Marriott Manila Introduces Newly-Revamped Sunday Brunch

I rarely go to Pasay area as I live far away so when I got an invite to try out the newly revamped sunday brunch of Marriott Hotel, I had to decline it.  However, I don’t know what struck me but I decided to just go anyway.  Why would I miss the chance to try out Marriot Hotel’s very own food buffet?  I had to try it out!  Forget about driving far if an enormous amount of good food is waiting for me!

Call time was at 11AM.  I arrived 11:30AM and saw several bloggers already enjoying their food.  As much as I wanted to dive in and eat already, I wanted to take pictures first so that I can share my experience with you.  I went around Marriott Cafe and noticed the beautiful ambiance of the place.  Marriott Cafe has awesome design!  It was bright, classy and huge!!!

I was glad I saw Yedy (one of my favorite bloggers).  I sat beside her and chatted away while we enjoyed the food at Marriott Cafe.

We, of course, chose to sit beside the juice section!  hahaha!  Talk about right positioning.  Hotels usually don’t offer unlimited juices in their food buffet so I was pleasantly surprised that Marriott Cafe included them.  M Cafe (another name for Marriott Cafe) has 2 juice stations and each station has a type of iced tea and milk shake!

Bloody Mary Bar

Our enjoyment that we sat beside the juice station was quickly overshadowed when we found the new Martini Bar!!!  Oh my gosh, this is heaven for people who love cocktails and alcohol!  Well, yeah, noontime might not be a good time to drink alcohol but boy, this martini bar was a huge hit among the guests that day.

The Martini bar was set up where guests can have their personalized Bloody Mary shaken.  I, however, asked for orange juice (I don’t drink alcohol :P).

Here’s what we can expect there:

• Vodka
• Tomatoes
• Worcestershire Sauce, Piri Piri sauce, Tabasco red
• Celery, Olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, celery salt

Gourmet Salumiere

Yedy and I decided to go section by section.  We started with the gourmet salumiere where a selection of premium ham and Italian charcuterie are displayed.

• Italian ham
• Coppa
• Home made duck liver terrine
• Salami
• Smoked salmon
• Cured tandoori rubbed salmon
• Condiments: gherkins, capers, sour cream with dill, pickled red onion rings, sliced jalapeno, baguette chips, thin rye bread chips, large foccaccia bread on board with knife

Cheese Studio

I couldn’t resist getting myself servings of cheese considering it was co-located with freshly-baked pastries, croissants, French toast, etc.  It was too pleasing to the eyes.  And of course, it tasted just as good as it looked.

Condiments: pineapple chutney, watermelon chutney, dry fruits (4 kinds), glass jars with whole walnuts, almonds,
Large cutting board with crisp baguette, lavoche stick, walnut bread loaf

Salad Bar

For health buffs, you will surely enjoy the salad bar.  It’s a long table full of ingredients to make our own salad.  I loved the presentation!  We can make so many different salad combinations with a wide variety of seafoods, meats, greens and vegetables to choose from.  I must say, when you decide to go to Marriott Cafe for brunch, make sure you come with an empty stomach.

• Large leaf lettuce: Iceberg, romaine, red oak,
• Small leaf lettuce: Wild rocket, watercress, , Bai bua bok leaves, baby spinach local
• Greens and veggies: snow peas, asparagus, celery, broccolini, Holland cucumber, red radish, cherry tomatoes, yellow corn kernels
• Sprouts: mung sprouts, soy bean sprouts
• Lentils: chickpeas, kidney beans, broad beans, yellow lentil
• Roasted Veggies: bay carrot, baby beetroots, pumpkin yellow, roasted yellow and red peppers, baby potatoes, slow roasted tomatoes (same like breakfast), roasted eggplant, grilled zucchini
• Herbs: mint, coriander, basil, Thai basil, oregano, thyme
• Marinated seafood: shrimps, squids, local clam meat, local mussel meat, crab meat, canned tuna,
• Marinated meats: roast beef slices, pastrami, smoked chicken, smoked duck
• Vinaigrettes: French, Shallot and red wine, Italian basil and lemon
• Dressing: thousand island, mayonnaise, yogurt and mint, , blue cheese and walnut, ceasar
• Toppings : bacon bits, parmesan shavings, chili flakes, fried shallots, fried garlic flakes, almond flakes, croutons, walnuts, green olives, capers, black olives, feta in olive oil

