Late Night Dinner

The fennel bulbs were quite a hungry bunch one late Saturday evening. It's quite a pity that most restaurants in Manila close their kitchens by 10 o'clock (2200h). Knowing that hotels should be able to serve more extensive hours, the hungry fennel bulbs just chose to go to the Manila Peninsula Hotel, more popularly known to locals simply as "Manila Pen". 

Most of its restaurants, such as Spices, which serves Southeast Asian and Indian cuisine, and the newly-renovated Escolta, which offers a sumptuous buffet, were already all closed. What's open was The Lobby, which more or less serves as the hotel's primary coffee shop in its grand lobby. The Manila Pen's lobby is arguably one of the best hotel lobbies here in Manila, and the dim evening lighting and the jazz band that played on the balcony just made it cozier. 

As always is the case hotel coffee shops, the cuisine was eclectic. There were Western, Asian, and Filipino dishes to choose from. A sumptuous bread basket was provided while waiting for the food to arrive. 

First to arrive was the Salade Nicoise (Php500). This dish is a French salad consisting of greens, beans, and chunks of fish (which for this case was some lightly seared tuna) in a light anchovy dressing. The greens were very fresh and crisp. There were also some cherry tomatoes. The anchovies can be a bit offputting for the uninitiated as they can be quite itchy to the mouth or the palate. But nevertheless a very good salad. 

Next is the crabmeat balls (php390). This time, the flavors were very Asian. The meat balls were really made of crab (not much extenders) and fried evenly. But the real kick comes from the sauce which is soy-based and had a delightfully sweet accent. 

Last and definitely not the least was the Pen Burger (Php590). 200 grams of good quality sirloin beef was used for the patty. It tasted very well and was juicy. It was topped with an egg sunny side-up and cheese which has softened due to the heat (which even made it taste better). On the other bun, there were lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. The chips are fried well. It is essentially, a comfort food. 

Overall, the Manila Pen's The Lobby is a good place to sit down and unwind after a long day. The price is a bit exorbitant by local standards as it is in a hotel, but the ambience and the fairly good service make up for it. 

A Wonderful Buffet Experience

Buffets are usually an enjoyable experience. But the bane of most restaurants serving buffet here in Manila is the lack of quality of the dishes served. There may be a myriad of choices in a buffet spread, but usually the dishes are just mundane. Hotels have upped the ante with free champagne and unlimited wine, at astronomic prices. 

Recently, the fennel bulbs have heard about a relatively new restaurant that is reputed for its really sumptuous buffet spread. The restaurant is named Vikings, and is located along San Miguel by the Bay. 

The restaurant is imposing. It is sprawling, as it occupies a vast bungalow building. The interiors

are warmly lit and are truly inviting. The receptionists donned headsets as they communicated with other 

staff on which tables are available. And they ushered their guests most efficiently. And the name, Vikings,

seems to conjure the Scandinavian meal served buffet-style, smorgasbord (or did buffets originate 

from smorgasbord). 

There was so much to try. First, the continental appetizer section had some fairly nice choices. Among those that were tried were thai beef salad, which was delicious, albeit a tad salty; some penne with grilled vegetables (like ratatouille or pisto); and some condiments like grapes and cheese. 

There was of course some sashimi. The tuna and the salmon fillets are of good quality. And the sushi was likewise very good and innovative (one would find a Barcelona roll, which seems to be inspired by paella with tomato/saffron-flavored rice used). 

And from the Western section, there were sumptuous beef carpaccio, hummus (Middle Eastern garbanzos paste), baba ganoush (also of Middle eastern origins, smoked/grilled eggplant paste), some quaint cheese balls, and asparagus wrapped in bacon. 

Next is the Chinese counter. A good selection of dimsum can be had - chicken feet, shark's fin dumpling, har gao, vegetable dumplings, just to name a few. 

There was even some chawan mushi, the Japanese egg white custard, which tastes very homely and comforting, especially when it's hot. 

There were sausages, roast beef, and even lechon in the main course section, plus some tempura (shrimp, fish, and vegetables). One can also create their own pasta and pizza and have them cooked, but it was simply too much to try it all in one meal. 

And perhaps, a weak point - dessert - a rather mediocre and anticlimactic ending to what has started out to be a most wonderful and lavish meal. 

At Php888 per person (on a weekend; the rates are cheaper on other days), Vikings is not just a feast for the taste buds and a dining experience to be reveled, but also a bargain! But the fennel bulbs hope that the restaurant will offer a more competitive dessert spread the next time around. Other than that, and putting everything into consideration, this is probably the best buffet in town! 

Sensibility

One place that the fennel bulbs would love to visit, whether it be for shopping or for some eating, is Rockwell. It's pretty much a community of its own, and what's very good about it is that there's just an overall sense of goodness about the place. The selections in Rockwell are quite basic, but a few hidden gems just have to be discovered. A relatively new place inside the compound, tucked in quiet Joya drive, is Lu. 

The place is wonderful for an evening dinner. The interiors are modern with hints of red. 

The servers are clad in white or red tops. The lighting is a bit dim. One feels a bit elated to step inside

the restaurant, and the dimness on the other hand is calming. 

The creators of Lu have fairly good aesthetic sense. Even the menus were carefully thought out. The white text and the font used work well against the red background. And finally the food - it's a personally concocted range of dishes which largely draws from Mediterranean elements, with a few coming from the Far East. Overall, it's - (though it may sound as cliche as the term has become nowadays) - fusion. One finds a dish as experimental as  fried Hainanese chicken (which is originally steamed), and Capellini topped with traditional Gambas al Ajillo (Spanish-style sauteed shrimps in peppers and garlic) on the menu. 

For starters, the fennel bulbs ordered some zucchini fritters (Php225). Actually the description on the menu says zucchini blossoms. Zucchini and squash blossoms can be locally found in markets and in Filipino cuisine, blossoms are often cooked in coconut milk. But they are just as good when deep-fried and served with a dip. Lus take on the fritters is good enough - with tomatoes and ricotta cheese. 

But for its value, one would wish that there were more blossoms to munch on. 

Next is a farro salad (Php285) consisting of a hearty combination of pearl barley grains, lentils, olives, and cherry tomatoes in vinaigrette. It's a very hearty salad, and the hints of mint in the vinaigrette bring to mind North Africa as it resembles tabbouleh to a certain extent. 

For the entree, it was Moroccan fish and shrimp brochettes over edamame yoghurt rice (Php425). It's a very experimental dish indeed. The starch element combines Western and Eastern ingredients (yoghurt and edamame respectively). The hint of herbs reminds one of the flavour of tzatziki (a Greek yoghurt, cucumber, and olive oil dip), but the distinct and nutty flavour of edamame stands out punctilliously. A milder legume would have worked better as edamame often requires a strong counterpart, and in Japan, it's often the free appetizer served in an Izakaya. 

The fish and the shrimps, on the other hand, are grilled well and deliciously and go well with the lightness of the yoghurt flavour of the rice. 

For dessert, apriocat baklava (Php175) was ordered. The pastry was sumptuous by all means. But the miniscule portions leave one wanting for more. 

In the end, there's a bit of restraint on inventiveness. Combining and drawing from elements to create new dishes, amongst other entities, can be quite thrilling for some, but on the downside, it can be alienating. And this is where sensibility - which is gradually developed and honed in one's relationship to his own craft - plays an important role. Overall, Lu is a good place, but a little more sensibility will even make it better.