Why dessert should come first when (buffet) dining at The Cafe
It’s not part of the daily menu, but if you’re planning to go buffet dining at the newly reopened The Cafe at Hyatt Regency Manila, call in ahead to know if the Croffle is the dessert of the day.
It’s The Café’s signature dessert, a cross between a croissant and a waffle, topped with fruit-flavored ice cream, whipped cream and slices of fresh fruits. The waffle is buttery and flaky — just how a croissant should be. The flakiness of the Croffle pairs well with ice cream, fresh fruits, and compotes.
“Best served hot, the Croffle is quite popular in South Korea and Japan,” enthused executive pastry chef Hoon Sung, who had to make the batter from scratch because the Croffle wasn’t the dessert of the day at the time of our visit.
While mainly a dessert item, Hoon said he is open to experimenting with savory flavors, such as cream cheese paired with bacon or smoked salmon.
Aside from the Croffle, The Café’s dessert station is enough to get Willy Wonka on a sugar high. Have a piece of the luscious chocolate tiles, chocolate truffles, and different-flavored macarons. Scoop out jellybeans, jelly snakes, sour strips and jelly bears straight from the tall jars. There are also native kakanins, choux au cracquelin, and churros.
At The Café, one visit won’t be enough because the resto boasts three menu cycles. That means the star meat at the Carving Station or the Dessert of the Day may not be the same tomorrow.
“Evolving menu cycles ensure a different dining experience during the week,” said Chad Ogden, food and beverage director, City of Dreams Manila (COD).
Revenge (buffet) dining
The Café, Hyatt Regency Manila’s buffet restaurant, has resumed its lunch and dinner services, offering well-loved dishes that diners used to enjoy pre-pandemic.
“The Café reopened in 2022, offering buffet breakfast with free-flowing coffee, tea and juices,” said Ogden. “But there was a clamor to bring back the lunch and dinner buffet, and with the business level back nearly to pre-pandemic level, it was timely to revive the buffets at The Cafe.”
The interactive show-kitchen, which has been fired up anew, showcases deliciously curated local and international cuisine in one hefty buffet spread.
The buffet stations consist of the classics and chefs’ innovations, comprising Italian and other Western favorites, Asian comfort fare such as dim sum, popular Filipino and Southeast Asian dishes, a selection of Japanese staples, and a Carving of the Day, which is a dinner exclusive.
“We’ve enhanced our buffet offerings by infusing sustainable attributes such as serving sustainably sourced local veggies and seafood items,” Ogden enthused. “We also serve 100-percent Filipino coffee from Silang, Cavite, and Benguet.”
During our visit, diners lined up at the Live Station, which featured the juicy, baked, whole salmon. Another popular station is the Carving Station, where I got a serving of the melt-in-your-mouth roast beef sirloin with wine sauce.
At The Cafe, diners can enjoy free-flowing local draft beer, red and white house wine, freshly brewed coffee and fresh fruit juices served at both lunch and dinner.
“Not to be missed are the noodles and other Asian-inspired dishes, which are recipes of our Malaysian chef who helms The Café and previously, our contemporary Southeast Asian bistro Red Ginger. The laksa, for example, is easily one of the buffet favorites,” Ogden said.
And so, I headed off to the noodle station and ordered a bowl of the warm and flavorful laksa noodle soup with a generous serving of fishcakes, prawns, tofu, and hard-boiled egg.
With modern interiors and high ceilings, the Café offers a range of seating options with a maximum capacity of 345 guests. Two private dining rooms that each seat 10 guests are also available.
The Café’s buffets are offered at P2,350 net for dinner, P1,250 net for lunch, and P1,150 net for breakfast. The breakfast rate is inclusive of free-flowing coffee and tea, while free-flowing juices, local draft beer, red and white house wines are included in the dinner and lunch rates.
***
For inquiries and reservations, call 8691-1234 local 1163 or 8800-8080, or e-mail guestservices@cod-manila.com.
