Nothing Quite Like First Love: Paseo Uno at Mandarin Oriental, Makati

Earlier this year, R came to see me, and he greeted me with a guilty, sheepish, delightfully happy grin on his face. I gave him my what've-you-done face, and he revealed that he'd found discount vouchers for the Paseo Uno buffet and bought two, for us. Aw, what a cutiepie.

A little history: A few years ago, on the morning of my birthday, he took me to breakfast, and we spent the rest of the morning together. At lunchtime, he dropped me off at Mandarin Oriental, where I met my family for lunch at Paseo Uno. I invited him to join us, but we had just started dating then, and I guess he was kind of scared to meet my dad. So away he went, without even giving me a chance to take him inside and introduce him to my family.

Fast-forward a few years. He's been my boyfriend for a while now, my family knows and loves him, and he wants to know what he missed on my birthday all those years ago, dammit! Thank you, voucher gods!

So a couple of weeks ago, he picked me up and took me to Paseo Uno. We had a reservation (highly recommended, as the restaurant is almost always full), and we were promptly led to our table. We didn't bother sitting down. We handed the waiter our vouchers and immediately did a walk-through of the buffet: This is something I like to do before getting any food, so I can see what's available and strategize. The buffet had four sections: starters, Eastern/Asian, Western, and dessert. There is also a beverage section: The buffet comes with free-flowing iced tea, bottled soda, and local beer in cans. The spread isn't as extensive as many buffets, but I was actually rather pleased at how focused, manageable, and well-thought-out this one seemed. My eyes pop out as much as anybody's at the sight of an obscenely enormous buffet spread, but I liked not being overwhelmed while still feeling that I had plenty of options, and good-quality ones at that.

Overview completed, we hit the starters, which included breads, colds cuts, salads, sushi, and raw shellfish.

Bread

Cheese, gazpacho, condiments

Cold meats and fish

Salad

Sushi and sashimi. Beyond this, there was a mound of ice atop which sat raw
oysters, mussels, shrimp, crab, and bowls of soba, but in my eagerness to start
 eating, I must've forgotten to take a photo.

I skipped the filling breads (which R raved about) and most of the usual cold cuts in favor of smoked salmon, seared tuna, roasted pumpkin salad, sushi/sashimi, and tuna ceviche. The smoked salmon and seared tuna were average, but I always enjoy them, so I didn't mind average. The roasted pumpkin salad was wonderfully fresh, perfectly in between firm and mushy and with a very healthy, natural flavor. The sushi and sashimi were not of the highest quality I've ever had, but they were good and sufficiently fresh. They had some interesting sushi options: The spicy tuna maki got its kick not from spicy japanese mayo but rather, from being rolled in chili flakes. The roll with salmon roe had a nice burst of flavor. The red clam sushi was an unusual offering, which had me pleased. But the absolute star of this station was the tuna ceviche. It had the perfect texture, the perfect balance between the acid-cooked surface and the raw center, and the taste--citrus/acid and herb and fresh fish--was just spectacular. I've always loved ceviche/kilawin, but this! I never thought my love for ceviche could be taken so many notches higher!

My plate (#1)

Palate properly prepped, we moved on to the Eastern/Asian section, which consisted of miso soup, tempura, dim sum, a roast station, and a few main dishes.

Main dishes: buttered chicken, fish sarciado, beef bulgogi

Up close: buttered chicken

Up close: fish sarciado

Miso soup and tempura station

Another main dish (left) and dim sum (right)

