Market Cafe: Buffet Dining at Hyatt Hotel

After a series of buffet dining last year, my date and I went on a short hiatus with scouring eat-all-you-can destinations. But being foodies and groupon addicts, we just can't let Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila's Market Café deal from Deal Grocer pass. So although I still have a buffet hangover because of Buffet 101, we gladly dined at Market Café using our vouchers one weeknight.

Located at Hyatt Hotel and Casino Manila's 3rd floor, a lovely corridor with posh decors and lighting will greet diners and hotel guests. With a hallway this nice, my date and I can't help but have a high expectation on Market Café's offerings. The excitement even grew larger when we got to Market Café itself. The place had a simple yet very elegant interior complemented by a soft yellow lighting. Seating was mostly by fours, but it seemed very comfortable with plush suede covers.

Dinner will start by 6PM, but we already confirmed our reservation at the restaurant's receptionist even before 5:30PM. (We over estimated the time so we came in really early.) Although the reception lady was very friendly and courteous, we were given an isolated table for 2 near the desserts station. I'm not sure if this is a sign of voucher discrimination, but I didn't request for a change of seat anymore since I want to sit near the buffet.

Since we still had to wait, my date asked the receptionist if coffee is free since the voucher is for unlimited food and drinks anyway. But since dinner was meant to start by 6PM, he was told that he'll have to pay for an order of brewed coffee. Being the impractical and I-want-it-now-so-I-won't-wait-till-later guy, my date ordered for a brewed coffee which we didn't expect to be priced at P167 plus service charge, VAT and Local Food Tax. So although we should've paid nothing for the evening (just tip, of course), my date ended up paying P206.25 for a cup of brewed coffee.

Having some time to go shutter clicking, I asked the reception lady if it's okay to take photos of the buffet items. To my dismay though, it's not allowed unless you're taking a photo of your companion in the same frame. But being the daredevil that I am, I still took photos of the buffet items. The cooks, waiters and even the chefs didn't mind it anyway. One chef even gave me tips on how to maximize my slr. So I guess that was a go signal.

Here are some of the items at Market Café. I was not able to take photos of everything though since I tried to stay away from the reception lady's sight. For starters, Market Café has a selection of cheeses, breads, tapas and hors d'oeuvre. They also have a salad station for salad lovers.

There were also a selection of my favorite Japanese foods -- sashimi, sushi and maki rolls, as well as other cooked Japanese items like tempura and miso soup at the Japanese live station. Another great feat here is the teppanyaki where you can ask the cooks to whip you up your teppanyaki of choice. If you love Korean dishes, you can find some at the Japanese station too.

Just behind the Japanese section is an Indian food station which I wasn't able to take photos of. I was also unfamiliar with Indian dishes, so I thought of just postponing my Indian food trip for an Indian ala carte dining some time in the future.

At the Chinese live station on the other hand, there were dimsum items, cold cuts, roastings, as well as customizable noodles and cooked Chinese food. I was not able to take tons of photos for this, but believe me, they had quite a nice variety of Chinese dishes.

Being a seafood lover, we also didn't miss checking out the cold seafood section where there were tons of oysters, prawns, crabs, mussels and clams.

Just beside the cold seafood section are selections of Market Café's pizzas, pastas, as well as skewers for grilling.

Of course, we also didn't miss the chance to check out the offerings at the carving station. They had grilled prime rib, lamb chops, a whole roasted suckling pig and more meaty treats for grilling.

And for desserts, Market Café has aplenty. For the night, they had a selection of their home-made ice cream, fresh fruits, a chocolate fondue, favorite local delicacies, halo-halo, cakes, mousse and a whole lot more of sweet treats.

For beverages, you can ask the waiters for coffee or tea, or get yourself some free-flowing sodas and beer from this fridge.

I usually take tons of photos from the buffet area, but please bear with me since I had to evade the receptionist's sight for this dinner.

WHAT WE GOT

I know that I've always mentioned Japanese items to be my ultimate comfort food, but for this buffet dinner, I took a plate of a seemingly Western breakfast ensemble -- brie cheese, jamón serrano, cherry tomatoes, grilled pumpkin and crispy breads.

I love how this plate of goodness was just the right meal starter, light yet a mix of harmonious flavors. If I have to choose a favorite from this plate though, I'd have to go with the grilled pumpkin as it had a lovely smokey flavor to it.

While I was off to a light start, my date on the other hand had a plate of quite oily meat pieces and some sweet and spicy jelly fish. He also had a slice of pizza and a small portion each of the fettuccine carbonara, and penne arrabiatta. Although he seemed to like the food, he said they were nothing out of the ordinary.

