flavors restaurant - holiday inn & suites makati

well first, thanks to eatigo for the 50% deal. aboutflavorsrestaurant, well it's my first time and i was really not amazed. the place is so small , the food has a lesser variety and the service is not so good. the dishes is mostly filipino having kare-kare, patatim, humba, baked mussels, fried chicken, chicken fingers, pancit canton, molo soup and etc. they have this roast us beef which the chef unlikely to give you a large portion when you asked for a cut. they have a grill station which has 3 viands to choose: fish meat, chicken wings and beef. also have a mongolian station, noodle bar, appetizer (with 3 kinds of lyoner ham to choose, breads with butter and jam, no cheese) and salad bar, sushi station (maki is like created by a college student on a cooking class, quality is so-so plus the tuna and salmon sashimi, you have to ask if you want to have its not on display) lots of dessert to choose from (we really enjoyed the orange cheesecake which has a mangoes on top and the ube cheesecake. one round of iced tea is given for the buffet eaters. food rating is ok, but if i were to compare them i would rather eat in cabalen plus with a lower price even there is a 50% offer for flavors.

went here for my birthday. wanted to go for a buffet that was different from the usual viking's and buffet101 that has really gotten boring.flavorshas the perfect ambiance, staff are really nice and the food tastes good. however there is limited choices, or perhaps i was just sad the seafood choices only included 2 kinds of fish dishes. no shrimps crabs mussels at our night. i loved the mongolian station (you get to choose veggies and meat to put in the rice) cuz it tasted better than the longganisa fried rice out in display. there is also meat grilling station,where the marinated beef and chicken tastes good newly cooked. the carving station was not well stocked, only small portions of ribs and chuck beef was being served unlike old reviews where there was bigger portions on display. there was a make your own caesar salad that was fun, but not enough toppings to make a salad other than a caesar. i absolutely loved the walnut choco cookie and it paired well with free flowing coffee ( i tried brewed and latte) and tea (dilmah chamomile, green tea, earl gray, etc). the other food available were baby potatoes, fish in schezuan sauce, baked pasta, pork balls, various maki rolls, 2 kinds of soup,etc. i would say the place isn't worth it for their full price but we got the 50% discount in eatigo so it's ok. reservation at 8:30 but they let us start eating 8pm. i would go back only with the discount again lol.

we were wowed with an extensive spread of the premium classics (including lechon, roast beef, crabs, shrimps, and mussels), food stations artfully presented with hearty selections of meat, seafood and vegetables, and separate dessert tables for make-your-own halo-halo, chocolate fountain, cakes, bread and pastries, and fruits.

while there’s no particular dish that blew us away, there were certain ones that are on the borderline of great. international and local favorites and vegetarian options are available. succinct to say,flavorsis a safe bet when you’re looking for a buffet restaurant delivering quality all-you-can-eat food with a variety of delightful choices. feel free to get messy here – it’s the best way to enjoy the food.

flavors restaurant may be formal and elegant, but the service did not seem overly stuffy. you can expect to have a refined and proper experience without feeling uncomfortable like you can’t sit back and relax. the waitstaff were courteous and helpful, rated 5-star for a 5-star makati hotel.

holiday inn'sflavorsshould definitely be part of manila's top buffet restaurants:

*price is okay. should be good if they offer unli drinks in lieu of just serving a round of soda or iced tea
*while the selection is not that extensive, the quality of food is exceptional
*place is just perfect, not too big nor too small
*place is baby friendly; they offer high chairs with table, and children plates and utensils

what we truly appreciate most withflavorsand holiday inn makati in general is the staff's notable customer service. every single one of them is very warm and accomodating. of all the hotel restaurants we've been, holiday inn makati must have the most cordial staff, they make you feel homey! kudos to all of them!!!