More dim sum

Roast station

I skipped the miso soup to avoid getting full, and none of the dim sum options (radish cakes, spring rolls, beef and pork dumplings) appealed to me. The tempura station included shrimp, fish, and veggies (peppers, onions, zucchini), which they cook fresh for you on the spot. I asked for fish and zucchini. I love zucchini, and it's not often that is it available at tempura stations, so I took advantage and asked for 3 or 4 pieces. The tempura was pretty good, although I would have liked it to be cooked maybe 30 seconds longer, because the batter was still a little soggy and lacking that little bit of crunch. Also, the tempura sauce was just a tad bland. The roast station had chicken and duck. The chicken didn't look all that appealing to me, so I skipped that. The duck didn't call out to me either, but I almost never say no to duck, so I had some, and it was decent. The main dishes (buttered chicken, fish sarciado, beef bulgogi, and another saucy fish dish whose name I forget) were all incredibly tasty and would have gone perfectly with rice, although I held off on the rice to save precious tummy space. The best among these--in fact, the best among this station's offerings--was the beef bulgogi, which was incredibly flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth tender! The beef used was undoubtedly of high quality, and it was sliced a little thicker than the usual beef used for bulgogi, maybe 3-4 mm. So. good.

My plate (#2a)

My plate (#2b)

Already starting to feel a bit full but in total denial, we headed over to the Western station, which had soup, pizza, shawarma, a grilling station, a carving station, and several mains.

Grilled pork loin

Grilled chicken and peppered tuna

Lyonnaise potatoes and mixed veggies

Char-grilled rib eye and lamb shoulder

Braised beef shortribs in chocolate sauce

Carving station side dishes

Carving station and sauces

Shawarma (left), pizza (right), and raw items for grilling (back)

The pumpkin tomato soup was a delight: creamy but light, incredibly clean and fresh yet sophisticated, with a blend of flavors rich enough for it to be a sauce. I skipped the pizza, shawarma, and grill items. The carving station had chicken, possibly pork, and a ribeye. Of course I went for the ribeye. The slice I had was unevenly cut, and after doing its time on the grill (cooked to medium), the thicker part was still a bit chewy (not hard, just not tender either). However, the more thinly sliced part was just as it should be. The steak was a bit underseasoned, but the red wine sauce was delicious and added more than enough flavor. I ignored the Yorkshire pudding and baked potato, but I did have a couple bites of the Lyonnaise potatoes, which were nicely crisp and had a lovely tinge of sweetness due to the onions. Among the mains, I skipped the mahi-mahi and grilled pork and chicken. The pepper-crusted tuna, lamb shoulder, and char-grilled rib eye were okay, not outstanding but up to par for a hotel restaurant. Now the braised beef spareribs with chocolate sauce... I don't usually do acronyms, but O.M.G. Revelation of the night. I love braised beef, and I love chocolate, but I never would have dreamt of having them together. And now I know why: It is beyond my wildest dreams. Yes, it's that good. I don't even know how to begin describing or explaining. Just take my word for it and try it!!!

My plate (#3a)

Pumpkin tomato soup (plate #3b)

As is my usual practice at buffets, before moving on to dessert, I have another plate of savory items. Sometimes I fill a plate with little bites of all the best things in the spread. Other times, when I'm too full for that, I do a best-of plate of starters only--which is what I did this time. In addition to my favorite starters, I also got a couple of raw oysters and a bowl of cold soba. The oysters were fresh, and the soba was nicely al dente and had a good sauce. A nice end to the savory portion of my meal.

Best-of plate (#4)

The dessert spread, I somewhat regret to report, was not among the best I've tried. The selection was small, there were a few duds, and there was a fruit cheesecake (I think) that was consumed before I could try it and it wasn't replaced! There was halo-halo, Filipino sweets, ice cream, fresh-made crepe, bread pudding, little cakes/mousses/puddings, fruit, and a chocolate fountain.

