Buffet and Healthy are words that we do not frequently see together in one phrase nor sentence. When searching for best buffets in Manila, healthy is not really the first word that plays in our mind - well at least for me. But this blog post is all about buffet that allows people to indulge but not without total disregard to health.
To be specific, as the title suggests, this blog post is about Cravings Restaurant's Fresh Picks Salad, Soup, and Mongolian Buffet.
Soup and Salad Buffet is not really a new concept at Cravings Restaurant. I remember having enjoyed it years ago when I frequent Cravings branch at EDSA Shangri-La Mall. Aside from their Coffee and Cakes Unlimited, this is one of the reason why Cravings is one of our family's go-to restaurant. But this time, Cravings takes a new spin to their promo.
Fresh Picks is what do they call their new Soup and Salad Buffet promo at Cravings. What used to be a feast of just salad and soup meant to be added on diner's usual ala carte order of main dish has now expanded. So what does this buffet comprised of? You asked.
The answer? This.
So essentially, the promo has now expanded.
Few weeks ago, I joined Cravings' mini launch of this Fresh Picks promo at their Shangri-La Mall branch. We got to try the buffet spread and grilled items available that day.
The Cravings Fresh Picks Buffet:
Right smack in the middle of Cravings Shangri-La dining area is the Fresh Picks buffet spread that features four sections of the buffet; salad, soup, drinks, and Mongolian section. The grilled items are prepared as you order.
The salad station features basic salad ingredients such as lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, pre-made Asian slaw, pineapple bits, turnips, carrots, corn kernel, and more. I also spotted some penne salad which adds a filling factor to the mix.
We were told that most of these items are sourced from some farm located in Antipolo City and are freshly picked and prepared the same day. This is basically Cravings take on farm-to-table concept which is currently popular nowadays.
There are also different salad dressing available on the spread such as thousand island dressing, citrus vinaigrette, balsamic vinaigrette, Asian vinaigrette, and Caesar dressing. I tried all four dressing and while everything tasted great on salad, the Asian vinaigrette was the one that I took a great liking.
Items of this spread varies from time to time depending on the availability of the ingredients. Cravings rely mainly on what is in season so there is no fix list of items which will be available on the buffet. What they can guarantee however is that everything is fresh and healthy.
The soup corner features two kinds of soup. It also differs from time to time but during our visit, there were cream of potato soup and egg drop soup. Between the two, I favored the potato soup more simply because I love cream soup based. That is not to say that the egg drop was less than good.
Bread which is a great accompaniment to the soup is also available on this section of the buffet. While it is ideal to use the bread in sopping up the soup on your bowl, different kinds of spread are also provided. There are liver pate, herb butter, and fruit jam.
Soup toppings are also included on the spread like potato skin, croutons, pesto, and fried noodles. I probably had three bowl of the potato soup since I tried mixing and matching it with these toppings. My favorite combination was the potato soup with potato skin and half a teaspoon of pesto sauce. Unlikely combination that worked well for me.
The Mongolian section features different types of noodles, vegetables, fish balls, squid balls, and other things that can make a Mongolian dish delicious. Creative minds and adventurous palates are welcome at Cravings, so if you feel like getting some items on the salad bar to add to your Mongolian mix, you are free to do so.
Three kind of sauces were available that day; hoisin sauce, sweet chili, and Teriyaki sauce. We were told that these three are pretty much the staple sauces for the Mongolian buffet but new sauce additions are possible on some days, depending on the availability.
The Mongolian buffet follows the usual drill known for this kind of buffet. Diners will pick whatever items they want to be included on their Mongolian dish including their preferred sauce, then they give it to the assigned chef who will prepare their Mongolian bowl right in front of them.
Although diners have the liberty to choose their own ingredients for their Mongolian bowl, they can still specify if they want it spicy or sweet, or a little less salty. The chef assigned will adjust the flavor of the dish accordingly.
Now, about the grilled items. Fresh Picks buffet promo entitles the diner to one choice of grilled item. Just like the salad choices, the grilled item options differ from time to time depending on availability and what are fresh in the market.
That lunch, there were four items available; cream dory, prawns, burgers, and chicken kebabs.
My Feast:
It may not look like it, but I dig healthy food from time to time. I think that I may have mentioned before that while I love meat, I don't have problems dealing with vegetables. It helps that I was raised and taught to plant vegetables in our backyard for consumption. So this kind of buffet, I also enjoy.
These freshly baked dinner rolls slathered with combination of butter and liver pate were the bomb! Although I missed the boursin cheese I used to enjoy when availing their soup and salad buffet before. Nonetheless, these were good.
