Hello, Hive!
Today, I am going to talk about our weekend engagement which was an advance birthday celebration of my collegue and her husband. We dined at Bayfront Hotel's restaurant called Caja Kitchen. Join me as I talk about the celebrant, the dining experience, and of course the food. So, without further ado...
The Venue
This is my first time in Bayfront Hotel. This was supposed to be our wedding reception last April if the wedding package we booked first with Flower in a Box was pushed through.
Bayfront Hotel is located near SM City Cebu and Radisson Blu. Thus, coming here is very easy. It became easier for us (Grace and I) because we just hitched a ride just like what high schools and college friends do.
Anyway, we were here last Saturday to celebrate our friend and collegue - Maam Paras'birthday! She wanted it to be like an 18th birthday or a debut where she and her friends could wear gowns, long dresses, and suits which she didn't experience during her 18th birthday.
The Birthday Celebrant
The lady in red is no less that Maam Maricel Paras, the birthday celebrator. She is one of our Math Teachers in Canduman National High School. But for that night, she was the Brightest and the most Glittering Star.
She instructed us not to wear pink or red but it should be formal, so that she would stand out different from any of us. Judging from her looks that night we could never tell that she didn't have money back then to celebrate her 18th birthday like how girls do this time.
Now let me show you the restaurant in Bayfront Hotel...
The Restaurant
The restaurant is named "Caja Kitchen". "Caja" is a cooking pan in bisaya, but maybe it is also a Spanish word because we are greatly influenced by their language. Well, the name makes sense because their menu are served straight from the cooking pan which is not usually done in other buffets.
The place is not so big maybe it can only cater less than a hundred people inside. It has a small counter as you enter the restaurant where staffs are usually located to answer inquiries and take orders. Beside it is a display of there sweets, pastries and cookies. - a beautiful spot for people who are sweet-toothed like me. There is also a wine stand on the side going to the buffet table that gives a touch of elegance, together with their beautiful chandeliers hanging in the dining area. So, all in all, I would give the place alone an 8/10 rating.
The Buffet
As mentioned earlier, their food are served in a cooking pan. For me it was a good thing that they put labels in their foods so that people would know what they were about to partake.
They served plenty of food that you could choose from. But in my case, I took a scoop of each food so that I wouldn't miss a thing. I would get a larger servings if I would feel that my taste buds would be happy.
I will talk more about the food in the next part of this blog, so please continue reading.
The Food & Review
Lechon
- Lechon Belly . The very first food that I took in the buffet table is the famous Cebu Dish called the Lechon Belly. It was displayed in the middle of the buffet tables and has special spot lights so we can then say that it is the main dish. I took a lot of it (more than one serving) so that I can share it with my wife, but it turned out that she also took lechon belly for herself. Beside it is the spicy vinegar sauce which is the perfect dip for every lechon bite! Other people may prefer catsup, especially the kids, to give it a sweet flavor. For this dish, I give it a 10/10. If you are a Filipino, you will understand why I gave a perfect score because we are very biased with - LECHON! It is just the best dish for all occasions!
Beef Asado
- Beef Asado. I took just one full-laddle-scoop of this dish because I really love beef meet, but I didn’t get a lot of it for the first round because I worry if I might not like the taste of it. I put in my mind that I can still get another scoop later if I want to. When I tasted it, I was very impressed! It was very flavorful! I asked my wife to taste it because she didn’t have this dish on her plate and she was very delighted! She verified that this dish really is a 10/10 also!
Chopseuy
- Chopseuy . This was the only vegetable dish in the buffet! It has the legit ingredients so I never missed the chance of getting a bowl of it. It tasted good, you really would recognize that the dish has all the necessary ingredients for it to have a good flavor. I think I would rate this as 9/10.
The Desserts
- Chocolate Cake. I got one of these chocolate cake slices because it looks cute and I am a big chocolate fan, that explains my dad bod built. It wasn't the best cake that I have had before so I will just give it 7/10.
The Other Cake and the Strawberry Pudding
- I also got one slice of this cake but I forgot the flavor. The taste was not that special also. For this one, it's a 5/10. I also took a shot of the strawberry pudding because they look like scented candles. Although, I was hesistant to taste it at first, I was amazed of its good flavor. I actually wanted to get more of this when I finished a glass of it, but I think I already have enough sugar for the night. I give this pudding a 9/10.
- I also got three of these then took a photo of them. I realized as per writing this blog that I forgot to return the tong (my bad). I promise to not do this again. For this Korean Dish, I give it 8/10.
- Here's a perfect view of the buffet table with the emphasis of the desserts which is very tempting to look. They also have fruits like watermelons and pineapples but I did not get some because it time for sweets and meats! Now let me share to you the photos of our dining experience here.
The Dining Experience
I had a total of three plates for this meal. You might have noticed already why in the world was the rice with the desserts. The explanation is very simple, I started with the meats that I forgot to take rice and then the irresistable sweets, and then the rice.
We talked about a lot in the table - our work, workmates 😅, the students, money, travels, and the like.
We enjoyed the food especially because we did not spend even a centavo. All expenses were paid by the birthday celebrants husband. That makes this whole buffet dining experience the best. I think they paid 599.00 for each person.
The MOVs
After our dinner, we had our pictorials! But since we are DepEd teachers, we rather called it MOVs. It stands for Mode of Verification. This is to verify that we had dined in this hotel to celebrate Maam Paras' natal day.
We had it first inside the restaurant and then in the hotel's lobby. The lobby looks more fun and colorful this time because it is Christmas Season and we know how much fond the Filipinos are with this season. We took lots and lots of pictures!
If you think that this is already the last part of this blog, you are wrong! After our sumptuous dinner at Bayfront Hotel, we proceeded to Mango to disco and maybe burn the calories we had had. The night has just started for us! 😀
The Philly
We went to The Philly Sports Bar & Restaurant immediately after the dinner. This was to celebrate further the birthday of Maam Paras. Also, she told us that she never had a chance to do clubbing during her twenties because her focus was to finish her studies and get a decent job after. This was also true to some of the teachers included in her circle.
Going inside you could automatically feel the night-life vibe - music, alcohol, and lights! We took the exclusive area which is on the second floor. But before going up, I took pictures of the posters and light signs.
Taking the exclusive space upstairs, you would need to pay 3000 or 60USD. But you can consume that amount in foods and drinks. The ladies enjoyed the drinks and food they ordered and then danced their hearts out. Cheers!
They ordered a tower of beer, sizzling sisig and fried chicken. While the gentlemen were playing billiards. This was one of the things I enjoyed for occupying the second floor.
I have not played billiards for years but I was surprised that I could still make good shots. I was playing with the husbands of my co-workers while they were also serving us beers. We played for 5 rounds and then we stopped because there were other group of people who occupied the second floor who wanted also to play billiards.
The sum it all, we had so much fun. The food was great, the people I spent the night with our fantastic, and I was with my beautiful wife the whole night. I am certain that everyone of us will treasure and remember this weekend engagement we had for the rest of our lives. Lastly, it’s never too late to party on a Saturday Night!
Until next time people. Bye-bye!
The Author
Christian Yocte is a public school teacher in the Philippines who also loves other interesting things like making digital and traditional art, exploring new places and destinations, writing journals and musings, and a lot more. He currently resides in Cebu, Philippines. Join him as he ventures different places, shares his masterpieces, and makes his life more meaningful.
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