To kick off a Japanese start, I got a hot serving of miso soup. The seaweeds came in a separate bowl, and interestingly, they were not big pieces, but shreds. I got a lot of seaweed shreds for my miso soup and it was so good! The blend of the miso paste and dashi was just right. You can also taste the mild flavor of the tofu.

I also got a plate of my favorite Japanese items -- salmon and tuna sashimi, sushi and maki which all tasted great as you really can't go wrong with these if they're fresh. To deviate from my usual Japanese plate though, I got a small portion of kimchi. But unfortunately, I still don't like it.

And of course, one can't simply ignore this buffet favorite. Yes, it's the prawn tempura! Market Café may have not used really big catches from the sea, but these babies tasted good, especially with the tempura sauce.

My date and I also shared pieces of baked oysters with cheese which we loved to bits! We also got these sea dwellers grilled, and they also tasted really good. Personally though, I like the grilled oysters better as I really love the raw yet smokey flavor they had.

Since my date still wanted some more seafood, we asked the cook to bake us some oysters, mussels and clams. It was funny though 'cause these were baked with cheese. Yes, even the small clams! It was quite hard to take off the cheesy clam meat from its shell, but it still tasted good.

To satisfy our carnivorous cravings, we had some prime rib. We were first given the rib part, and a more meaty portion for our second helping. Although it was easier to slice and eat the meaty cut, I personally prefer the rib part because of how succulent and tender its meat was. Call me a heartless PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals) member, but I'll still not give up on my meat especially if it's beef!

Speaking of tasty animals, I also had some grilled lamb skewers which were tender and very savory. The meat was succulent and had a lovely smokey flavor that I really like.

After some beef and lamb, of course we got to devour a portion of the roasted suckling pig next. The meat was very juicy and very tender and the skin was quite crunchy and chewy at the same time. Even without a sauce, this roasted suckling pig deserves a nod of approval.

With all the meat we had, I just wanted to start my desserts with a platter of fruits to cleanse my palate. Good thing Market Café has a nice selection of fresh fruits.

I had some dragon fruit slices, melons and ripe mango. I haven't eaten a lot of dragon fruit in my life so I really enjoyed it. It's like kiwi but a lot milder. And of course, everyone know how refreshing melons and ripe mangoes are.

After the plate of fruits, my date and I shared this plate of sweet goodies. We had some macarons, a layered chocolate cake and a mini chiffon cake with berry filling. The cakes were just okay and nothing spectacular, but the macarons were quite big! It was my first time seeing big macarons, and personally, I find them too sweet. (Maybe because of the size?) Both my date and I loved the vanilla macaron though as it had just the right amount of sweetness.

I also had a cashew nut brownie and a creamy liquor-infused dessert with chocolates. Although both of these desserts look yummy, they were just alright for me. The cashew nut brownie came in the fridge so it was quite hard and lacked the chewiness I was looking for.

We also sampled Market Café's version of Crème Brûlée and it definitely passed with flying colors. The custard base was rich and the burnt caramel on top was done perfectly to a crisp. Among all the buffets I've tried which offered Crème Brûlée, Market Café's is one of the best.

We were already full, but the chef said their ice cream is a must-try. So although our bellies were already bulging, we sampled Market Café's signature homemade ice cream flavors. My date got a scoop each of the Gianduja (Hazelnut) and Dulce de Leche, while I had a combo of Strawberry and Cheese. And true to the chef's every word, their ice cream was really good, very creamy and flavorful.

And after a nice buffet dinner at Market Café, nothing beats a hot cup of free Jasmine tea or a cup of free brewed coffee to help with digestion.

THE VERDICT

I personally find Market Café's buffet spread quite limited compared to what Vikings has to offer. However, most of the food items we got to try were of okay, if not, of good quality. Ambiance is very relaxed and laid back, and service is impeccable. I find the original price quite steep for the food selection though, but if Market Café will sell vouchers again or have discount promos, we'll definitely grab the chance!

Taste - 4/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 4.5/5
Promo Price - 5/5
Original Price - 3.5/5
Overall Value - 4/5
(Note: Overall Value rating is for the discounted voucher amount we paid.)

Buffet Rates:
Lunch
Voucher Amount - P995
Daily Rate - P1,650
Dinner
Monday to Thursday - P1,650
Friday to Sunday (Seafood Weekend Dinner) - P1,850


Market Café, Hyatt Hotel & Casino Manila
3rd Lvl., 1588 Pedro Gil cor. M.H. Del Pilar, Malate
Manila, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 245-1234
Official Website