one of the hotels in makati that we have frequently been to is holiday inn. it’s not as grand as the older hotels in the vicinity but it holds its own charm primarily because of its sparkling new facilities. promos are also always available so holiday inn is a convenient choice for celebrations and special gatherings. as such, when we were planning a dinner party with colleagues,flavorsrestaurant, the hotel’s signature restaurant, immediately came to mind.

holiday inn makati'sflavorsrestaurant discriminates people.

holiday inn makati'sflavorsrestaurant -- the most unprofessional food place ever -- suddenly cancelled our buffet reservation. this happened despite our company making a reservation a month earlier to avoid the hassles of finding a restaurant this holiday season. they cancelled the day before our christmas party, which is december 16.

their reason? a bigger company (probably one of their "vips") made a reservation at the last minute and the restaurant obliged. in short, not everyone is important for flavors' management. reservations mean nothing for flavors.

to offset our hassle, they offered to transfer us to their bar and promised to slash 50% off the total bill. a bar for our christmas party dinner. not good enough.

because of flavors' discrimination, i will make it my personal crusade to remind people every year to think twice about holding a party at flavors. they don't care about your time and satisfaction.flavorswill suck buttholes for the right price.

good job,flavorsmanagement. such professionalism. much wow.

disgusting.

had dinner here with my husband and son last sunday. i love the place that it is not crowded, it looks comforting, classy, neat and inviting to have a dinner. the place is not that big but for us it's ok. there were just a few of us having dinner. the staff were accommodating, nice and friendly. food selection is not too many, just the right number. their food is really good and also their coffee! they provided our son a clean and nice-looking chicco high chair, plastic plate and utensils really intended for a child's use! how cool is that! this is the first time that we saw an establishment offering such amenities for kids. i just wish others will also do the same instead of just providing dirty and sometimes worn out high chairs. there's an ice cream cart with manong sorbetero attending it offering 3flavorsof ice cream and ice cream cones. he befriended my son and gave him 1 cone with 3 scoops of ice cream and another empty cone. how sweet! being an active toddler, my son kept running around. one of the staff gave him a coloring book and crayons to keep him busy and it worked! also, he gave my son a little teady bear dressed in shirt and pants with the hotel's logo printed on the shirt. he also played and talked to my son for a little time to make sure he's enjoying and doing fine. i really appreciate the extra mile they showed our son. will definitely go back here!

for one of our christmas lunches, i and my officemates decided to try the buffet atflavorsrestaurant in holiday inn.

it was just near our office so it was convenient to just walk.

as expected, we were greeted by beautiful christmas decors at the entrance of the resto so it was inevitable that after eating, we had photos taken there.

since the resto is inside a hotel, we didn't expect it to be that big. we were seated at a long table and after settling down, i decided to look around and check what they have to offer.

their dishes is mostly filipino. though there weren't a lot of choices, i can say that we enjoyed the food. they have a salad station, grill station, dessert station, salad station, and of course the entree station.

the price was worth it, especially since we got to enjoy it at 50% discount for using a credit card. :)

flavorsflavorsflavors! a great restaurant located in the lobby floor of holiday inn suites makati. i’ve tried the breakfast buffet and lunch, and i just love the selections. especially desserts! nothing like the dessert section of an ordinary buffet. you get to taste test the miniature versions of cakes and pastries they actually sell in their pastry section.

theflavorsis a really small buffet place in my opinion. if you are used to heat, seven corners and spiral, this place might let you down. it is more like buffet jr or buffet lite as the choices are not that much.

ambiance:  has that modern asian feel, with classic and modern furniture.  i love being seated at the booth, which can seat up to 4 diners comfortably.

service:  flavors is a buffet service restaurant of holiday inn and suites makati so expect a good and quality service from the staff.  though some of the chefs needed some cheering up, they couldn't manage to gie tghe guests a glimpse and smile at them even while serving.  

food:   first stop is the one closest to the dessert station, good thing i was not tempted to start there.

starting with the salad station.

on a bed of crushed ice are bowls of pre-prepared salad mixes and some other mix-ins on the other side, and all over the table, while on the middle is a bunch of fresh lettuce.