Live Oyster Bar

There was only one thing in my mind when I saw the live oyster bar: BAKED oysters!  So I requested if they could bake some oysters with cheese for me.  The chef gladly obliged!  Whee!  Talk about being pampered with food! 😀

• Live oysters, Shallot vinaigrette, Green apple and cider vinaigrette, Dill and lime vinaigrette, Classic Thai anchovy namprik, Lime wedges and lemon wedges, Tabasco sauce green and red, Thai sriracha sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Swedish caviar black, Salmon caviar
• Decoration: big bowl of lemon and big bowl of lime

Chilled Seafood

If seafood is your thing then you will definitely enjoy the seafood section where you’ll see lobsters, crabs, prawns and mussels.  My golly!  The presentation was impressive!  You can eat the food as is but if you want to have the seafood cooked, you can request the chef to do so.

Small lobster, Tiger prawns, Extra large New Zealand mussels, Blue crab, Three kinds of Aioli, Cocktail sauce, Thai seafood sauce, Mango salsa

Carvery

Everyone’s favorite in hotel buffet is the carving counter where we can find lambs, prime ribs and some lechon.  I, however, skipped this as I was eyeing the steaks at the CRU Steak House (you’ll know about it as you read this post).

• 8 to 10 kg Australian rib eye roast
• Traditional lechon
• Condiments: Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, fresh horseradish cream, mint jelly, khimchi, basil mustard, Thai beef sauce, mango and red chili salsa
• Sauces warm: fresh tarragon béarnaise , fresh horse radish cream, mushroom sauce, pepper sauce , red wine sauce

Chinese

My favorite cuisine is Chinese.  So even if the food in the Chinese section were a bit ‘normal’, I didn’t hesitate to get myself some dim sum, roasted meat and noodle soup.

• BBQ: Suckling Pig
• Roast Duck
• Soy Chicken
• Hainan Chicken
• Pork Knuckles
• Pork Asado
• Condiments: Hoisin Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Plum Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, Light Soy Sauce
• Noodle Station: Vermicelli Noodle
• Fresh Egg Noodle
• Fried Egg Noodle
• Fresh Hofan Noodle
• Condiments: Boiled Shrimps, Boiled Fish, Fish Balls, Squid Balls, Beef Balls, Chicken Breast, Beef Strips, Spring Onions, Bean Sprout, Kailan Leaves, Chinese Cabbage, Bok-Choy Leaves, Onion Leeks, Sesame Oil, Calamansi, Fish Sauce, Soy Sauce, Fried Garlic, Chili Paste, Chili Flakes

Antonio’s

MCafe’s pasta section is a unique one!  I heard the menu changes every week so there’s always something new to look forward to.  The day that I was there, we had 3 pastas to choose from: spinach gnocchi, salmon ravioli and pumpkin tortellini.  I’ve chosen spinach gnocchi and asked the chef to use tomato-based sauce.  I loved that the chef didn’t put too much on my plate.  I guess she knew that I had so much to eat that day 😛

• Pasta: Pumpkin tortellini, spinach gnocchi, salmon ravioli, plain risotto
• Condiments: crab meat, shrimps, bacon, chorizo, chopped garlic, chopped shallots, chopped chilies, basil leaves whole, rocket leaves, sage leaves, smoked salmon, oregano, white wine, butter, stock, mushrooms, roasted peppers, olive oil cooked asparagus, cream , black olives
• Sauces: marinara sauce, pesto cream sauce
• Toppings: red chili flakes, parmesan shavings, pepper mill, extra virgin olive oil

CRU Steak House

There were 2 sections in Marriott Cafe sunday brunch that I couldn’t forget.  One was the CRU Steak House which is a different place altogether.  It has its own dining area.  I guess if you want to have a more private dining experience then you might opt to sit in the CRU Steak House.

Steaks, steaks and steaks!  I wouldn’t miss it for the world!  The sunday brunch price of Php 2,000 is super worth it even by just eating the steaks at CRU Steak House.  It is important to note that Marriott Manila only features grass-fed Angus beef from Australia, how awesome!

