Going Around in SPIRALS

This was my second plate!

                            

Buffets can be exciting once in a blue moon. We usually do this on very special occasions. And last January, we found the perfect event that called for such a celebration... My sister Addie's oath-taking as a full-pledged Dentist.  My ninang and I were there to witness a very important turning point in her professional life. After six grueling years of studying and sacrifice (being away from us because she had to get her own place near UP Manila), she is now officially a dentist. And because this was indeed an extremely special day, we found reason to spoil ourselves through glorious food. After the ceremony, we decided to celebrate and have dinner at SPIRALS situated at the lobby of Sofitel. I believe it offers the biggest and widest buffet selection in Manila. The choices were overwhelming that we first had to think of a good strategy to be able to maximize and get our money's worth (a very pinoy trait! dapat sulit!). We wanted to take it slow and be able to try as much of the courses offered (there was a salad/so

up/pasta/pizza bar, Japanese/Chinese/Indian cuisine and a whole lot more). 

Here it goes... I started with a plate full of salmon sashimi, assorted sushi, 4 kinds of cheese, caviar tartlet and a little salad greens. Then i went back for the oversized peking duck wrap from the Chinese section, 2 slices of medium rare prime rib with generous mushroom gravy, a thin slice of lamb with mint jelly, steamed shrimp dumplings (hakaw), fresh oysters with cocktail sauce and tabasco. I simply didn't care...i mixed different cuisines on my plate. After finishing almost 3/4 of what I got, I wanted more oysters but this time I filled a salad plate with the succulent fresh oysters and handed them over to the standby chef by the appetizer section for baking! Yup, I had it baked with garlic and cheese!  Then I felt I had enough of the main courses and was ready for some dolce. I wasn't gonna let it pass. I sampled their mango crepe, tiramisu and had 3 sticks of fruit that I dipped into the oh-so-rich milk chocolate fondue fountain. After that, I know you could guess...I was officially stuffed! :)