I was under the impression that we were in for a buffet feast of epic proportion – of massive number in terms of selections. It was my first time at The Grand Kitchen of the newly opened The Grand Hyatt Hotel Manila and I had my game buffet face on. I expected innumerable food dishes readily prepared on an equally impressive numbers of buffet stations ready to be devoured by hungry diners - the usual basis for a buffet service to be considered as one of the best in Manila dining landscape.
That expectation wasn’t met. But let me tell you, I was light years away from being disappointed.
The Grand Kitchen may not overwhelm you with numbers, but when it comes to food quality, they are nothing short of excellent. Which makes them the current best buffet in Manila in my book.
The Grand Kitchen of Grand Hyatt Hotel as it turns out, is all about quality over quantity. Their cook ala minute concept through their interactive buffet stations and show kitchens equipped with impressive kitchen technology manned by very able chefs is what sets them apart from other hotel buffet services in Manila.
During the media luncheon, Executive Chef Mark Hagan explained to us the unique buffet concept at The Grand Kitchen as well as the win-win effect it has both for the restaurant as well as the diners. He also tackled their strong belief in supporting high quality local products which mirrors to some of the delectable local items available on the buffet options.
There are several things that was given emphasis by the chefs regarding the buffet concept and the restaurants beliefs about the importance of serving freshly prepared food. One of the may things that was given emphasis was the decrease in food waste. This clearly resonates with my beliefs about the subject because I always wonder, what happens to the leftover food at those buffet restaurants at the end of the day.
Another thing that was given emphasis was the personal touch that the talented chefs can put into the food they are preparing by interacting with the diners. This goes perfect for those who have specific dietary requirements as well as specific way in which they want their food to be made. Instead of just settling with what was readily available on the buffet spread, at The Grand Kitchen, diners are given more food options and variations that are more suited to their liking.
With this cook ala minute concept, the interactive buffet stations are manned with very able chefs who are ready to take in the diners order when they opt to have their food freshly prepared. Various fresh raw ingredients can be spotted in every corner of the show kitchen which may give inspiration to the diners as to what they want to go with their requested dishes.
Take for instant the pasta station. There are several choices in terms of pasta selections as well as the sauces. And if the diners fancy something a tad bit hefty, they may opt to choose from various ingredients available in the kitchen such as meat, seafood, and vegetables to make their pasta dish more substantial.
There are variety of fresh produce which diners may enjoy as it is or incorporated to the dishes they fancy to enjoy - really the options are endless. Just like the fresh fruits situated at the juice station. Diners may opt to have it freshly squeezed from the juice extractor or they may ask the chefs to prepare a delicious fruit salad for them just like what one of the chefs suggested to me when I visited the station.
"Made to Order" is the phrase that can be often seen written on the menu board in every station alongside the ingredients which can be use in preparing the specific dishes that station offers. Then again, diners are only limited by their imagination. There was one diner who I spotted ordering Beef Bulalo Noodle Soup, a mash up between Beef Bulalo and Chicken Noodle Soup that were originally offered in the station, the chef of course, gladly prepared it for him.
Made to order skewers such as Gyu Kushi, Jidori, and Shiitaki are also available by the grill station. There are also made to order Chicken Inasal, Tanigue, Rib Eye, as well as Chicken and Beef Burger, also from the same station.
One may opt to prepare their own salad by choosing from the readily available ingredients since it does not entails cooking process. But friendly chefs are always more than happy to prepare if the diners so desired. Some chefs, I noticed, would also suggest other ingredients to add to your salad which can be taken from another station. It goes to show how much they care about the food they prepare and that the enjoyment of the diners is always their top priority.
There are a handful of ready made sushi but diners who wants to enjoy freshly made sushi and sashimi are more than welcome to watch the sushi chef work magic with his sushi-making skills. I overheard one of the diners said that nothing beats freshly prepared sushi and sashimi, and that they were so happy that they were able to enjoy freshly made ones.
The dessert station also features handful of dessert selections which are made to order like crepes, freshly baked lava cakes, and soft serve ice cream with lots of options for toppings just to name a few. The photo below shows Chef Untung Taurat preparing my soft serve ice cream topped with raspberries, brownie chunks, and chocolate syrup. It was the best, I tell you.
While the cook ala minute concept is what The Grand Kitchen is all about, they still take into consideration the fact that there are some diners who wants to immediately feat on delicious food or those who just don't have the liberty of time to decide on what they want the chefs to cook for them. With this, they make sure that there are several stations which features ready-to-eat dishes which are equally delicious and meticulously prepared.