• Australian Rib eye and strip lion steak
• Grilled tiger prawns
• Grilled calamari
• Lapu lapu fish
• 3 marinations: one Asian, one Mediterranean, one European
• In CRU kitchen : mash potato, roasted pumpkin, grilled asparagus, grilled corn, grilled tomato, grilled leeks
• Sauces: fresh tarragon béarnaise , fresh horse radish cream, mushroom sauce, pepper sauce , red wine sauce
• Condiments: 3 kinds of mustards, 3 kinds of herb butter , large bowl with crusty bread rolls

My biggest surprise was the Foie Gras!  Yes, there’s foie gras!  My gosh!  I had to get one serving of it to come with the steak that I ordered.  It was pure heaven when I ate it.  I knew right there and then that I will be back at Marriott Manila for their sunday brunch.  The far distance won’t be an issue for me anymore considering the food that I’d be enjoying.  Next time, no more pictures, I’ll just enjoy my dining experience 🙂

• Pan grilled live on large cast iron skillet
• Condiments: chutney, watermelon chutney, wine poached pears, mixed berry compote, orange Sunkist orange compote, rocket leaves, pepper mill, Truffle salt, large loaf of brioche on a chopping board already cut

The anticipation while watching the chef cook the steak and foie gras was truly nice!  hahaha!  I knew that what I would be eating are freshly cooked makes it more satisfying.  I just loved it!

Dessert

Last, but definitely not the least is the dessert.  They have the usual ice cream and yogurt with condiments to boot.  BUT, the MUST-VISIT at Marriot Cafe is their Chocolate Room!

Chocolate Room

Every single person in the planet LOVES chocolates!  I may be an exception as I only eat white chocolates but this new offering by Marriott Manila is a clear foodie pleaser!

Imagine a room full of chocolates!  Right at the center of the room is the chocolate fondue with condiments like fruits, marshmallows, etc.

On the side is a wide selection of chocolate cakes.  I actually took a moment to admire the beautiful, cute and lovely designs of each cake.  There were raspberry ganache pound cake, milk chocolate mouse with caramel gelee, and Maracaibo chocolate cheesecake, chocolate croustillant, apple chocolate gianduja, white chocolate panna cotta with raspberry, and triple chocolate mouse.

I took a big bar of white chocolate.  Do you know that those big bars are 100% Belgian chocolate?  Enjoy unlimited servings of rocky road, almond chocolate, nuts and fruit chocolate.  We were all in chocolate heaven in the chocolate room.  I think I entered the room more than 10 times that sunday.  I couldn’t help it!

There’s also white chocolate chip brownies, manjari chocolate bar, chocolate pecan tart, macaroon chocolate gianduja, chocolate nougat, chocolate heart bon bon, and chocolate truffles.  So many to choose from!!

I was completely shocked when I saw the chocolate chef!!  My first reaction was why did Marriott Manila have to put a person and bathe them with chocolates?  When I got to talk to the chocolate chef, she told me that she actually enjoyed it.  She said it was like getting a chocolate spa.  I guess I have to take her word for it!  Boy, she definitely got all our attention.  Everyone wanted to have a photo op with the chocolate chef.  Well, she has to be there to welcome all of us to chocolate heaven.  What an unforgettable experience!

I might have shared so many sections of the sunday brunch at the Marriott Cafe but in actuality, I missed some of the sections like the Yakitori, sashimi & wicked rolls and the tandoor.  Imagine how big the sunday brunch is!  You’ll never run out of food.  The only issue you’ll have is the limitation that your body can take.  I wish our stomach have unlimited storage too!

I guess Marriott Manila decided to offer it as brunch as with the amount of food that they’re offering.  It’s not possible for us to take all those food in if we already had our breakfast.  The sunday brunch is available at Marriott Cafe every sundays from 11:30AM to 3PM at Php 2,000 per person.

But wait, there’s entertainment too as Mr. Clown roams around Marriott Cafe joking around with guests.  I enjoyed my few minutes with him taking pictures.  He was such a lively, hyperactive clown, hahaha!

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Marriott Café Sunday Brunch
every Sunday, 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM
Marriott Hotel Manila, No. 10 Newport Boulevard Newport City Complex, 1309 Pasay City, Philippines
(02) 988-9999