Buffet 101 - Robinson's Magnolia


Let me tell you something. I'm not a fan of buffet restaurants. I mean they are nice but I really don't subscribe to the idea of them presenting me loads of food when I can be happy with just a plate of nachos (anything will do). So almost all of my buffet trips were free. And so Ice and her friend asked me if I could join them in one of their buffet trips - for free, now who am I to decline such offer eh? 



Our group date was set at Buffet 101 in Robinson's Magnolia, Quezon City. It was lunch time on a midweek so I wasn't expecting much crowd but I was wrong. People were already lining up outside the restaurant at 11:00 a.m. for that day's lunch buffet (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.). 

We called prior that day for the reservation and we just needed to confirm it from the receptionist that immediately showed us our already reserved table. All three of us were first-timers in this restaurant and neither of us knew how to "plate" beautifully for the happy food photos. So we got a problem over there. Lemme show you first the buffet spread.


breads and soup
seafood chowder soup with pastry
appetizers
nachos
dimsum
for hotpots
still chinese...
pork belly
porky stuff (bad note taker)
korean appetizers
fresh seafood for grilling
just read  it :)
sauteed mushroom with white sauce
sweet and sour pork
beef stew
tempura all you want
spicy crab / shrimp with soy sauce
paella
spaghetti
steak
fresh fruits
crepe station
sweet tooth station
And here's what we got on our plates. Please take note that we all love eating that we surely forgot to take photos of some plates. I was overwhelmed with all the stuff they have that I never get to taste all of them (well, I didn't plan to in the first place).  


mine: the chicken feet was salty
the dimsum was ok
the hakaw was good
mine: everything was ok
bacon kebab was good
mine: this japanese plate is your typical one - very normal
ice: sisig and shrimps were good
everything was ok
ice: nothing was remarkable on this plate
mine: the spaghetti was good
nachos were ok
the steak was forgettable
the corn was good
the fish burger was just ok
the rib was perfectly cooked. the sauce ruined it
And from that point my camera battery got tired. I had some spare batteries which were all drained too. I didn't even get to take a few shots of the whole buffet area. Well that's Carla ladies and gentlemen. Slow claps.

Moving on, we had some pizza which were just ok. I also had blueberry and strawberry crepe which tasted bad. And everything tasted just normal and ok. Nothing stood out. Drinks were free flowing and you can choose from sodas, juices, hot stuff and fresh fruit shakes. 

And so we moved on to the desserts. I only had fresh fruits and nothing fancy at all. Unlike the two girls who feasted on the pastries and the frozen yogurt. They enjoyed everything especially the mango and coffee panna cotta. They didn't dig the Marble cheesecake, Chocolate mini cupcake and Strawberry panna cotta - they didn't finish it at all. We also had watermelon shakes (pineapple was the other option for that day) which took years before they could serve it. 




Overall, the two enjoyed their Buffet 101 experience. When they asked me if I did too, I showed them my typical not-so-sure-non-approval look. I dunno but I wasn't happy with this one. Compared to my Vikings food trip, this one didn't even touch my foodie soul. Maybe because of the very snobbish staff. Or maybe because of the bad buffet floor plan and traffic. Or maybe because of the not-so-comfy seats and odd table height. See, I am not even mentioning the quality of their food 'coz I think my buffet food palate is not that reliable in the first place. A happy buffet place for me is when I get to experience the total package of a nice place, good service, good food and good company. This particular buffet experience lacked a few of those - and that's not the good company part.


Buffet 101 International Cuisine
Robinson's Magnolia
Aurora Blvd. corner Dona M.Hemady street, New Manila. Quezon City
Contact Number: (+63) 2.961.22.99
Facebook Page

35 comments :

  1. Medyo naglaway ako ng konti dun sa unlimited tempura :P

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    1. buti naman napigilan mo pa christian... :P

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    2. huy! nakakahiya sa mga readers ko. umayos ka lakadpilipinas.com hahaha

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  2. Beautiful pictures you have there. Guess I should stick with Vikings. :)

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  3. Vikings nga ang astig daw sa buffet. Pero mukhang nakakatakam naman

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  4. or may be you can try Yakimix Glorietta the next time. I heard they have a lot of good stuff there too.

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    1. i've tried yakimix in tomas morato and there are really some good stuff there - siyempre free buffet din yun dati :)

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  5. nagutom ako sa pagbabasa kahit na karamihan were "just ok". i hear you.

    obviously, we still have to sample those buffets that sprouted in manila like mushrooms after we left. with your review of buffet 101 here, i think want to dunk my fork and bring my appetite at vikings first.

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    1. yes docgelo. you should try vikings and celebrate anyone's birthday there - free na sila, may pa happy birthday song pa! :)

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  6. oo nga manong eh. nahihirapan kasi ako mag food post dati eh. kala ko kasi komplikado. pwede naman palang simple lang :)

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  7. chong, have you heard Guevarra's??? try naman natin doon. Sabi boss ni hubby masarap daw :)

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  8. .. i consider myself as "lugi" on buffets - i am a picky eater at di ganun kagana kumain.

    .. the spicy crab and the the shrimp looks good, ayos i-combo sa seafood paella! :D

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    1. ako naman depende sa mood rob. may times na sulit at may times na lugi ako sa buffet. hehe

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  9. OMG, I haven't tried eating in Buffet 101! Thanks for sharing the photos, now I know how the food looks like. I always have that thought that Buffet101 is better than Vikings, thanks for making me re-think about that. Haha!

    Oh, I have a question, how were you able to have those photos? Usually, in buffets, they restrict me to take photos. :))

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    1. vikings and buffet 101 are camera-friendly. nobody bothered when i took some photos (only some guests) :)

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  10. wow! Tempuraaaa!! and that pork belly! nakakatakam ever! Miust try tlga tong mga buffet nato when i visit Manila

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    1. ay naku shugah! feeling ko kulang ang isang buwan pag andito ka sa manila. malamang everyday ptb meet-up yun. haha

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  11. aside from Vikings, do you know any buffet restro that you can recommend, please?

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    1. i've tried Saisaki/Dad's Ultimate buffet - nice spread... Yakimix - asian stuff...and that's about it. i was never a fan of buffets but now i'm rethinking...

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  12. gumagaling ka na magplating infernes!

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    Replies
    1. wow! salamat naman reyna ng buffet reviews! hihi

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  13. Kaylangan po ba na mag pa-reserve sa Buffet 101?

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    1. hi kylie! yep, kailangan magpa reserve para less hassle. pero they can accept you as walk-in customers naman. mahaba nga lang ang pila :(

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  14. Replies
    1. i think vikings has more dishes to offer. yun nga lang di mo naman kakayanin lahat in a day. hehe

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  15. Siguro nga pag kumain ka sa buffet type na resto, u may want to consider food that u do not usually outside. Although baka iba nga unh lasa but it will give u chance to eat other food that is unusual to ur taste buds.

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    Replies
    1. true zeb. pero pag nachos ang weakness ko (simple lang) kaya kahit paulit-ulit keri lang :)

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