Buffet 101, Mall of Asia

greens in front of Buffet 101

 Buffet 101 is located along Seaside Blvd. of SM Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City.  It is located near the very big ferris wheel that is visible once you're within the bay area.  Since buffets are hot these days, we thought of giving Buffet 101 a try.  The feel of the restaurant is just the same as Vikings, the price range is almost the same as well:

rate varies on days of visit... and height?

Forgive me but I think you'll be reading a lot of comparison from the two until the end of this post.  And so here it goes: Compared to Vikings, Buffet 101 looks and feels more spacious and is not very crowded even if all tables were occupied.  We actually went there on a rainy Thursday but still the establishment is full and we can still see guests waiting outside for tables to be emptied.

buffet area from the dessert station

They are full but still their buffet table doesn't get uber crowded.  They were able to allot one side of the establishment for their foods, and the rest for the guests tables.  I was able to ask one of their attendants about the guest capacity, and she told me that the restaurant can accommodate up to 500 guests.  Imagine that? There were almost 500 guests when we dined in the area but it still doesn't look congested unlike in Vikings.

an area in the sushi bar

appetizers

more appetizers

hot dishes

candy bar and chocolate fondue area

crepe station

they have a big enough counter that's allocated for desserts only.
On this corner  are fresh fruits and the chocolate fondue section.
On the other corner are wide selection of cakes,
dessert in various shot glasses and crepe made on the spot

The photo above shows their crepe station with lots and lots of filling available.  And not in photo is the ice cream station beside it.  Nice no?  Right after having your crepe done, you can get a scoop/s of ice cream and put it on your fresh and newly made crepe :)

Ate making my crepe

my mango blueberry crepe with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.
The mango isn't sweet, though :(

They have a little bit of every cuisine served on their buffet spread.  Aside from the unlimited drinks, they also offer unlimited fruit shakes.  

Just like Vikings they have seafoods that you can have cooked the way you want.

display isn't that inviting, though

I've been imagining of eating lots of baked oysters since the first day that I learned that we're going to dine here.  Imagine my dismay when I learned that they can't accommodate my request? :(  According to the stiff and unenthusiastic staff that takes orders in the seafood area, they don't bake oysters.  He just pointed to the area where an oyster dish is available--that's clearly not what we asked for and said "yun lang ang meron" ("That's just what's available").  I then asked for buttered shrimp, again with a "here-we-go-again" facial expression, he unenthusiastically told us that they don't make buttered shrimp. His attitude made me not want to ask for anything anymore.  I just settled with what's available and ready on other areas.

The unenthusiastic staff on his back.
If I were his manager, I will just assign him behind the counter in front of him
where there will be no curious first timer guests, like us, that can annoy him.

I remember not having a hard time asking for seafoods and other stuff cooked on the spot when we went in Vikings.  They are always willing to do what is requested from them. I don't see anyone that seems to not like what they're doing.  They may lack in the number of staff that collects empty plates from guest's tables but no one from them made us feel that we're not welcomed. 

Going back, speaking of empty plates, that's one of the good things that I noticed with Buffet 101. They don't let empty plates standby on your table for a long time.  There wasn't any situation where a number of empty plates are on our table while we're eating.  They're that attentive, well except for that person above that made me not fully enjoy my dining experience.

buffet area from the other end, dimsum station

 I wasn't able to take pictures of their tempura, it tastes really good.  The thin-batter-all-shrimp type of good.    Their tempura station is on the rightmost part of the photo above.  Sorry no closer photo :)

Did I mentioned that they have nice lighting fixtures? Here are some of it:

lighting fixture above the table where we're seated

a number of this above the buffet table 

I wasn't able to take pictures of the drop crystals that served as a curtain, but it can be slightly seen on the photo below:

It is not a lighting fixture but it served as one because the light kind of reflects on it.

Overall, I can say that they can pretty much handle the number of guests that they can fit in their establishment.  Their food tastes great.  Parking space won't be a problem because a number of parking spaces is available within the area.  Some of their staff could use a smile, though.


BUFFET 101
Seaside Blvd.,
San Miguel by the Bay,
SM Mall of Asia Complex,
Pasay City, Philippines
Contact #: (632) 556-2888; (632) 556-3888; (632) 556-9888