The Strand Cafe: Valentine's Dinner Buffet

The Strand Cafe Valentine's Dinner Buffet

The Strand Cafe is the restaurant inside One Pacific Place Serviced Residences, Salcedo Village, Makati City. They serve breakfast buffet everyday from 6AM to 10AM for Php 429, and lunch buffet Monday to Friday 11AM to 2PM for Php 499. Food selection varies from Filipino dishes to International choices which may be availed through buffet or ala carte. Ala carte options include breakfast meals, appetizers, main courses, pasta, pizza, and a wide selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

romantic setup with piano serenade


table for two everywhere!	dinner buffet includes a glass of wine

But on the night of February 14, 2017, The Strand Cafe was transformed into a very romantic date spot. Dim lights, rose and wine on the table, table for two everywhere, and a live piano serenade in the background. Nothing else screams love than this!

buffet setup

Set-up - check! Music - check! What else completes a cheesy date but food! The dinner buffet includes soup, salad, appetizer, main course, pasta, dessert, and to cap off, a glass of wine.

Samosa with Curry Sauce

Samosa with Curry Sauce

This Samosa contains minced mushroom and vegetables and was lightly filled. Though I wished it to be "meatier" and fuller, I guess the idea was really to make it light to make way for the other buffet dishes. But what I love about this, and what made it one of my favorite dishes that night, was the curry dip. It added a yummy and spiced twist to an ordinary fried pastry.

salad station

Beef Casserole / Chicken Fillet with Hoisin Sauce

Beef Casserole / Chicken Fillet with Hoisin Sauce

Beef Casserole has this really tender meat and savory sauce. My only complaint was it tends to grease easily due to the place's relatively low temperature. Not really a fault of the cafe, though, as they continuously warm the food.

Chicken Fillet with Hoisin Sauce was also good with its hints of sweetness. It can be better, though, with a bit more sauce to make the flavor sip in the white meat.

fried rice / potato wedges

Vegetable Lasagna / Parmesan Crusted with Mango Salsa

Vegetable Lasagna / Parmesan Crusted with Mango Salsa

Vegetable Lasagna tried to incorporate vegetable and pasta in one dish. For someone not so fond of vegetables like me, this may not be for you. Despite the tomato sauce and cheese toppings, the veggie taste is still so noticeable. But if you have no issues with vegetable taste, then there should be no problem.

Parmesan Crusted with Mango Salsa was true to its description -- parmesan coated fish fillet, mango salsa on top. I know this is not the first time I've tried something like this, but it still tasted unfamiliar. Probably something about the parmesan which I feel did not blend well with mango salsa. Yet I still had more than one serving of this.

Fudgy Cheesecake Brownie

Fudgy Cheesecake Brownie

Fudgy Cheesecake Brownie was indeed fudgy and so cute! I'm just missing the cheesecake part, even in taste.

Strawberry Panna Cotta

Strawberry Panna Cotta

Strawberry Panna Cotta was the dessert I enjoyed better -- for sure, I had more than one. The texture can be made firmer but it wasn't really a biggie for me. The strawberry sauce was great to give an oomph to the plain panna cotta layer without overdoing it.


on my plate	I just made the "heart rice"

The night was capped off with a glass of wine, which I tried to intake. But my senses could no longer tolerate anything alcoholic at all. Had there been an option to convert it to a non-alcoholic option, even just iced tea, that would have been great.


table set up	cheers!

The overall ambiance at The Strand Cafe's Valentine's Dinner Buffet is what made the night special. Not all food were outstanding but pretty decent for buffet. For the main course, you get fish, beef, and chicken, while for your carb fix, you have rice, fried rice, and potato wedges. I cannot say the same take on their breakfast or lunch buffet as that is something I still have to try.

The Strand Cafe
Ground Floor, One Pacific Place Serviced Residences, 161 H. V. Dela Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City