Ah, hotel buffets. Many fond memories of getting a reservation, asking if the parking is free, of me being under-dressed, and oh yes, great food. These are the things that come to mind when we recall our several trips to Circles Event Cafe in the Makati Shangri-La. Every visit was a delight, with the courteous staff and subdued yet opulent ambiance. Makes me feel rich already.
Chesca's usual starter - some sashimi and sushi. The salmon was wonderful and sweet, as always. There were various maki varieties, all of which were fresh and delicious.
I immediately head to the prime rib. I get some vegetables to get that "balance" everybody talks about. The meat was just wonderful, with a good amount of fat for that rich, aged beef flavor. The caesar salad I made was just as scrumptious, with bacon bits to boot. And I got a muffin out of curiousity - chewy and sweet. Looks kind of like a cronut, but chewy instead of flaky.
Oh just look at that. Who can say no to that? A vegetarian/vegan maybe. Good thing we're neither of those.
This visit the assorted grill menu featured several variations on pork spareribs/bellies, sausages, and seafoods. I liked the pork as it had that simple, no nonsense grilled flavor. The soy sauce with spicy vinegar helps give it a more Pinoy taste too. The sausages were also nice and juicy, with that pleasant little snap to them that means they used good sausage casing. Mmm.
We also had some Indian food. The curry pastes were quite nice as they had that cumin-y flavor. Tandoori shrimp for protein and some naan and basmati rice for carbs. There was also this large, shrimp-like stuff. Wish we had it cooked more though, it seemed a little too rare for us.
There was also some shawarma around - we decided to keep ours open faced and had the chicken. The different sauces help to really get to that shawarma flavor we all know.
Dessert time! A wide variety of cakes, fruity treats, a chocolate fountain and chilled sweets await. Here's some of the cakes now - that braso de mercedes was great.
Mango sorbet and a creamy, panacotta-like dish with a mango flavored filling at the bottom. I like my mango desserts.
And some free tea for that after dinner digestion. Had to ask for it several times though. Was a busy night for the crew then, I guess.
If you ever have the opportunity, you should experience Circles. Even better that there are several online retailers selling discounted vouchers for this restaurant. It'll still set you back a bit (around 3100+Php discounted) but for all this great food and the wonderful experience, it's very much worth it. I hope we never stop eating here :).
Circles Event Cafe
Makati Shangri-La
Ayala Avenue Corner Makati Avenue, Makati City
https://www.facebook.com/MakatiShangrila
