Vikings Luxury Buffet, tagged as the biggest buffet in the country and for some, one of the best buffets in Manila is welcoming the month of August by paying homage to Southeast Asian Street Food. This month long feast, which are set to happen every weekends of August holds the promise of additional dishes on the already impressive choices of Vikings Buffet that focus on the well loved street food.
Note however that this is not just street food that we could get in every corner street there is. Think Malaysian, Singaporean, and Indonesian street food varieties. Staying true to the word "Luxury" tagged to its name, Vikings Buffet will entice its diners with beautifully prepared street food meant not just to please the palate but the eyes as well.
Vikings Luxury Buffet is undoubtedly one of the most famous buffets in the country but when it comes to serving quality good food to its patrons, they do not just settle for being one of the known options around. From time to time, Vikings Buffet make it a point to launch "Themed Buffets" that add spice and exciting feat for their customers.
Southeast Asian Street Food Feast at Vikings Buffet will promote set of dishes that differs from one Vikings branch to another. Few days ago, I was invited at their SM Megamall branch to sample the South East Asian Street Food dishes they will be rolling out this month. Vikings Corporate Chef Ross, Vikings SM Megamall Executive Chef Jason, Sous Chef Bon, and Sous Chef Obet prepared the dishes to showcase not just their impressive talents but the goodness that Vikings Buffet can offer on this promo.
Kerabu Sotong Kering (Dried Squid Salad) ~
This appetizer primarily consist of green mangoes, cucumber, bird's eye chilies, vinaigrette made of lime and sugar and topped with crisp fried cattle fish. I find this too spicy for my taste but I guess that is because II can only handle as much when it comes to spicy flavor. Otherwise, I love the play on texture and lime and sugar vinaigrette was amazing.
Roti and Beef Curry ~
Homemade roti stuffed with flavorful beef curry which was really good in my opinion. I fell madly in love with this dish because I love roti and beef curry in general. There was a mild spiciness to it which I really appreciate. The mango chutney played an important role in giving a different dimension of flavor to the dish. This I must say was my favorite among the choices.
Beef and Chicken Satay ~
Satay is one of those dishes that immediately comes to mind when talking about South East Asian dishes. Vikings Buffet did a great job with their rendition because it captures the intense and rich flavor of the dish. It was also one of my favorites among the choices. The spice level was something I can handle. I think the impressive peanut sauce has something to do with it.
Bak Kut Teh (Pork Bone Tea Soup) ~
A hearty soup that may look like the usual meat soup here in our country (think nilaga, etc.) but the flavor was nothing like anything. The spices and herbs used to make this hearty soup was shown to us and when I saw that it was quite a handful, I realized that indeed, I can expect nothing less since we are dealing with a lot of flavoring agent. Add to that the fact that tea is also one of the ingredients that played a big role in making this dish. Aside from the flavor, I appreciate the tenderness of the meat.
Chicken Rice with Hainanese Chicken ~
I have few restaurant favorites that serve mean Hainanese chicken and Hainan rice, but Vkings Buffet's version of this dish was decent enough that it made me longed for another servings.
Vegetable Biryani and Beef Rendang ~
I love the Hainanese chicken and the Hainanese rice but this vegetable buryani and beef rendang combination stole my heart. The tender meat of beef rendang was very flavorful and had the right balance of spice and savory flavor. The biryani was a perfect combination to the beef rendang. The crisp fried onion was a thoughtful addition that adds flavor and texture to the dish.
Hokien Mee ~
I am not big on noodles, especially when faced with delicious rice situation, but this Hokien Mee deserved all the attention it got from me. The flavor tasted like it was infused primarily with seafood, the big prawn was a dead giveaway as well. I muster the courage to add some chili oil with flakes on it and it made the experience all the more impressive.
Singaporean Fish Curry ~
Crisp fried fish smothered with curry sauce and loads of vegetable. Fish lobber which also has a knack for rich and spicy flavor will surely become a happy camper with this dish.
Chili Oyster Crab ~
Had I not need to bail out early from our lunch, I could probably spent the entire afternoon dealing with this crab dish. The flavor was amazing because there was an apparent push and pull in sweet and savory flavor. The crab meat tasted fresh with its innate sweetness. The sauce on the other hand was perfect eaten with rice, or just like what we did ~ with fried mantao bread.
Pineapple Tart ~
I am not big on anything with pineapple on my dessert but this one was surprisingly enough to make me forget of my aversion to it. The pastry reminded me of cream puff, only it has pineapple jam inside instead of cream. The fruits it was served with may look like mere decoration on the plate but it worked well with it too.
Cendol ~
Reminiscent of our local "Halo-Halo", Cendol made use of coconut milk instead of the usual milk, hence it has richer flavor and not too sweet.
Just like what I have mentioned, this particular set is available at Vikings SM Megamall. Other Southeast Asian Street Food will be showcased in different Vikings Buffet, so we have good reason to experience eating like a Viking in different branches. Personally, this #JalanMakanan feast at Vikings, I find really impressive and interesting. I highly recommend this to those who are game to experience what street food is in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, with a Vikings Buffet flair to it.
For Vikings Buffet SM Megamall rates and schedule, you may check out my previous post about them here.
Vikings Luxury Buffet at SM Megamall
4th flr. Mega Fashion Hall
Bldg. D, SM Megamall
Julia Vargas cor. EDSA,
Mandaluyong City
Website: www.vikings.ph
