Find out why New World Hotel's Cafe 1228 is one of the best buffet restaurants in Metro Manila.
New World Hotel's Cafe 1228 is highly-recommended if you a looking for a
buffet restaurant with an extensive array of food but without the cramped
space typical in other similar restaurants. In fact, Cafe 1228's cozy
interior is one of its positive points and is conducive for intimate
gatherings with friends and loved ones.
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| Cheese station |
New World Hotel’s Café 1228: Cozy and Intimate
Our experience at Cafe 1228
Mett-ups with friends have been a rarity these days because of our busy
schedules. As such, we always make it a point to make our occasional meet ups
celebratory. And what better way to do it than to have a good lunch buffet,
which had brought us to Cafe 1228, New World Hotel's signature restaurant.
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| Baked scallops |
The place isn't too big, with only just a few tables to accommodate mostly
those who have booked a reservation. This was good because it meant the place
wouldn't get too crowded. The interiors were modern and spacious despite its
small floor area.
The food at Cafe 1228
After we had settled down at our table, we immediately got down to business
and surveyed the whole place.
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Seafood station |
The restaurant is divided into the usual stations: salad, meat carving, fresh
seafood, Filipino, continental, Japanese, pasta and Italian food, bread and
cheese, and desserts.
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| Baked oysters |
In terms of food, Cafe 1228 has a good selection of fresh seafood, salads, and
meats. For those who love Filipino food, you will love this place because it
has a wide selection of Pinoy dishes on display.
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Salad station |
Diners may begin their meal with a starter from the fresh salad station,
bread, and pâté, or soup of the day.
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| Japanese food station |
We skipped the starters and went to the fresh seafood station. We loaded our
plate with fresh oysters, scallops, and prawns which we brought to the
grillery. We requested the chef to bake the oysters with cheese and cook the
prawns in butter and garlic.
Carving station
Being meat-lovers, we wouldn't let the meal pass without venturing to the
carvery. The station featured a leg of lamb. We asked for several slices and we had them cooked medium-well.
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| Carving station |
After a few minutes, a meat-lovers' feast arrived with a good dallop of gravy.
I got some buttered asparagus but it would have been nicer with a good helping
of baked potatoes.
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| Filipino food station |
The leg of lamb was very tender and juicy It was also seasoned well with salt
and some spices. Personally, though, I prefer roast beef or steak over lamb
because of the former's milder flavor.
Cheese station
When dining in buffets, I also make it a point to visit the restaurant's
cheese station. It was a whole table with a good spread of dried fruits and
nuts, jams, marmalade, bread and butter, crackers, cold cuts, Gruyere,
Camembert, and cheddar.
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| Cheese station |
I got generous chunks of the cheeses and put dollops of jams and marmalade on
top. It was a really good combination; the rich and savory cheeses tempered by
the sweet and slightly acidic fruit jams.
For those who love Italian food, venture into the pasta station where you may
have the chef prepare and cook the dish of your choice. I did not try any
pasta dish because I lie low on carbohydrates when eating in buffets to avoid
getting too full fast.
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| Sushi and sashimi |
For Japanese food lovers, there is a station where one may choose from a wide
array of freshly-prepared sashimi, bowls of sukiyaki, crisp shrimp and
vegetable tempura, and pork belly skewers. We tried several pieces of sashimi
but we did not get too much because Japanese rice is a bit heavy.
Dessert
After the mains, dessert came next. The dessert station featured a good
selection of native cakes, pastries, ice cream, and frozen yogurt. I got
several long sticks of churros, with chocolate dip and scoops of vanilla ice
cream.
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| Dessert station |
I found this a really satisfying combination; the vanilla ice cream cutting
the richness of the chocolate and lending a creamy flavor to the fried
churros. When I was done with the churros, I came back for my ever-favorite
Leche Flan. That was it, I was full and couldn't take another bite.
Epilogue
We were stuffed after three hours of indulgent eating. Good thing BDO Elite
Credit Cards had a promo with Cafe 1228, thus, we paid only half the regular
price. Definitely a steal for such a good meal in a beautiful
restaurant.
Cafe 1228 is located at New World Makati Hotel Esperanza Street, corner Makati Ave, Makati, 1228 Metro Manila. For inquiries and reservations, call telephone number (02) 8811 6888.
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