Halo-halo station, with a nifty little ice machine (left)

Ice cream

Chocolate creme brulee

Crepe station (left/center) and bread pudding (right)

"Cold minis"--slim pickings compared to most luxury buffets

Fruit

Chocolate fountain

I skipped the halo-halo and Filipino sweets. I would've done well to skip the chocolate fountain too. Among the chocolate fountain items, I had a cookie (without the chocolate) and a donut (with the chocolate). The cookie was okay. I know it's probably a silly idea to have a cookie at a buffet, but I'm a certified cookie monster, always on the hunt for an exceptional cookie--didn't find one here. The donut was run-of-the-mill. Lesson learned: Chocolate fountain items are for kids. It was kind of cool, though, that their chocolate fountain flowed milk chocolate on one side and white chocolate on the other. The bread pudding was nice but not really memorable. At the crepe station, we asked for a peach crepe with ice cream on the side. The crepe, as always, was lovely, but the ice cream (we had ube and coconut) tasted cheap, ordinary, unrefined, like someone just heavy-handedly dumped milk, sugar, flavor, and color into an ice cream maker, and voila. The "cold minis," as I call them (small servings of assorted cakes, custards, etc.), were a mixed bag. There was some sort of dome-shaped pistachio or walnut mousse that just failed in terms of taste and texture, and it was my least favorite thing all night (besides the donut, but at least with the donut, I already knew that the ceiling was low). The brownie bites topped with strawberry were okay. The chocolate creme brulee was nice. The melon panna cotta was easily my favorite dessert. I like panna cotta, and theirs was nice, delicate, and creamy. The melon added a novel and fresh twist, and I was entirely happy to end my meal with this.

My plate (#5a)

Crepe to share, ice cream on the side, and R's halo-halo (plate #5b)

Complimentary coffee (for R)

Complimentary chamomile tea (for me).
NOTE: Coffee and tea are complimentary. Don't be afraid to ask. :)

Overall, it was an excellent dining experience, well worth the splurge, especially at the voucher price of  PhP 1265 (~USD 31; full price PhP 1796 [~USD 43]). Although there were a few food items that were duds or mere fillers to extend the spread, there weren't too many of them. There was at least one standout item at each station that I would absolutely come back for. The service was wonderful. The staff were polite and pleasant. They paid attention to the customers, and they were incredibly aware of what was going on: where customers were seated, when water glasses needed refilling and empty plates to be taken away. I am extremely pleased to report that despite our being lowly voucher customers, we weren't treated like second-class customers, as sometimes happens in other places (ehem, Spiral). The decor/ambiance certainly added to the experience. The glass panels, wooden floors, and granite walls gave the restaurant a touch of elegance, creating a vibe that was inviting but also quiet and intimate. There was enough space in between tables for privacy and to pass by comfortably. Although the restaurant was full, it wasn't crowded, it didn't get loud, and there were no frenzied lines at the buffet tables. Bonus: The restrooms were nice and complete with amenities. (You'd think this would be a requirement, but I've been to so many restrooms that didn't have the basics: clean toilets, toilet paper, hand soap, and paper towels/hand dryer.) If I had to complain about anything, our table was uneven, so it rocked any time pressure was put on it. Also, some of the floorboards behind my seat would creak any time someone walked by, which was a little distracting. But I'm picking at little things here.

I am entirely enamored with Paseo Uno. It was one of the first restaurants in the country to offer a luxury buffet. Over the years, a plethora of other hotels and restaurants have followed suit, and some are quite good. But Paseo Uno was my first, and so far, it has stood the test of time. While other establishments are scrambling to offer larger and longer buffets and to set themselves apart in one way or the other, Paseo Uno has stuck to its guns, continuing to offer a focused selection of high-quality food.

As far as luxury buffets go, Paseo Uno is my first love, and I'll keep coming back to it. Even better: R seems to have fallen in love with it too.

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Paseo Uno, Mandarin Oriental

Makati Avenue, Makati

+63 2 750-8888

Open for breakfast, 5 - 10:30 am

Open for lunch and dinner, 12 nn - 12 mn

Lunch buffet, 12 nn - 2:30 pm

Dinner buffet, 6:30pm - 10:30 pm

Sunday to Thursday, PhP 1,796 (~USD 43) nett, Sunday-Thursday
Friday to Saturday, I'm actually not sure, but somewhere around PhP 2,000-2,500 (~USD 48-60)