Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Vikings: A Feast for the Tummy & the Eyes

As a food lover, I'm always on the look out for new places to eat.  I've been seeing (actually eyeing, hahaha) the Vikings Buffet sign since last year whenever we go to the Mall of Asia.  I can't wait to try it out as soon as it opens.  Alas, when it finally did open it seems that I'm not fated to sample their fares right away.  The place is usually full when we get the chance pass by.  


One Friday morning I was invited to a birthday celebration of my uncle and it was to be held at Vikings!  YES!  I finally got the chance to check it out.  It was on a  Friday lunch when I first had a taste of Vikings.  They have a wide variety of cuisine & food choices.  There's Japanese, Chinese, International, a grilling station, a salad bar, different kinds of soup, a pizza station, a carving station & of course the dessert section.  Drinks are even included in the buffet price.  They have an assortment of juices & soda.  To my surprise, draft beer is also available at the refreshment station.

The Viking Table

Baked Oysters
 We had to request them from the waiter.  You can have them baked, steamed or ask the waiter how you would like to have your oysters prepared.  Usually raw oysters are found on the buffet table.

Beef

Carving Station

Other meat on the carving station

Fish

Lengua

Paella

Salmon Lasagna
I remember eating this and it was quite salty for me.


During my first visit, I tried to sample dishes that are my favorites or have never tasted before.  There's so much food I'm afraid you can't try every single one of them in just one visit.  Most of the dishes are well seasoned.  The taste, quantity & quality of the food are almost at par with a lot of five star hotels but at a more reasonable price.  Since I enjoyed my experience at Vikings, I told my friends to try it out.  I actually went back a few times with my friends or family, but I was more focused on eating & chatting than taking notes or pictures of the dishes I sampled. 


\('o')/


Last month there were two birthday celebrants at the office.  Management then decided to celebrate their birthdays at Vikings.  This time it gave me an opportunity to take more pictures of the place & dishes.  We got to try Vikings for dinner this time.  The price is higher than the lunch price since they have additional dishes available only for dinner.



Ceiling Lights

Table Napkin

Our table number

Viking table at night

The other end of the table

Salad Station

Assorted Cheese

Ceviche

Club House Sandwich

Deviled Egg

Chinese Soup, Chawan, & Miso Soup

Lohan Mixed Vegetables

Man Tou (Fried Bread)
This is one of my favorites :D  No matter where, fried bread with condensed milk is heaven.

Siomai

Stir fried squid with vegetables

Yang Chao fried rice

Pata Tim

PEKING DUCK!!
Notice the vegetable carving is that of a roasted pig? So cute!

Sushi Boat
I had some difficulty taking this picture.  Lots of hands kept grabbing all the sushi!

Sushi Rainbow

Lengua (sorry not much was left when I took a picture)

Paella

Grill Station

Raw fish for grilling

Hmmm, there's a sign.  Better take a closer look.

Please, no leftover :D

Long line to the carving station >.<

Looks like they're sold out!

Cakes

Chocolate Fondue

Dessert display case

Native Desserts

Halo Halo Station

My halo halo creation 

The two birthday celebrants got to be serenaded by the waiters & staff with a boisterous happy birthday song.  Each of them received a special cake for them to take home.  I enjoyed my dinner at Vikings.  Who wouldn't be with good food & good company.  I think this isn't going to be my last visit.  I believe they added something extra during the weekend.  ;)  Until next time.



Remember: Eat Live and Be Happy!

Price Range:

Lunch : P688 ++
Dinner: P888 ++

Payment: Accepts both Cash & Credit Card


Free Wifi:  Available but can't connect 


Parking: Mall parking & Outdoor parking


Address:


Bldg. B, By the Bay,
Seaside Boulevard,
SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
Philippines
Tel: 63 - (02) - 846 - 3888, 846 - 5888
Cellfone: +639175653888, +639237303888



Thursday, September 1, 2011

Kimpura : I'll be back :D

It's been a long time since I've had dinner at Kimpura.  I remembered my last time to eat there was way back in high school and it was still located in Glorietta 2.  After such a long time I got to try their dishes once again.  Kimpura Japanese Restaurant is currently located at the 4th floor of Greenbelt 5.  As we go up through several escalators we're finally there.  We came ready with our appetites for sure. :D


Now, for the food!


Super California Roll with Unagi
 We really liked this sushi a lot! After one bite we all agreed we're going to order this again.




Salmon Sahimi
 Hunger got the better of us. We all took a bite before I remembered to take a photo. ;)




Gyoza
 Japanese Dumplings. 




Niku Jaga
 We were surprised by the size of the dish. It was SMALL! Don't be fooled by the picture, it's not as big as it seems.  It may lack in size but it has lots of flavor.  I would describe it as the Japanese version of our Filipino Adobo but the taste is quite different.  It has meat, carrots, & potatoes with a sweet soy sauce base. A must try!


Spinach in Peanut Sauce
 I thought we needed some vegetable to balance our meal.  It's not a lot but the spinach with peanut sauce combination is a nice surprise. 




Okonomiyaki
The Japanese Pancake!  This is really yummy.  One of my favorite Japanese dish.  Warning: this dish is actually BIG!  You will need to share it with family & friends.  I always try it in different restaurants whenever I have the chance to compare where is the best.


Oyster wrapped in Bacon
A bit on the salty side for us but if you're a fan of oyster & bacon then this is the dish you've been looking for.




We definitely enjoyed our meal here in Kimpura.  The place was nice including the service.  They also have a teppanyaki table but we opted to sit in a normal table.  There's still so much to try from their menu.  We thought this restaurant deserves another visit. 





KIMPURA TAKE TWO!

Soon after my last visit I got the chance to go back to Kimpura.  This time we decided to try the Teppanyaki table for a change.



Appetizer: Vegetables with Anchovies

Pickled Vegetables

Super California Roll with Unagi
 We just liked it so much that we didn't try the other sushi anymore :D


Miso Soup

Dashi Maki
 I thought this is similar to the Tamagoyaki.  It's both made of egg but the taste is different. This one is on the salty side but still delicious. 


Chef Mario

Teppanyaki Table

Our food being cooked

Chahan
 We only ordered 1 fried rice.  Chef Mario was very skilled at dividing it evenly for the three of us.


Beef Teppanyaki
 I usually have my beef cooked medium well for fear the beef might be hard when over cooked.  This beef however is still very tasty & tender even if you have the beef cooked well done.  Two thumbs up to the beef for being tender. :D


Left: Chicken with Shrimp  Right: Scallops & Beans

Mixed Vegetables

Chocolate Ice Cream
We enjoyed our dinner at Kimpura.  If there's a next time I will definitely update this piece.  Until next time. 



Remember: Eat Live and Be Happy!

Price Range: P600 - P1000

Payment:  Accepts both Cash & Credit Card

Free Wifi: Not Available

Parking: Mall parking

Address:

Greenbelt 5
4/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center
Makati City, Metro Manila
Philippines
Tel: 63 - (02) 621-6791 to 93

Trinoma Mall
3/F Trinoma Mall, EDSA cor. North Ave.
Quezon City, Metro Manila
Philippines
Tel: 63 - (02) 901-0813

Greenhills
Ground Level, The Shops, Greenhills Shopping Center
Ortigas Ave., Greenhills
San Juan, Metro Manila
Philippines
Tel: 63 - (02) 721-8816, 721-0581