Potato soup topped with strips of crisp potato skin, chunks of croutons, and a little pesto sauce. Yum! Pesto sauce on creamy soup was a revelation. Trust me, it works.
Of course, salad. Craings Asian vinaigrette was impressive, it worked well with everything save for the penne salad which can be eaten as it is. The Asian slaw was also good. I threw in some corn kernel and wrapped it inside the lettuce leaves, and bit into it as if I was enjoying a Korean dish, only healthier.
The grilled item of my choice was the grilled prawns. The serving wasn't that big, but you wouldn't really want to stuffed yourself silly with rice meal if you aim to indulge on salads and Mongolian fare, right? So for me, the serving was just okay.
I was also able to try a bite of two of the chicken kebab. The flavor was impressive and I could imagine how good it will be when thrown in to the Mongolian bowl mix.
I had two bowl of Mongolian bowl since I want to experiment using different ingredients. My favorite was the one with egg noodles, peppers, carrots, cabbage, sliced squid balls, mixed with combination of Hoisin and Teriyaki sauce. Savory and sweet at the same time.
After the buffet feast we also had servings of coffee and cakes. So much for healthy treats right? but seriously, Cravings is known for good coffee and great cakes so I cannot really say no to these. Their Caffe Latte goes perfectly well with my favorite carrot cake.
While I enjoyed the carrot cake immensely, I was also introduced to White Chocolate Caramel Cake and it ended up as my new favorite cake at Cravings. This made me wish that they could bring back their unlimited coffee and cakes promo.
Fresh Picks at Cravings is available every weekend on its three flagship branches; Cravings Katipunan, Cravings Shangri-La Plaza Mall, and Cravings Molito Alabang.
Cravings Fresh Picks Buffet
Soup and Salad Buffet + Mongolian Buffet + Unlimited Juice + Your Choice of 1 Grilled Item
Schedule:
Lunch (11am to 2pm)
Dinner (5pm to 9pm)
Rates:
Php550 per head, for walk in diners
Php500 per head, for advance reservation, minimum of 4 person
Php495 per head, for those who will avail of pre-selling coupons
For inquiries and advance reservations, you may call Cravings Katipunan at 441-6529, Cravings Shangri-La Mall at 635-6088, and Cravings Molito Alabang at 556-0927.
To be specific, as the title suggests, this blog post is about Cravings Restaurant's Fresh Picks Salad, Soup, and Mongolian Buffet.
Soup and Salad Buffet is not really a new concept at Cravings Restaurant. I remember having enjoyed it years ago when I frequent Cravings branch at EDSA Shangri-La Mall. Aside from their Coffee and Cakes Unlimited, this is one of the reason why Cravings is one of our family's go-to restaurant. But this time, Cravings takes a new spin to their promo.
Fresh Picks is what do they call their new Soup and Salad Buffet promo at Cravings. What used to be a feast of just salad and soup meant to be added on diner's usual ala carte order of main dish has now expanded. So what does this buffet comprised of? You asked.
The answer? This.
Cravings' Fresh Picks
Soup and Salad Buffet + Mongolian Buffet + Unlimited Juice + Your Choice of 1 Grilled Item
So essentially, the promo has now expanded.
Few weeks ago, I joined Cravings' mini launch of this Fresh Picks promo at their Shangri-La Mall branch. We got to try the buffet spread and grilled items available that day.
The Cravings Fresh Picks Buffet:
Right smack in the middle of Cravings Shangri-La dining area is the Fresh Picks buffet spread that features four sections of the buffet; salad, soup, drinks, and Mongolian section. The grilled items are prepared as you order.
The salad station features basic salad ingredients such as lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, pre-made Asian slaw, pineapple bits, turnips, carrots, corn kernel, and more. I also spotted some penne salad which adds a filling factor to the mix.
We were told that most of these items are sourced from some farm located in Antipolo City and are freshly picked and prepared the same day. This is basically Cravings take on farm-to-table concept which is currently popular nowadays.
There are also different salad dressing available on the spread such as thousand island dressing, citrus vinaigrette, balsamic vinaigrette, Asian vinaigrette, and Caesar dressing. I tried all four dressing and while everything tasted great on salad, the Asian vinaigrette was the one that I took a great liking.
Items of this spread varies from time to time depending on the availability of the ingredients. Cravings rely mainly on what is in season so there is no fix list of items which will be available on the buffet. What they can guarantee however is that everything is fresh and healthy.
