Buffet 101 - Robinson's Magnolia

Let me tell you something. I'm not a fan of buffet restaurants. I mean they are nice but I really don't subscribe to the idea of them presenting me loads of food when I can be happy with just a plate of nachos (anything will do). So almost all of my buffet trips were free. And so Ice and her friend asked me if I could join them in one of their buffet trips - for free, now who am I to decline such offer eh? 

Our group date was set at Buffet 101 in Robinson's Magnolia, Quezon City. It was lunch time on a midweek so I wasn't expecting much crowd but I was wrong. People were already lining up outside the restaurant at 11:00 a.m. for that day's lunch buffet (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.). 

We called prior that day for the reservation and we just needed to confirm it from the receptionist that immediately showed us our already reserved table. All three of us were first-timers in this restaurant and neither of us knew how to "plate" beautifully for the happy food photos. So we got a problem over there. Lemme show you first the buffet spread.

breads and soup

seafood chowder soup with pastry

appetizers

nachos

dimsum

for hotpots

still chinese...

pork belly

porky stuff (bad note taker)

korean appetizers

fresh seafood for grilling

just read  it :)

sauteed mushroom with white sauce

sweet and sour pork

beef stew

tempura all you want

spicy crab / shrimp with soy sauce

paella

spaghetti

steak

fresh fruits

crepe station

sweet tooth station

And here's what we got on our plates. Please take note that we all love eating that we surely forgot to take photos of some plates. I was overwhelmed with all the stuff they have that I never get to taste all of them (well, I didn't plan to in the first place).  

mine: the chicken feet was salty
the dimsum was ok
the hakaw was good

mine: everything was ok
bacon kebab was good

mine: this japanese plate is your typical one - very normal

ice: sisig and shrimps were good
everything was ok

ice: nothing was remarkable on this plate

mine: the spaghetti was good
nachos were ok
the steak was forgettable
the corn was good
the fish burger was just ok

the rib was perfectly cooked. the sauce ruined it

And from that point my camera battery got tired. I had some spare batteries which were all drained too. I didn't even get to take a few shots of the whole buffet area. Well that's Carla ladies and gentlemen. Slow claps.

Moving on, we had some pizza which were just ok. I also had blueberry and strawberry crepe which tasted bad. And everything tasted just normal and ok. Nothing stood out. Drinks were free flowing and you can choose from sodas, juices, hot stuff and fresh fruit shakes. 

And so we moved on to the desserts. I only had fresh fruits and nothing fancy at all. Unlike the two girls who feasted on the pastries and the frozen yogurt. They enjoyed everything especially the mango and coffee panna cotta. They didn't dig the Marble cheesecake, Chocolate mini cupcake and Strawberry panna cotta - they didn't finish it at all. We also had watermelon shakes (pineapple was the other option for that day) which took years before they could serve it. 

Overall, the two enjoyed their Buffet 101 experience. When they asked me if I did too, I showed them my typical not-so-sure-non-approval look. I dunno but I wasn't happy with this one. Compared to my Vikings food trip, this one didn't even touch my foodie soul. Maybe because of the very snobbish staff. Or maybe because of the bad buffet floor plan and traffic. Or maybe because of the not-so-comfy seats and odd table height. See, I am not even mentioning the quality of their food 'coz I think my buffet food palate is not that reliable in the first place. A happy buffet place for me is when I get to experience the total package of a nice place, good service, good food and good company. This particular buffet experience lacked a few of those - and that's not the good company part.


Buffet 101 International Cuisine
Robinson's Magnolia
Aurora Blvd. corner Dona M.Hemady street, New Manila. Quezon City
Contact Number: (+63) 2.961.22.99
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