 on the other side are the different types of vinaigrette with a bottle of olive oil to drizzle over your salad if you don't like fatty dressings.

here are what you can find... grilled pumpkin and cucumber...  ham, cheese and corn in cream,  grilled tofu in vinaigrette, chicken and pineapple in light cream sauce... 

move on the neighboring tables are the mini-mediterranean station and the bread table next to it. the following photos are what you can see try at the said station. 

  
i didn't get any bread anymore, but i find the tall bread sticks amusing. 

displayed next to them are these huge bread sculptures.

make a 360 degree round about and you will see the sushi area, with a chef commanding the station never misses a space on the sushi trays.

on the other end of course are the condiments for that perfect sushi meal. 

 on the far end of the room is the carving and grill station. you can also request a chef to make you a plate of your choice of pasta dish or a sandwich with their ham offerings. here are just some of the hot items you can find on that station.

they also have a grilling section.

look at that half-carved roasted turkey looking awfully sad. i know you were waiting for me to try you:)

 feeling cold, maybe you can ask for the chef to whip up a noodle soup customized to your liking.

on the center next to the chef's station is the isle for main dishes. i checked first what they serve for soup. they usually have two options, for now they have butternut squash soup and cream of corn. 

 
for the entree:   beef stew,  grilled pork spareribs ...

i had these chicken jambalaya together with my chosen viand or you can opt to have plain steamed rice.

 lovely lemon chicken is a must!

 beef roast are also tender, juicy and very savory. not on the photo is the pot for roasted mixed veggies.

on a separate set up is for kids (and kids' at heart). a place where kids can choose their own food if they don't like the rest of what are served in the buffet. plastic plates and tongs in cute colors are put together to encourage kids get their own food. 

you will love this station! promise!

 mini pigs in a blanket. bread covered hotdogs.

 chicken pops.

 meat sauce linguini,

 grilled potatoes

 palabok.

 buttered veggies.

and...

what a way to finish a table. this spot totally definesflavorsrestaurant. laid on the table are gorgeous spices on wooden plates so the diners can have the feel of how unusual spices looks, smells and feel like, though i dare you to taste them.

 and some sweet endings for the heavy yet sumptuous meal. yup, that's their dessert station above. oh so pretty indeed!

overwhelmed?

me too!

i couldn't even describe them all anymore. but what really made my day was the halo-halo station. since i've been craving for it for days already.

like most of buffet meals on hotels, beverages aren't included in the price of the buffet, but the wait staff were so mindful of our glass being empty with cold water. though, a cup of coffee or tea comes with the buffet package.

oh! of course, i would not go from here without telling you my secret!

a regular fee for the buffet is p1,100. 

more photos on my blog...

i was again invited by to dine atflavorsrestaurant, located at the lobby of holiday inn and suites makati.  

flavors restaurant is a buffet concept open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

flavors has a bread and cold cuts station. they also have a salad station, where you can either fix your own salad or try their specialty salads.  

they also have a sushi station, a necessity for me in every buffet.

the choices for sushi is quite limited but i enjoyed it anyway.  

there were also different main dishes to choose from.

you wouldn't want to miss out on the steaks.

available cuts that evening were us beef chuck roll, beef sirloin and lamb shoulder. i do love steak so i was
a bit disappointed that my steak was served rare, and not medium rare (as i always request for my steak). however, there were a lot of sauces to choose from. beside the steak station is the grill station, which unfortunately i wasn't able to try.  

one station that you shouldn't miss when you visit is the desserts station.

i was simply amazed with all the desserts i had in flavors.

i was impressed with the macadamia cake, la sultan, tiramisu, lemon meringue, chocolate oheyna, white
 chocolate blondie, red velvet cups (with generous amounts of cream cheese) and many more.  

i also loved the chocolate fondue with a variety of sweets to dip it with, like cookies, fruits, and many others.

