For two days within a span of 3 days, we had lunch at 7 Corners, Crowne Suites' buffet outlet. For someone desperately trying to lose weight, this wasn't a good idea. But how can one POSSIBLY say NO to a tempting buffet lunch featuring Japanese, Chinese, continental, Italian and Indian cuisine plus a salad and dessert smorgasbord?!? Certainly not me!!! So when Dad invited us for lunch on a Friday, and when it was decided that we have lunch there after our photo shoot on that Sunday, who was I to say No, really!?!
Here are my 7 reasons to smile about in 7 Corners:
1. Location and Size - Strategically and conveniently located near our office in Galleria Corporate Center, 7 Corners can easily be reached simply by crossing through GCC to Robinson's Galleria Mall and straight into the entrance of Crowne and Holiday Inn Hotels. It involves just a few minutes' walk indoors, meaning all air-conditioned, from building to the next without going out or crossing streets!
The size of the place is just right; big enough for comfortable movement, small enough to see the whole buffet spread and enjoy it. It isn't a scattered affair where you have to walk around in different areas and look for what else is available. At 7 Corners, it's all in one straight line with just the Italian station a little separated from the rest. At 7 Corners, you just do what you intend to do... and that is to enjoy the buffet! No beating around the bush.
2. The Japanese station - For Boydee, it might be the overflowing uni (sea urchin) available upon request but for me, it is the temaki (hand rolls). All you have to do is ask the chef and he'll prepare one for you right away. The California Temaki was just perfect! Japanese rice cooked just right, not dry nor soggy; mangoes so sweet! Ahh.. I am craving for one now!!! And the best part is you can eat all you want!!! There are other Japanese faves: salmon and tuna sashimi, different makis, miso soup and the chawanmushi (steamed egg custard).
shiny, happy wasabi faces!
steak, steak and nothing but steak on their plates!Before the appetizers, or the soup, or the salad, they had S-T-E-A-K! The rib eye was juicy, tender and seasoned just right so as to give you the perfect beef taste. The slab is roasted rare and then you can have it sliced to the thickness you want and grilled to the degree of your liking.
the rib eye is calling you....Up to now, Daddy still wants to go back for more!
4. Priority Privilege Card - Although it still comes out a little pricey per head (it's P950+++/head for lunch), it helps to have the priority privilege card. If you're two, you'll enjoy a 50% discount. You can not use many cards for one table, so you can ask them to put you in two tables if you're four so you can get 2 free off each time. Also, you can't use the main and supplementary card at the same time.
5. Rock lobster or the 'curacha' - In the cold appetizers station, they usually have bounties from the sea - prawns, curacha (rock lobster), oysters and blue crabs (alimasag or lambay). My hubby usually pounces on the curacha when available and have them grilled at the grilling station. The lobsters weren't available when we had lunch there. Maybe they put them out during the dinner buffet? I'm not sure.
Prawns cocktail!!!
6. Chinese station - I love their noodles. The clear chicken broth isn't too seasoned so that you don't get an overwhelming dose when you sip. (Some may find it bland though.) The ingredients are fresh and there's enough noodle variety. You can opt for noodle soup or sauteed noodles. Aside from that, they have peking duck and suckling pig (although it's more Filipino flavored for me, with Mang Tomas sauce to boot! So maybe it's lechon de leche! haha), hainanese chicken and soya chicken. Their siomai and hakao are not as good as in Xin Tian Di, their Chinese food outlet.
Various Ingredients for your noodles
7. Service and ambience - Ok, so they might not have the fastest service but their staff are quite accommodating. They are well-groomed, courteous and very helpful, from the waiters and waitresses to the 'chefs' in the action stations. So, hurray for that! It makes our dining experience so much more relaxing.
Replenishing the Cold Appetizers Spread
Colorful goodies for the chocolate fountain!
Overall, 7 Corners makes for a satisfying dining experience. Some might compare the spread with other hotels and consider it 'smaller' but for me, it's a good sized spread with all my favorites being represented. There is still room for improvement but this is a restaurant I can go back to over and over again.
7 Corners
3rd Level
Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila
Ortigas Ave., cor Asian Development Bank Ave. QC
6337222
Buffet Price per head:
Lunch - P1,175.63
Dinner - P1,361.25
4. Priority Privilege Card - Although it still comes out a little pricey per head (it's P950+++/head for lunch), it helps to have the priority privilege card. If you're two, you'll enjoy a 50% discount. You can not use many cards for one table, so you can ask them to put you in two tables if you're four so you can get 2 free off each time. Also, you can't use the main and supplementary card at the same time.
