We recently visited Cucina Restaurant at Marco Polo Ortigas Manila to check out their Weekday Craze Buffet Promo. This Cucina Buffet’s promo boasts of special rates in which lunch buffet is priced at Php1,100 only while dinner is priced at Php1,500 from Monday to Thursday for the entire month of March.
Now the Weekday Craze does not just stop right there. It got even more excitingly with a special giveaway in which those who will avail of lunch and dinner buffet at Cucina will get a chance to win an overnight stay in Marco Polo Ortigas Manila.
Cucina Buffet Promo also gives way for Cucina to highlight the all-new set of featured cuisines for their Seven Days, Seven Reasons themed buffet.
Mondays are all about Japanese cuisine wherein guests may feast on selection of sushi. Tuesdays will give the spotlight to a unique dish called Fideua. Wednesdays are made all the more exciting with variety of well-loved Thai dishes on the buffet spread. Thursdays on the other hand will feature different kinds of paella.
Not included on the Weekday Craze promo but still well-worth visiting Cucina for, weekends feature different sets of signature dishes to enjoy. Fridays are all about sustainable tuna, Saturdays feature cuchinillo, and during Sundays, different seafood takes the center stage.
I have missed several media launch at Marco Polo Manila’s Cucina in the past due to my hiatus so during our visit, everything was new to me. While the buffet spread highlights the signature dishes for Seven Days, Seven Reasons, I find all the other dishes equally noteworthy.
With that, photo dump below will show you pretty much what you can expect when dining at Cucina including their signature dishes and then some.
Appetizer section features different bite sized food meant to whet your appetite. There were salads, DIY nachos and tacos just to name a few. The section sits right beside the sushi section which I find very comfortable since I always start with sashimi if not sushi when dining in a buffet set up.
Rice dishes are aplenty but not to be missed is their noodle and pasta section. Usual process of choosing your ingredients and having the chefs cook the dish in front of you is practiced in these sections. So, diners may request for their desired noodle and pasta dish to be prepared while they can go their merry way to other parts of the buffet spread as they wait.
There are also variety of freshly made pizzas available which goes perfectly with the pasta dish if so desired. Bread station is also ever present with variety of cold cuts, cheeses, and other spread alongside for complete gustatory experience should one fancy a custom made sandwich.
Seafood comes in different variety. Choose your favorites and have the kindly chefs cooked it for you then you’re all set. Seafood with butter and garlic is the usual offering, but try to request for a seafood dish you may fancy and the chefs will gladly oblige – just be reasonable with your request because ingredients availability will be factor in.
The carving station that day features roasted chicken and a gorgeous slab of roasted beef. But the scene stealer was the cuchinillo which is the signature dish featured every Saturday.
Whether the dishes on the buffet that caught your fancy is one of the signature dishes or not, you may take comfort in the fact that everything is equally impressive. Take for instance their Chinese station that features a lip-smacking Chinese ribs dish – I swear, it was really good.
Then there is also the Filipino station boasting of our very own dishes like Pork Sinigang, Adobo, Afritada, and the likes.
Other impressive dishes can be found at Cucina’s Indian section. The Lamb Palak specifically tops my favorite among the dishes in this station. It goes well both with basmati and the roti (which is good as it is, if I might add.)
Since it was a Thursday during our visit, different kinds of paella dishes were showcased. There were paella negra, seafood paella, vegetable paella, and paella mista among others.
We were also able to sample the signature dish which highlights every Tuesday, the Fideua – a seafood paella dish that uses pasta instead of the usual rice grain. I took pleasure in feasting on the different kinds of paella but this Fideua is a different rave-worthy dish on its own.
Of course, desserts should not be missed. When my friend Jeng of Food In The Bag blog told me that Cucina got some really nice desserts, I have to agree with him since first bite of the Chocolate Avalanche cake and I’m already sold. There is a gelato section, although it can be easily missed since it is located at the far end of the buffet spread away from the dessert section. Nonetheless, the flavors are well worth the extra walk.
Cucina Weekday Craze is happening every Mondays to Thursdays of March, so be sure to visit them before the month ends. While the buffet spread features limited variety of food as compared to other hotel buffets, the quality of the food is really excellent.
Cucina Weekday Craze Discounted Buffet Rates Promo:
Mondays to Thursday: Php1,100 (lunch) || Php1,500 (dinner)
Friday and Saturday: Php1,850 (lunch) || Php2,500 (dinner)
Sunday and Public Holiday: Php2,650
Cucina
Level 24
Marco Polo Ortigas Manila
Meralco Ave. and Saphire Road,
Ortigas Center
Pasig City, Metro Manila
Contact No.: (+632) 720-7720
Email: manila@marcopolohotels.com
Website: www.marcopolohotels.com
Facebook: /MarcoPoloOrtigasManila
Twitter/Instagram: @MarcoPoloManila