Selection Is Key

Encouraged by the good food at The Fireplace, the fennel bulbs decided to do the Hyatt Hotel's buffet offering in one of their restaurants, Market Cafe.

Even at 8:30 in the evening, the place was still busy, with hotel guests and locals seemingly enjoying the formidable offerings: from Japanese sushi, sashimi, and tempura, to fresh oysters and local lobsters, to roast meats, as well as Chinese and Mediterranean cuisines were all waiting to be sampled.

One can also assemble their own salads. The vegetables were fresh, and the choices of dressings and toppings were likewise good. 

Shrimp, fish, and vegetable tempura were all available. Sushi and sashimi, albeit quite limited, can also be had.

We moved on to the fresh seafood. One can request some fresh local lobsters to be cooked in the grill. Fresh oysters, which were a bit on the small side and which probably came from Capiz, were available. It tasted fresh of the sea, but not as good as other varieties.

We moved on to the Mediterranean spread. One can lament that there were no vegetable dishes like tabbouleh, or dips like tzatziki or hummus, which are available in other competitive hotel buffets and at Viking's. However, there was stuffed pizza, some spreads including tapenade and various cheeses, paella, and one can request for pasta to be cooked with the sauce of their liking. The tapenade was a bit too salty for one's taste, and black olives, instead of green olives, were used. The stuffed pizza was particularly good, though.

The fennel bulbs proceeded to the Chinese spread. Some delicious viands like stir-fried spare ribs and roast pork cha-siu and some noodle soup were available. Overall, the Chinese selection was disappointing, despite the fact that the highly-acclaimed Lili restaurant is in the Hyatt Hotel.

We moved on to the steaks. Roast beef was cut right on the spot, and it was amazingly tender and delicious. For those who can't wait, steaks were readily placed on heated pans. Sadly, they were not cooked well and were all too tough to the bite. Consequently, a pile of sad-looking steaks remained on the pan. The lamb cutlets were more tender and delicious though.

Prawns thermidor was also available, but a dish like this is served best straight from the oven. Buffets should probably properly consider which dishes are optimally served on a buffet spread and which dishes lose character on a buffet spread.

Finally we moved on to the dessert selection. Various tarts, pastries, and puddings tasted good. Succulent strawberries dipped in chocolate looked mouthwatering, but the chocolate used lacked the rich and decadent taste that would have accompanied the tartness well. Even macarons were available, but those were a farce! They were as hard as arrowroot biscuits. Lastly, the milk that came with their brewed coffee was disappointingly cold.

Looking back, the buffet was a bit of a disappointment. At 2,100PHP++, more competitive buffets can be had at a cheaper price. The staff, however, were excellent. The fennel bulbs can only hope that the Market Cafe consider improving their buffet.