Hyatt City of Dreams offers its upscale buffet offerings at The Café that is open 24/7, attracting both early birds and night owls. At this new 5-star hotel located at the new integrated casino-entertainment resort, one must arrive hungry and famished, and expect to be fully satisfied and impressed with their restaurant's high quality culinary spread, luxe design, and warm hospitality.
The Café is located nearby the lobby of Hyatt, just past a circular reception lit by a spiral chandelier. Being an upscale buffet destination, the hotel does not scrimp on cafe's space and design. Sculptural elements, metal screens, artwork, and excellent lighting surround The Café, a gorgeous 315-seater establishment.
For the solo gourmand, diners on a date, or larger groups craving for a lavish buffet spread, there are many seating options to choose from at the hotel's main dining space: comfy circular booths, private and semi-private rooms, standalone tables. As for the buffet layout itself, all the stations are situated at the left side of the restaurant, and begin just past the cafe's reception area. The Café features an interactive show-kitchen restaurant, where hot dishes are prepared à la minute per station.
Since The Cafe is open 24/7, its food selection is dynamic, rotating specials and selections for breakfast, lunch, Sunday lunch, dinner, and overnight (late night) guests. Buffet rates are priced lower during the overnight hours (P788/person from 11:30pm to 4:30am), so take advantage of your late-night cravings and post-party hangover busters here. Weekend dinner (P1,888/person) and Sunday lunch (P1,888/person) are the most premium, with Sunday lunch buffets including bottomless Prosecco, house pour spirits, and some cocktails.
If you're following the layout of the stations (because some diners, like myself, would love to spot the dessert station first prior to attacking the mains), your gastronomical journey begins with pizza and pasta at the Italian counter, then moves on to the Grill and Griddle, where many meaty protein options are available skewered or sliced, such as the deliciously tender and pink rib eye.
At the Deli counter, a smattering of cheese selections to delight the turophile, paired with dried/candied fruit, nuts, and breads. Pates and spreads to go with the bread as well, and a salad station for your fill of fresh and healthy greens. Sharing the same area is my favorite station to begin with when conquering a buffet –slabs of raw tuna and salmon being sliced upon order of sashimi, and a good selection of sushi. There's so much to choose from and you are just halfway the entire buffet spread — or even barely half, depending on how much you can handle in one meal. Trays are available in every station, which makes it convenient for you to load on at least two plates in one go; chefs and cooks are also eager to assist you, should your hands be full already from carrying your food.
Moving forward, the buffet has more savory selections in their next counters, highlighting Asian, Filipino, and comfort food. A personal buffet battle plan is to begin with raw seafood (sashimi), load up on assorted cheeses, then carry my cravings onward to meatier things like steak, lamb, sausages. Next would be to check out if they have my favorite Oriental eats — and the cafe did — so at their Asian counter, I had slices of roasted duck, roast pork adobo and chicken, and some dimsum as recommended by the chef who served it. The culinary production of this new buffet is impressive, and quite a lot to handle even if you are really hungry. There's still so much to try — I spotted lechon kawali, vegetable and prawn tempura, a noodle soup and soup station serving hot and sour soup (a favorite), and more familiar Asian dishes like sambal sotong, minced pork with basil, yang chow, snapper fillet with beancurd.
And then, there is the pastry and dessert counter — which always automatically allows more stomach space for me (I imagine dessertarians have a separate appetite for all things sweet, that's why we always have room for dessert). For their lunch buffet, ice cream and halo-halo were available, also a fondue counter where you can drown fruit, cookies, financiers, bonbons, chocolate barks, and cream puffs in gooey milk or white chocolate. A cake display counter beckons, showing off colorful mini cakes in so many flavors — ube-langka, classic chocolate, various cheesecakes, and more.
While I devoured my first plate of sweets (mostly chocolates), the cafe's pastry chef was making his rounds, carrying a tray full of chocolate cake. He arrives at our table, offering some for us to try. "It's fresh off the oven, the best way to eat it," he smiles. Who can decline such a sweet recommendation? I scoop spoonful upon spoonful of the cake, warm and comforting, and decide that it was the best way to cap off a truly delicious and memorable buffet.
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The Café is located at the ground floor of Hyatt City of Dreams Manila, Asean Avenue corner Roxas Boulevard, Entertainment City, Paranaque. For Inquiries, call +632 691-1234, e-mail cityofdreamsmanila@hyatt.com, and visit codmanilahyatt.com. Like Hyatt City of Dreams Manila in Facebook (/HYATTCityOfDreamsManila), and follow on Instagram (@hyattcityofdreamsmanila) and Twitter (@HYATTCODManila).