there's also an diy ice cream machine where you can make your own parfait or sundae. :)

flavors restaurant by holiday inn and suites makati has very limited selection and could do a lot better with
 the food choices. the service could also be improved as well. i was quite impressed with the presentation and taste desserts though.  

i do hope to come back toflavorswith a better experience and an improved buffet spread.

all of the hotels here in metro always have a signature buffet restaurant andflavorsis what holiday inn makati has to offer.

the restaurant is namedflavorsto represent the 5 flavors/stations.

luckily we got to sample this buffet on a friday steak day!

the main dishes were:

u.s. beef chuck roll
beef sirloin - ultimate favorite
lamb shoulder

they have a variety of sauces to choose from, my ultimate go-to sauce would still be the classic pepper sauce. second choice would be the mustard.

other stations are
the salad station - choices were a bit limited
the japanese station - i wish they had sashimi but it's a big plus that they keep the rolls in a temperature controlled plate, same goes for the cold cuts
the viand is assorted on 2 tables - there were a lot to dishes going on, my ultimate favorite was the adobo

out ultimate favorite was the dessert station, they had so many to choose from!

i think from all the buffet restaurants that i've been to they have the ultimate selections on sweets!

my favorite would be the bread pudding and tiramisu!

at 1600++ the price is ok, but be sure to watch out for other ongoing promotions. they currently have a promo of 50% off for bpi credit card holders :)

a lot of room for improvement but i think it was a good buffet experience :)

i was surprised to find that there was a buffet here. granted, it is a hotel and hotels tend to have buffets, but i guess i never thought of deliberately going to a hotel just for their buffet.

having been to a number of other buffets during my time here,flavorsis just average at best. it's not terrible (what kind of buffet would it be if there was nothing in their repertoire that was appealing), but at the same time, not particularly outstanding. what stood out the most to me was actually a small section offering breakfast goods including pancakes, waffles, sausages, bacon, eggs. thinking back to it, i guess if you were abroad and staying in a relatively good hotel, that's what you would hopefully expect to find as part of your "breakfast included" package (i deliberately go for hotels with free breakfasts personally). there's just something real satisfying about having scrambled eggs and bacon and sausages and pancakes/waffles in a meal. perhaps the opportunities to blend sweet and salty together into one meal. now if only there were danishes and pastries.

anyways, with regards to the food, it's just your standard/average fare which include one of the smaller sushi offerings that i have seen at a buffet, more kid-friendly food than i am used to, the breakfast section that i thoroughly enjoyed, and some more of the usual (pasta station, meat section, grilling section, etc.). again, nothing too special although, i have to admit that with less options available, i was better able to appreciate the food that was available. in a way, with fewer options, i suppose i had more time to try new things and didn't feel overwhelmed as i have in buffets past. for a hotel buffet, it wasn't too bad but then again, i wasn't paying for the meal.

on the plus side, as i've mentioned earlier, there aren't as many people (say in comparison to those buffets located in malls or are more well-known) and there's a much more relaxed and laid-back attitude that one can enjoy. there's no need to compete with people for food and plenty of time to loiter around trying to take the perfect shot of a dish or two. if it has something going for it, it's the minimal crowd.

wrapping it up,flavorsis ... okay. it might be worth the visit for those who have tried one too many other buffets in the area and want a buffet that provides a more controlled and limited environment (there's actually such a thing as too much). i really enjoyed having breakfast during my late lunch and so i really hope that they keep providing breakfast options. then again, i could always go to, what i imagine, most good hotels and just have my breakfast buffets there which would makeflavorslose its edge in my book.

buffet selection is wide, varied but quality is not impressive. the place is kid-friendly but i think there could be more improvement on the quality of the dishes they serve. kids didn't like the food, and better if they served french fries and mac and cheese for children. some foods for the kids were too tough to chew for a 4 year old.

for adults, food didn't really meet my expectations. they had greek selection butflavorsfell flat on it. my suggestion? serve a limited variety of foods only and focus on these only.