There's the bread and cheese station which features variety of baked goodies and cheeses alongside variety of cold cuts. I may have unknowingly stayed in this station for a good long minutes as I tend to admire beautifully crafted bread when a very kindly chef approached me and offered to make me a sandwich out of the breads, cheeses, and cold cuts available. Very kind gesture, I must say. I regret that I have to decline because I was already so stuffed at that time.
The carving station features roasted pork - a definite eye candy for the meat lovers in our group. We were told that the menu in the carving station differs from time to time. I believe, just like any other buffet restaurants, they probably feature prime meat during dinner service. But I heard the roasted pork was also divine.
Ready-made variety of viands are also available. There were vegetable dishes such as the sauteed french beans, roasted carrots, steamed corn, and the super delicious cheesy cauliflower. There were also staple favorite Filipino favorites such as Pork Adobo, Chicken Adobo, and Pork Binagoongan alongside other Asian dishes like Mapo Tofu, Chicken and Cashew, and Fried Rice.
The Grand Kitchen features international dishes hence, expect to see variety from Asian cuisine to Western favorites. Steamed Tilapia Fish was pretty popular during our visit as well as the shrimp cocktails readily available for consumption.
Kids would have a grand time enjoying the buffet at The Grand Kitchen because their parents can easily request for the chefs to prepare kid-friendly dishes such as spaghetti, corndogs, waffles, and the like. They can also enjoy the ready made food such as the Flat Breads and French Fries.
While it is fun to watch the chefs prepare delicious desserts such as crepes and ice creams, there are variety of ready-made desserts available to choose from for those who wants to feast on sweets pronto. What I spotted during our visit were the Apple Pie with Vanilla Sauce, Fresh Fruits, and different cakes.
Fresh juices are also available and is included in the buffet rate. But if you want to indulge on good wines, there are several options available for an added cost on top of the buffet rate.
Truth be told, I really had a great time during our luncheon because not only we enjoyed the food, we were also given a chance to cook in their to-die-for show kitchen. And if you are a long time blog reader, you probably know how much I love to cook despite not having received any formal education. I was thrilled that Chef Mark Zaragoza was kind and patient enough to teach me and my friends Len of The Mommist Blog and Jeng of Food in the Bag Blog to work our way in the kitchen even for a short period of time.
Now here's one good reason why I am loving the buffet concept of The Grand Kitchen; I was able to enjoy really good freshly made buffet food even while I am transitioning to a plant based lifestyle. While I am basically a pescatarian because I still enjoy a bit of seafood occasionally, my lifestyle these days tend to lean on vegetarian. It was a big move which merits a different blog post sometime soon. Meanwhile, I never thought that I would ever set foot in buffet restaurants ever again, but The Grand Kitchen reassures me that they have something for everyone.
Chef Mark taught us to make Hamburger but it was something I clearly cannot eat. When I asked Chef Mark if they offer vegetarian burger, he informed me that they currently do not have it but offered instead to make grilled vegetable sandwich which I really really appreciate.
He also taught me how to cook vegetarian pasta which I extremely enjoyed. I really appreciate how kind the chefs were when it comes to offering possible dishes we can enjoy. I was honestly ready to settle to whatever vegetable dishes that was available on the buffet spread but Chef Mark was kind enough to give option to cook the two vegetarian dishes. That's the good thing about this buffet concept, you don't have to settle, you have the option to enjoy the food you really want therefore getting your money's worth.
Aside from the Vegetarian Pasta and the Grilled Vegetables Sandwich, I was also able to grab some vegetarian items available on the ready-made buffet selections. There were roasted carrots, French beans, and vegetable tempura.
For dessert, aside from the soft serve ice cream with raspberry and brownies, I was also able to enjoy the freshly made chocolate crepe with strawberry. I felt so satisfied because everything was delicious and I also felt thankful that The Grand Kitchen was able to accommodate people like me who have different dietary needs.
There are several buffet restaurants in Manila and yes, they may satisfy you with endless parade of food that they offer. But if you want to experience a different kind of buffet concept, I highly recommend The Grand Kitchen buffet at The Grand Hyatt Manila. No, it will not overwhelm you with countless dishes but expect that everything is of high quality and highly satisfying.
The Grand Kitchen Buffet Rates and Schedule:
PHP 1,300+ for breakfast
6:30 AM - 10:30 AM
PHP 1,750+ for lunch
12:00 NOON - 2:30 PM
PHP 2,100+ for dinner
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
The Grand Kitchen
The Grand Hyatt Manila
8th Avenue corner 35th Street,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City,
Philippines, 1634
Tel: +632 838 1234
Fax: +632 838 1235
