9 spoons - the bayleaf hotel

this is where we had dinner to celebrate my friend's graduation.

as to the place, it is really classy, posh, elegant etc. i think it's perfect for celebrations for big groups or for family dinners. it is right below the sky deck view bar. after you eat at 9 spoons, you can go to the sky deck - have some wine and listen to the band playing.
another plus for this place is that it is located in intramuros. a historic site is a good backdrop for good food.

super cheap lunch- literally and figuratively. the food was just so plain. the taste was nothing worth remembering. the lechon was not crispy, the salad was soggy, even the spring rolls were oily. i wouldn’t be caught eating a buffet here again, ever.

ambiance was likewise so-so. the waiters i understand were all students or trainees, but they were simply hovering all over the place, instead of making sure that the buffet was maintained.

only the apple pie saved rating for
the day. it was topnotch! the crust was well baked. the filling was made of apples cooked in syrup, the hard way.

going to 9spoons is a crime, should one expect a decent spread!

old review (afterwards,check my new review below)
astounding customer service with astounding view
foods served artistically
delectable viands
serene ambiance
worth every cent
a haven
my husband and my kids genuinely enjoyed every second of our stay at 9 spoons
dined in yesterday for my husband's birthday
thank you to the male staff who was able to assist us well...

new review
the review i made above was for my husband's birthday during the time that my family and i dined in at 9 spoons last november 14,2017. i gave a rating of 5,then.well, let me start a new review here about 9 spoons. last december 28, 2017,i was able to avail two vouchers at deal grocer for 9 spoon's meal promo. before availing the vouchers, i read the terms first, including the black off dates. i decided to buy two vouchers because i would like to treat my family on a lunch date or dinner date at 9 spoons after christmas or days before new year 2018.right after i availed the vouchers, i immediately called 9 spoons and i was able to talk to one of the female restaurant's staff. i told her that i would like to redeem my vouchers on 26th of december but she told me that the restaurant will be having an event on the said date. so, i changed the date and told her that i will just redeem the vouchers on the 27th,instead. but then again, she told me that 9 spoons will be closed for an event on the afternoon of dec.27!she referred me to skydeck at 5pm but my family will no longer be available at that given time. and lastly, i asked her if 28th of december will do!again,28th of dec. at 9 spoons will be closed again in the afternoon for a private event,according to her, again! the lady also told me that i notified them,late. then i replied back and told her to review the voucher's terms! it states there that the buyers must have at least call 9 spoons one day prior to the day that they will be redeeming the voucher. so, i followed the term and called them days before dining in. so, who has a fault?! and then afterwards, the lady staff told me that they will just refer us at rafaelles restau at 3rd flr., instead,because that's the only solution left, according to her! and that's it! i got nothing to do but to accept the offer to let my family dine at rafaelles, instead!so,i also availed two vouchers at rafaelles. while we were eating late lunch at rafaelles last dec. 28,i was so disappointed when i heard one of the staff talking to three customers who just newly arrived and were asking for menus. then i heard that the staff told the three men that they could transfer at 9 spoons for a better and relaxing ambiance! i heard it well. so,i got my head turned fully at the three men's table and from there, i realized that 9 spoons did not just want to accommodate us that day!clearly,they just dumped us at rafaelles,despite the fact that 9 spoons was open for non voucher holders that time.iced tea were supposedly included with the deal but the staff also did not serve any single iced tea to us!i just remembered the iced tea when we already finished our meals and when we were on our way home inside our car! next time, do not include your restau at deal grocer if you cannot comply with the terms,well.review the block off dates,too!i was expecting to be able to let my family see the great view at 9 spoons that's why i availed the voucher,wherein it was clearly stated that my family and i will be dining at 9 spoons itself.but clearly, you ruined that special day,9 spoons. the staff were attentive and accommodating at rafaelles but overall, you got me disappointed,9 spoons. by the way, there were also iced teas that were supposedly served by rafaelles too,because it's also included in the voucher but those were not served by rafaelles, too.. what's with the iced tea?does it cost a lot on your part? you just served us plain water! my first impression with 9 spoons, faded in just one click! i felt a little discriminated that time which i never felt from any other restaurants in my entire life ! this time, i have to edit the previous perfect rate of 5 which i have given you,9 spoons! thank you to rafaelles for promptly accommodating us,anyway. i was not really able to focus on the foods that i was eating then,so i cannot really give a comment about the viands. my brothers loved the white pasta and seafood pizza at rafaelles. then, they also gave a good comment over beef kare-kare. but please be reminded to treat your customers fairly, voucher or non voucher holders! because without them, your service will not be patronized at all! we also paid not only for good foods but also for great customer service as well!be just!better not to make promos again, so that practical individuals can no longer enter your vicinity,right?

excellent view from the skydeck + good food + great service = superb dining experience. 9 spoons is the perfect date place if you want to get out of the bustling traffic of metro. located in the outskirts of intramuros even the parking lot gives you that nostalgic view of old manila.

yummy food,reasonable price.my son enjoys the churros and chicken for the kids meal,will try the buffet on our next visit.cozy place,nice ambiance,so relaxing..

