Buffets were originally a display of wealth as seen in old-world celebrations. But nowadays, it means to “eat-all-you-can”, whether in an event (for free) or in a restaurant (with a fee). If you need to shed money for it, there’s usually a fixed or set price that you need to pay, no matter how much food you can stuff into your mouth or stomach. And Filipinos are known to be big on buffets, as evidenced of the growing buffet restaurant scene in the Philippines.
Although it mightily ruins my get-fit goals, I love buffets myself. What my strategy is to eat the dishes that I usually don’t get to eat that often and deviate from the ones that are all too common and get smaller portions (which is a struggle for me LOL!). So a couple of weeks back, I was invited to try out Midas Hotel and Casino’s Midas Café Buffet.
I haven’t been to this hotel since it was renovated; it used to be Hyatt Hotel, if I’m not mistaken. It looks pretty much different from what I can recall and quite more inviting. Although some of the interior details, for me, was over-the-top, bordering tacky, especially the elevator. Anyway, I wasn’t there to do a hotel review but to see what the buffet at the Midas Café had to offer.
I love the ambiance of Midas Café , especially where we were seated. Above us is a glass ceiling, which allows natural light to enter giving you that joyful feeling like you’re dining al-fresco. Tables are spaced just right without giving you that over-crowding perception unlike in other buffet restos.
Compared to other eat-all-you-can restaurants I’ve been to, Midas Café ’s has fewer stations; which for me was ok because customers won’t get too overwhelmed and can enjoy almost everything that is being offered. It might look basic, but you’re getting the essentials with utmost quality, if you get what I mean. So here are the available stations at Midas Café :
Salad Station
Grill Station
Noodle Station
Cheese Station
Mongolian Station
Japanese Station
Pasta Station
Carving Station
Hors d'oeuvre Station
Chinese Station
Desserts Station
My usual practice when I do buffet is that I go to the Japanese area to get the right amount of tuna or salmon sashimis and some sushis that I can half-fill my stomach with. I like that the fish was fresh and that the sushis were the traditional ones.
If you have been reading my posts about my foodie trips, you might have an idea that I love anything grilled or Mediterranean, so I was excited that Midas Café offers kebabs and other items for grilling. I tried the beef, chicken and seafood kebabs and asked for slices of salmon to be grilled. They didn’t disappoint, loved them all.
There weren’t many choices for dim sums at the Chinese station though. But I was fine with it since I had dim sums like 1 or 2 days before this visit at Midas. Yet the custard bun was a stand-out and the group’s favorite I assume. Both the dough and the filling were superb.
At the carving station, what was only available was the Prime Roast Beef. Nothing to get disappointed about because it was pretty good, I believe it was quite the popular station to return to for most of the Zomato foodies. Plus there was a wide range of sauces to go with it, so.
I would usually skip the Filipino Station, but when I saw that they were serving beef caldereta, I knew I just needed to at least get a piece. I haven’t had a good tasty caldereta in a while and I must say, their version gave me a bit of nostalgia, because it tasted close to how my grandma would cook her caldereta. The beef was soft and tender and the sauce was flavorful and had the right amount of spiciness.
Midas Café didn’t have that many choices for the cheese but they have a decent variety of breads to choose from. Same thing goes for the Hors d'oeuvre Station.
And as always, the Desserts Station is always the highlight of any buffet (in my opinion). I love that they can whip up crepes and you can customize it and stuff or top it with just about anything you want to, there are A LOT of ingredients available on that side of the desserts station. The mini cakes were ok, not too sweet which fitted my taste. Although, I would have appreciated it if they put labels or names for each desserts, I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, I want to know beforehand what I’m putting on my plate.
I love how they decorated each station which makes them more inviting. Service was great as well; the staff was accommodating and quite helpful. The buffet price might be somewhat on the pricier side, but what can you expect, it is a hotel restaurant. What you can be rest assured though that the quality of the food will never be compromised.
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