert Station

I was already full and so I immediately got some desserts after I finished my first plate. I'm watching my sweets intake but I just can't stand these! The cheesecake was good, had the right creaminess and the strawberry preserve added a hint of sweetness. The chocolate cake was moist, though I would have wanted it to be more chocolaty. The maja had the right amount of sweetness and the dessecated coconut added some texture to it, I was looking for the taste of the corn though.

My dessert plate :)

The stars on my plate were the Puto with Cheese and the Pastillas. Their vibrant colors were such an eye candy! The puto was very soft and cheesy and I loved the milky taste of the sweet and chewy pastillas.

To quell the weather's rising temperature, you can have a scoop or two of ice cream or make your own iced Halo-Halo.

The buffet also comes with unlimited rounds of cool and refreshing flavored iced tea, which goes well with the festive summer spread.

I'm sure every dads, moms, teens, and grandparents will surely enjoy the above dishes, but wait 'til you see what's in store for the kids!

The kids will surely have a blast at the Kid's Station where child-friendly dishes are served--from southern fried chicken to hotdogs, and spaghetti to carbonara.

Kid's Station

Southern Fried Chicken

Hotdogs

Spaghetti with Red and White Sauce

There is also a candy buffet loaded with all kinds of sugary creations that will surely thrill the young ones and the young at heart even more!

There were lots of donuts, wafers, cake pops, mallows, candies, cookies, gummies, dips, sprinkles, and chocolates! I felt like my eyes sparkled as the kid in me got excited with all these goodies!

Also, to keep the little ones entertained, Eastwood Cafe sets up a kiddie play and activity area inside the restaurant.

Kiddie Play and Activity Area

While the adults indulge into the festive buffet spread, the kids can do arts and crafts, watch cartoons, or take part in the hands-on demo for decorating donuts and cookies, done every hour.

Mark and I enjoyed our lunch! We also got to take home some pastries. :)

I'm sure each member of your family will definitely get to enjoy Eastwood Cafe's Weekend Family Buffet!The Weekend Family Buffet is available for lunch and dinner every Saturday and Sunday, from April to June 2013. Buffet is priced at Php 880 nett for adults, Php 440 nett for children 6 to 12 years old, and toddlers 5 and below get to eat for free!

For inquiries and reservations, call 570-7777. Eastwood Richmonde Hotel is located at 17 Orchard Road, Eastwood City, Bagumbayan Quezon City. Eastwood Richmonde Hotel is also accessible from the 2nd floor of Eastwood Mall. For more information, log on to www.richmondehotel.com or www.facebook.com/EastwoodRichmondeHotel.

Good job to Excecutive Chef Pat Obio for the scrumptious buffet spread! Special thanks to Ms. Criselle Cruz for inviting us over, to Ms. Chabs Chipeco and Ms. Annie Dioso for the very warm welcome! To Tetcha of Delight My Appetite; to the Gluttonshopper, Mary Love; and to Eugene of Hefty Foodie; who I got to share the table with, and to the rest of the food bloggers in the launch, it was really nice meeting you all! :)

EASTWOOD CAFE

Ground Floor, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel
17 Orchard Road, Eastwood City
Bagumbayan Quezon City
570-7777
www.richmondehotel.com
www.facebook.com/EastwoodRichmondeHotel