Then lastly, I finished my meal with a tea. I got hungry again and ate a cake for midnight snack. I enjoyed my special day very much. This buffet is an awesome way to energize myself again before going back to hustling. I'm very thankful for another happy celebration and a well spent day.
Last June, my dad and I celebrated our birthdays. I had a short vacation for 2 days. Dad wants to celebrate on a buffet restaurant so we had a dinner in one of our local buffet restaurants, The Alley, a sister company of Vikings restaurant. It is located inside Clover Leaf Mall at Balintawak. They offer local and international cuisine. Here are some of the foods I had for dinner.
THE AMBIANCE
This is how the area looks like. It's very cozy and spacious, which is good for a wide variety of food selection. People can easily move while choosing foods and it's very convenient. We had an early reservation so we came early when it's not crowded. This is our table. The seats are very comfortable even for big groups.
THE FOOD SELECTION
Here are some of the food selections I was able to take photos. The first one is the Japanese foods. This section is where you can choose different kinds of sushi and maki. The second photo is breads and salad section. This is where you can customize your salad from the ingredients they serve. You can also customize some of the breads there and choose from different fillings they serve.
SALAD AND SUSHI
I took maki and salad for my first meals. For the customized salad, I took corn, cheese, ham, and potatoes. I put a simple dressing one them. I love how they let you customize their salad. I was able to combine the ingredients I like. I love the cheese most. The cubes are quite bigger than usual so you can really feel its flavor as you take a bite when you combine it with meat or corn.
For the sushi, I took the ones with egg, tuna, and crabsticks. The red one is a bit spicy but it's actually the most delicious maki because of its meaty taste that goes well with the rice. The sushi is really good too. The egg and crabsticks are flavorful. The best part is that both sushi and maki are intact that's why it's easy to bite. They don't easily break and the rice sticks well so you don't have to force yourself to put the whole piece at once.
THE MAIN COURSE AND SIDE DISHES
The next meal I had is a set of main course and side dishes. This includes steak rice, Yangchow rice, roasted pork and chicken, tempura, seafood chowder soup, and a plate of bread and pineapple. I prefer their Yangchow rice over the steak rice because their Yangchow rice has a lighter taste that you won't easily get tired of its taste. There's something with the steak rice that gives a heavy feeling though it tastes good. The same is true with the roasted chicken. Perhaps it's because of the gravy. There's something with the gravy that feels heavy on its taste. It's a good thing that I ate pineapples and it removed the aftertaste of the roasted chicken. The rest taste better because they have the right flavor. I love the combination of the butter and pineapple jam I put on the bread I customized. I learned that jam and butter go well together. The tempura is the best match for the Yangchow rice. The best side dish I had is the seafood chowder soup. I rarely get the chance to have one and it's so satisfying. You can taste its rich, creamy crab flavor that goes well with its smooth and thick texture. This soup will make you feel like you want more of it.
BIRTHDAY CAKES
A staff will randomly approach a table and serve a slice of birthday cake to the celebrants. The staff came just in time when we were about to have our dessert. Unfortunately, I vomited out of the blue. It must be a sudden reflux. It was so unexpected because I always eat slowly and I chew the food properly. I was only able to eat these birthday cakes that the restaurant gave us. There are a few local snacks they offer which I was not able to try since I vomited. Some of these snacks are taho, ice scramble, and street foods like fishball and kikiam.
THE SOOTHING TEA
Since I was forced to skip dessert, I decided to proceed to the last part of the meal, which is the tea. I want to soothe my stomach after vomiting. This tea did a great job. It made me feel better and I don't feel bloated anymore after a few minutes of drinking.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS
Despite having an upset stomach at the middle of my meals, I still love the foods here. They offer a lot of options with their local and international cuisine. I would love to enjoy more of the foods I missed if it wasn't for my upset stomach. The foods give justice to a classy buffet. I would recommend eating less of the steak rice and roasted chicken because of their overpowering flavor that gives a heavy feeling to the stomach, but I highly recommend having fruits for a side dish in every meal or snack and end with a tea to avoid bloating. If we ever go back to this restaurant, I will definitely try the desserts and local foods that I missed last time.
