I was lucky to find an ongoing promo for a brunch buffet at Alfred - a fine dining restaurant at Makati Diamond Residences. They were celebrating their first year anniversary and as a treat to their patrons, they were offering a weekend brunch buffet for only Php1k!!! Yes, you heard it right. Inclusive of all the drinks you want (bubblies, wines, cocktails, soft drinks, coffee, tea, you name it)! I was planning on getting a slot for Tapioca's birthday weekend but because seats were limited, we missed it. Our reservation fell in March, a month after his birthday. Nevertheless, the wait was worth it.
Let me just tell you this story. Before our gastronomic adventure, Tapioca and I went into a big fight over something I can't remember anymore. What I do remember was that it was a huge fight that I ended up crying and decided to call it a day. It was the day when we were supposed to go out for brunch. I just came home from a night shift and being confronted with such stuff, I basically just wanted to sleep. Forget about the fancy brunch. I was so upset and pissed that I decided to forego our reservation.
Tapioca, finally realized what he did and knew I was dead serious about letting go of the two thousand pesos. He apologized and we kissed and made up. But it took him a long time. The brunch buffet starts at 11am and we were still at home at 1pm. When all is said and done, we went on our way hoping and praying that they didn't give our seats away.
And they didn't. Thank God! We were more than 2 hours late. The buffet ends at 3pm which means we have an hour and a half to enjoy the spread. We missed out on the main event, though. The Jamon Serrano and Iberico. They were wiped out according to the servers. We also missed the pass around. Anyway, we were just happy to be there and eat whatever's left.
The hotel was so beautiful and elegant. I wish I could have taken more pictures. But then again we were late. What's more important was to get down to business pronto.
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| . . . the view of the hallway from our table |
Isn't it splendid? Feels so luxurious. Like we don't belong. I'm glad Tapioca and I kinda dressed up a bit. Teehee.
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| table setting . . . |
Very simple table setting. Look at those cutleries. So shala!
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| . . .Tapioca and his first plate |
Tapioca immediately went for the meat.
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| Jellybean's first plate and first round of champagne . . . |
While I had my usual appetizers. My eyes were still swollen from crying but you can tell I was happy and enjoying my meal, especially the bubbly :)
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| . . . Tapioca's first plate up close |
Rib-eye steak, lamb chops, grilled prawn, ravioli pasta and some roasted veggies.
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| Jellybean's first plate . . . |
Freshly made Caesar salad, some quiche and a risotto ball. I love, love the salad! I wanted to go for another round but of course I have to make room for the other good stuff.
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| . . . 2nd round of champagne, iced tea and water |
I got a glass of ice tea because I felt I was getting buzzed too quickly. Oh well, I haven't been drinking for quite some time. Wala na practice hahahaha!
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| my 2nd plate . . . |
Wala na rin ako practice sa buffet so these were the things I got. Just a little bit of everything. I was trying so hard to phase myself and not get overwhelmed. The buffet spread may not be as grand and extensive compared to the others. But every single dish they got I can tell was so worth it. As in. Like where can you get a ravioli stuffed with foie gras? Lamb chops, not all hotels serve lamb chops in their buffet spread. I think if you order any of these dishes a la cart it would cost more than what we paid for. So sulit talaga!
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| . . . ooey goey cheesey goodness! |
Please don't get me started with the cheese. It's not just the usual cheese, They've got raclette! And the server will happily bring it over to your table. No need to fall in line. Talk about excellent service with excellent cheese! Tapioca and I were so in love with the food. If only I could drink more wine.
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| my 3rd round of bubbly . . . |
I chose a mimosa for my 3rd round. :-)
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| . . . the dining area |
The entire place looks really posh.
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| my dessert plate . . . |
For desert I had this trio on a plate - lemon tiramisu, bouchon and rhubarb topped with ice cream.
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| lechon . . . |
I forgot to tell you, they got a lechon and paella station, too which Tapioca and I completely ignored. I think it's not just us who ignored it but most of the crowd. We were actually seated right next to this station and I noticed not a lot of people were going for it. A few minutes before the buffet closed, I noticed the lechon was still intact. It was looking at me and me like saying "Hello, pansinin mo naman ako." Though I was already full to the brim, I got up and got myself a small portion. I told myself, baka mapaniginipan ko pa eh and regret not trying it.
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| . . . Tapioca's dessert choice |
On the other hand, Tapioca opted for ice cream.
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| ice cream in a fancy glass . . . |
They've got chocolate, cheese and strawberry. I think these were in-house made.
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| . . . lemon tiramisu for Tapioca |
Tapioca liked my lemon tiramisu so he got himself a serving, too. Well, Tapioca is very partial with citrusy dessert and I think that's the reason he liked this one.
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| . . . our happy faces |
We had an awesome time at Alfred even though we only got to stay for just an hour and a half. We would love to come back and hopefully experience the whole thing from the start. Hoping they'd come out with another promo next year.
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