5. Rock lobster or the 'curacha' - In the cold appetizers station, they usually have bounties from the sea - prawns, curacha (rock lobster), oysters and blue crabs (alimasag or lambay). My hubby usually pounces on the curacha when available and have them grilled at the grilling station. The lobsters weren't available when we had lunch there. Maybe they put them out during the dinner buffet? I'm not sure.
Prawns cocktail!!!6. Chinese station - I love their noodles. The clear chicken broth isn't too seasoned so that you don't get an overwhelming dose when you sip. (Some may find it bland though.) The ingredients are fresh and there's enough noodle variety. You can opt for noodle soup or sauteed noodles. Aside from that, they have peking duck and suckling pig (although it's more Filipino flavored for me, with Mang Tomas sauce to boot! So maybe it's lechon de leche! haha), hainanese chicken and soya chicken. Their siomai and hakao are not as good as in Xin Tian Di, their Chinese food outlet.
Various Ingredients for your noodles7. Service and ambience - Ok, so they might not have the fastest service but their staff are quite accommodating. They are well-groomed, courteous and very helpful, from the waiters and waitresses to the 'chefs' in the action stations. So, hurray for that! It makes our dining experience so much more relaxing.
Replenishing the Cold Appetizers SpreadWhile there are reasons to smile, there are things I'm not too crazy about in 7 corners also. Among these are:
1. Salad Bar - There isn't much variety to the lettuce that they serve. The dressings, although aplenty, didn't taste as good. There were also no labels for the dressings so it was hard to choose which was which. I tried this fruity dressing and their balsamic vinaigrette, both of which didn't really appeal to my taste.
2. Italian station - I love the concept of making your own pizza, and the approximately 5-inch diameter dough is sized just right! But I wasn't able to finish the 3 cheese pizza I requested because for some odd reason, the cook added pesto before putting the cheese. It had a spicy and unpleasant after taste to it. Rogan ordered much the same thing and he didn't finish his either because of the pesto, which we didn't ask to be included at all!!! This was disappointing!
2. Ice Cream and Dessert Station - Very colorful and appealing, it's visually pleasing but not as palatable as it looks with the exception of the creme brulee, and the chocolate and strawberry home made ice cream (Ate Rona's yummy combination). The rest of the ice cream flavors didn't really register very well with me. Perhaps I'm a Magnolia/Nestle ice cream girl. Nevertheless, their teppanyaki ice cream concept (think cold rock/cold stone) was a hit with the kids!
1. Salad Bar - There isn't much variety to the lettuce that they serve. The dressings, although aplenty, didn't taste as good. There were also no labels for the dressings so it was hard to choose which was which. I tried this fruity dressing and their balsamic vinaigrette, both of which didn't really appeal to my taste.
2. Italian station - I love the concept of making your own pizza, and the approximately 5-inch diameter dough is sized just right! But I wasn't able to finish the 3 cheese pizza I requested because for some odd reason, the cook added pesto before putting the cheese. It had a spicy and unpleasant after taste to it. Rogan ordered much the same thing and he didn't finish his either because of the pesto, which we didn't ask to be included at all!!! This was disappointing!
2. Ice Cream and Dessert Station - Very colorful and appealing, it's visually pleasing but not as palatable as it looks with the exception of the creme brulee, and the chocolate and strawberry home made ice cream (Ate Rona's yummy combination). The rest of the ice cream flavors didn't really register very well with me. Perhaps I'm a Magnolia/Nestle ice cream girl. Nevertheless, their teppanyaki ice cream concept (think cold rock/cold stone) was a hit with the kids!
Colorful goodies for the chocolate fountain!7 Corners
3rd Level
Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila
Ortigas Ave., cor Asian Development Bank Ave. QC
6337222
Buffet Price per head:
Lunch - P1,175.63
Dinner - P1,361.25
5 comments:
OMG! reading all about 7corners brought back memories of that STEAK!!!! Yummy! hmmm....can i borrow someone's Privilege card? haha!
Oh yum yum yum! When are we going back?!?!?
Reading this entry during lunch wanted me to eat at 7 corners ora mismo! Lai, can you take me along when you get hold of someone else's privilege card?? the photo of the shrimp is too inviting! YUM
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