The soup corner features two kinds of soup. It also differs from time to time but during our visit, there were cream of potato soup and egg drop soup. Between the two, I favored the potato soup more simply because I love cream soup based. That is not to say that the egg drop was less than good.
Bread which is a great accompaniment to the soup is also available on this section of the buffet. While it is ideal to use the bread in sopping up the soup on your bowl, different kinds of spread are also provided. There are liver pate, herb butter, and fruit jam.
Soup toppings are also included on the spread like potato skin, croutons, pesto, and fried noodles. I probably had three bowl of the potato soup since I tried mixing and matching it with these toppings. My favorite combination was the potato soup with potato skin and half a teaspoon of pesto sauce. Unlikely combination that worked well for me.
The Mongolian section features different types of noodles, vegetables, fish balls, squid balls, and other things that can make a Mongolian dish delicious. Creative minds and adventurous palates are welcome at Cravings, so if you feel like getting some items on the salad bar to add to your Mongolian mix, you are free to do so.
Three kind of sauces were available that day; hoisin sauce, sweet chili, and Teriyaki sauce. We were told that these three are pretty much the staple sauces for the Mongolian buffet but new sauce additions are possible on some days, depending on the availability.
The Mongolian buffet follows the usual drill known for this kind of buffet. Diners will pick whatever items they want to be included on their Mongolian dish including their preferred sauce, then they give it to the assigned chef who will prepare their Mongolian bowl right in front of them.
Although diners have the liberty to choose their own ingredients for their Mongolian bowl, they can still specify if they want it spicy or sweet, or a little less salty. The chef assigned will adjust the flavor of the dish accordingly.
Now, about the grilled items. Fresh Picks buffet promo entitles the diner to one choice of grilled item. Just like the salad choices, the grilled item options differ from time to time depending on availability and what are fresh in the market.
That lunch, there were four items available; cream dory, prawns, burgers, and chicken kebabs.
My Feast:
It may not look like it, but I dig healthy food from time to time. I think that I may have mentioned before that while I love meat, I don't have problems dealing with vegetables. It helps that I was raised and taught to plant vegetables in our backyard for consumption. So this kind of buffet, I also enjoy.
These freshly baked dinner rolls slathered with combination of butter and liver pate were the bomb! Although I missed the boursin cheese I used to enjoy when availing their soup and salad buffet before. Nonetheless, these were good.
Potato soup topped with strips of crisp potato skin, chunks of croutons, and a little pesto sauce. Yum! Pesto sauce on creamy soup was a revelation. Trust me, it works.
Of course, salad. Craings Asian vinaigrette was impressive, it worked well with everything save for the penne salad which can be eaten as it is. The Asian slaw was also good. I threw in some corn kernel and wrapped it inside the lettuce leaves, and bit into it as if I was enjoying a Korean dish, only healthier.
The grilled item of my choice was the grilled prawns. The serving wasn't that big, but you wouldn't really want to stuffed yourself silly with rice meal if you aim to indulge on salads and Mongolian fare, right? So for me, the serving was just okay.
I was also able to try a bite of two of the chicken kebab. The flavor was impressive and I could imagine how good it will be when thrown in to the Mongolian bowl mix.
I had two bowl of Mongolian bowl since I want to experiment using different ingredients. My favorite was the one with egg noodles, peppers, carrots, cabbage, sliced squid balls, mixed with combination of Hoisin and Teriyaki sauce. Savory and sweet at the same time.
After the buffet feast we also had servings of coffee and cakes. So much for healthy treats right? but seriously, Cravings is known for good coffee and great cakes so I cannot really say no to these. Their Caffe Latte goes perfectly well with my favorite carrot cake.
While I enjoyed the carrot cake immensely, I was also introduced to White Chocolate Caramel Cake and it ended up as my new favorite cake at Cravings. This made me wish that they could bring back their unlimited coffee and cakes promo.
Fresh Picks at Cravings is available every weekend on its three flagship branches; Cravings Katipunan, Cravings Shangri-La Plaza Mall, and Cravings Molito Alabang.
Cravings Fresh Picks Buffet
Soup and Salad Buffet + Mongolian Buffet + Unlimited Juice + Your Choice of 1 Grilled Item
Schedule:
Lunch (11am to 2pm)
Dinner (5pm to 9pm)
Rates:
Php550 per head, for walk in diners
Php500 per head, for advance reservation, minimum of 4 person
Php495 per head, for those who will avail of pre-selling coupons
For inquiries and advance reservations, you may call Cravings Katipunan at 441-6529, Cravings Shangri-La Mall at 635-6088, and Cravings Molito Alabang at 556-0927.
