New World Hotel’s Café 1228: cozy and intimate

Cafe 1228, New World Hotel's signature restaurant, is one of the best buffet options in Metro Manila.

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Gatherings 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.

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.

We immediately got down to business and surveyed the whole place. It had 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.

A good selection of Filipino dishes

The lechon carvery

Diners may begin their meal with a starter from the fresh salad station, bread and pâté, or soup of the day.

Salad station

Pita bread, olives and pate

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.

Seafood station

Fresh seafood

Fresh prawns

Crabs

Cheese-loaded baked scallops

Cheesy baked scallops

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 had these cooked medium well.

Leg of lamb

Plump roast chicken

After a few minutes, a meat-lovers' feast arrived with a good douse of gravy. I got some buttered asparagus but it would have been nicer with a good helping of baked potatoes. The leg of lamb was very tender and juicy It was also seasoned well with salt and and some spices. Personally though, I prefer roast beef or steak over lamb because of the former's milder flavor.

Potato gratin

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.

Various cheese types

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.

The pasta station

Pasta Choices

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.

Noodle station

Fresh sashimi

Shrimp and vegetable tempura and pork belly

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.

Crisp churros

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.

A beautiful selection of sweets and pastries

Cakes and pastries

Fruit tarts

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.

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