9 spoon who be the plan b when sky deck of bayleaf hotel is not available because of the rain for instance. they share the same kitchen . you get the same great food mediterranean inspiration, nice wine selection and reasonable price. service is also perfect. but of course you can't expect the same great view as at the sky deck . although if you go for lunch it may be a better choice as you will get air conditioning and still a nice view from the top of the building!

they serve a buffet for p700 but we decided to order ala carte. from their menu we ordered their all day tapa served in a stone-like hot pot for p300. it comes with atchara and an egg and ofcourse rice. the stone pot is a cute touch on their part. but i am reminded of rice topping in a fancy bowl or korean bibimbap. kidding aside the flavor of the tapa is really good. you have the balance of the sweetness and saltiness plus the sourness of the vinegar and atchara. another dish we ordered is their batangas beef ribs for p390 (can't remember if it was 390 but it was 300+) i truly savored every bite. they flavored the meat with a sweet and sour flavor almost like an adobo then they deep fried it until it was crispy but not dry. the meat was so tender and falvorful. it almost melts in your mouth! they served it with more atchara and the traditional filipino sawsawan, soy sauce and vinegar.

had a romantic valentine dinner buffet here with my hubby. i was so delighted upon seeing the place (plus, hubby's effort to surprise me :) ).  i so love the ambiance, food and the view of manila's golf course. situated at bayleaf hotel, this is a perfect place for romantic dates and business meetings. be sure to make a reservation during red letter days.

first time i tried their tapa, i fell in love with it. it was soft and tender. the second time we went, it was a bit chewy, but the flavor was still there ❤️ this is one of my favorite beef tapas. i wouldnt really mind eating here again. maybe i'd give it another try next time :)

a great place to have a luncheon meeting. good service, good food and you'll find value to your money. schedule your visit when they have bagnet.

the bayleaf intramuros is a great place to enjoy and eat.. i was quite skeptical at first on how the food would taste here, and if it would taste like a simple hotel restaurant, but i was pleasantly surprised that the food here is great! they played with the taste of the food and provided such exquisite touch! i especially love their glazed chicken, a mix of both sweet and spicy with a dash of tomatoes and onions to balance the taste! a definite must go restaurant for families, friends, or even dates with the ones you love!

we had our dinner during our 2nd anniversary. i chose this place because of poptalk and the nice view. sad to say, it was raining during the time we went here and did not experience their skydeck view 😔

anyway, we ordered their bestseller bistek bulalo and pan fried mahi mahi. the bulalo was very tender and very flavorful. the french beans complement the tast of the sauce. the mahi mahi was okay and well marinated but a bit dry.

waiters were very attentive and courteous. we will definitely come back next time to experience their skydeck ☺️

summary: 4/5
it’s a nice place for large group events or meetings since it looks so professional. the scenery on the roof deck is awesome. filipino food is ok din. recommending the chili calamari and their signature bagnet.

beef kare-kare 4/5 - there are usually two types of kare-kare: one is a stand alone dish, you can eat without the bagoong. the other one requires addition of bagoong for it to have flavor. this is the latter, it requires the saltiness of the accompanied bagoong. although i have to commend the tender ox tail.

bangus sinigang 3.75/5 - i found it pretty good. hindi lang sour enough in my opinion. the milkfish was prepared well though.

chili calamari 5/5 - the appetizer’s serving size was large. the mayo dip was good. the squid was tender and crunchy. masarap!

bayleaf signature bagnet 4.5/5 - now we’re talking! it’s delicious deep fried pork belly. malaki ang serving for its price. it’s not cooked consistently since some pieces aren’t as crispy as the others. but it really doesn’t matter kasi masarap siya. still recommending it.

intramuros halo halo 3/5 - pasado na hahaha. it was too sweet. the ice was sooo hard, large and adherent to each other, it gave me the impression the ice wasn’t freshly shaved. we had to scoop out water to prevent it from overflowing. serving size is good for 4.

leche flan 4/5 - ito masrap, but this time maliit. good for 1-2 people.

chicken and pork adobo sa puti - i can’t really comment since i don’t enjoy this particular type of adobo. so no score for me. hahaha. i never enjoy pepper that’s not ground (whole pepper) especially when mixed with shredded meat; imagine the agony of sifting through your food to remove them.

will i eat here again? probably yes, especially when i have foreign visitors who like to try filipino food.
btw they don’t have sisig!!

my boyfriend brought me here for my birthday and it did not disappoint! the place was beautiful and the food was really good. we ordered chili calamari for our appetizer; it was divine. definitely something i would go out of my way to recommend to people. for our ulam, we got bistek bulalo and binagoongan. the waiter told us each entrée was good for 2, but we got used to restaurants telling us that an entrée is good for 2 when one can just easily eat it all up. that was not the case with 9 spoons. each could be good for 3, so we were pretty overwhelmed with how much food was in front of us hahaha. definitely a bang for the buck with the quality & quantity you'll be getting.

place has a good view of manila city, but their breakfast buffet had very limited options. they only offered like 5 types of viand, 2 types of bread, and everything else, like the rice and soup, only had one variant. taste isn't bad and service is decent, but for a buffet place leaves much to be desired.