samba - shangri-la the fort

sharing one of the worst shangri-la experience ever! witnessed this firsthand. not recommending this restaurant at all.

be warned, people.

"i booked for a simple lunch at their samba restaurant. i made an earlier reservation ( more than 2 weeks lead time) and even gave them my preferred menu. i didn't have any fancy requirements. just a simple lunch.

some of my guests arrived a little early than 1130am. i asked tanya (the restaurant manager) to serve the food by 12nn since i knew that the restaurant opens at 1130am. she advised me that she already informed the kitchen to prepare the food. she even told me that 50% of the total order will be prepared immediately.

the tables that were occupied during the time that i advised her to prepare the food was just less than 20 people (including kids). 1st menu was then served. but to our surprise, the main dish was served an hour after. some even had their 2nd menu an hour and half after the appetizers were served. others even decided to just eat the kiddie meals.
i constantly followed up. if i am not mistaken, i have spoken to all the food attendants at the restaurant. i must say that they are well-trained in answering follow ups because their answers to us seemed to be a standard--- “ it's coming out, shortly”. i even asked tanya how long is that shortly.

not to mention that desserts were not all served. my guests just left to their dismay. they were hungry. kids were supposed to play at the adventure zone but most of them decided to just transfer to another restaurant to have their decent lunch. we transferred some of our guests to a restaurant nearby. the others even left without having lunch. we are so embarrassed.

we were not wandering in the streets of bgc and suddenly decided to dine in the samba restaurant. i have booked ahead of time. everything was coordinated. i was expecting for agoodservice because i booked in a prestigious hotel.

shang-la is an internationally acclaimed brand – known in providing quality hospitality service.

i must say that it was truly a very, very, very poor service which have spoiled our high expectations of the hotel and eventually ruined the lunch of my family and friends.

the staff in the restaurant were even fabricating stories that i called them a day after i had my event to request for a refund. and why would i do that? i am a professional individual. i committed to pay for what i have ordered. it's them who didn't provide the service/product that i bought.

if there's only a button here such as poorest of the poor rating -- i will right away click that because that's more appropriate for what we've experienced."

when it comes to shangri-la fort, raging bull might get all the hype but it’s samba that actually deserves it.

peruvian food in a casual, hip, drinks by the pool setting. i’m so pleased with my discovery i almost don’t want to share it for fear that it will get crowded. but credit must be given, where credit is due.

what we (2 of us) ordered:
1. ceviche, particularly limone. a must for anyone trying peruvian food. it’s basically kilawin, delicious. they say it’sgoodfor 1 but they’re lying because it’sgoodfor 2.
2. soft shell crab appetizer - a lot like tempura with a peruvian flare. definitelygoodfor like..3 people. a bit starchy so share this and break it up with some ceviche sauce for acidity.
3. grilled octopus - perfectly cooked but mildly underseasoned (for me) although my date who likes octopus says it’s supposed to be this way so the octopus flavor comes out. ok, gets.goodfor 3 people.
4. prawn quinnotto - quinoa, seafood, cheese. ugh. must order. just forget rice exists and order this.
5. lomo saltado - beef and rice. see #4 about skipping the rice and eating the beef, there’s a lot happening on this plate, huge potato wedges and veggies so you gotta work to find your beef
6. marisco paella (for takeout) - sogoodeven if you microwave it the next day.
7. chocolate ball dessert thing - i don’t want to spoil this for you but let’s say there’s audience participation and the chocolate is pretty amazing. also i’m proud that the server said we created one of the nicer versions of the dessert that he’s seen. well. unless binola lang niya kami.

some notes:
- 2k per person for all this food. paid for by
my brother who gave me a gc for my bday.
- their drinks need a little bit of work. skip their cocktails and go for the pure liquors. we returned our mojito because it tasted llike robutussin.
- al fresco dining is an option on a not so hot day.
- service was perfect.
- we walked home after this meal because we were so full!

we got great time in the resterant food aregoodtaste and staff aregoodservice especially jennie she very nice she doinggreat service thank you so much for take care of us! pim

the seafood paella wasgoodbut lacks “seafood”.

samba has reallygoodand authentic peruvian food. i loved how fresh the ceviche was, every bite was light and flavorful. the arroz con mariscos was also surprisingly reallygoodand refreshing, tasted better than what i expected. the large, flavorful prawns on top made it even more special. the pastel de choclo had a really nice corn flavor with a smooth texture, something different from pot pies we usually have here.

as for their drinks, the hakuna matata had a juicy flavor and was more on the playful side. it was also served in a very interesting looking mug! their moana was lighter in flavor, and had a taste reminiscent to that of pandan leaves.

for dessert, we had their marquesa de chocolate. it was my first time to have a dessert which was fun to eat. the dark chocolate balloon and the passion fruit sorbet were really good, although the experience of breaking the chocolate balloon on to the plate is enough for you to want to try this dessert!

a new favorite,goodauthentic peruvian cuisine. you can tell that ingredients are fresh and carefully selected. the chef and the resto staff are very welcoming and attentive. ambiance is a perfect 10, you have a choice to dine inside or al fresco overlooking the swimming pool. price on the high side but worth it! better to be a golden circle member so you can earn points on all dining bills. been coming back to this restaurant!

they havegoodfood and drinks. of course try their best selling dessert. i got their lomo saltado and it is very worth it. and the view and ambience of the place is great. we will definitely comeback.

my best restaurant i tried up to date. the day after i tried here, i wanted to go back again soon for another round.

food - 5. amazing! memorable.
ambiance and service - 5. ranked number 2 in shangri-la's restaurant? this is given.

caribbean seafood medley! dessert is agoodexperience.

good food, cozy place and very friendly staff. chef took effort to visit our table to say hi and ensure that we are having agoodtime and enjoying food. if you're looking for an authentic peruvian dishes visit this place and you'll never regret it.

good food...nice and friendly chef...excellent crew esp liezel and shynne..nice ambience.. verygoodfood and service. we will be back definitely.

this is where i will always bring my friends who love spanish food and sangria or wine! their paella is my favorite and the white chocolate dessert is definitely unforgetttable! seriously, everything isgoodhere! the ambiance is so chill as you can get a table by the pool area.

this is my first time here and the service is great, the usual shangrila service. the food is made fresh and consists of mostly seafood. it’sgoodfor sharing such as the pasta and arroz con mariscos. their dessert is also great and instaworthy haha in particular the chocolate with dry ice.

samba at the fort is one of the finest places in manila to dine if you're searching for an immense love for peruvian cuisine. for a first timer like myself, who's born and raised from a filipino-chinese family, i've always held back to try food other than the ones we were served in the table -- which of course are traditional chinese, filipino, or a mix of both. nonetheless, samba has made me feel home at first bite.

ambiance 5/5
easy 5. i love the relaxing feeling andgoodfood by the pool. it takes you far away from the city, even if you're in the city, you'd feel as if you flew out of manila.

staff 5/5
courteous, excellent service, very professional and accommodating as expected from shangrila fort. thank you, liezel, manu, and of course, chef carlo huerta who made sure we enjoyed their company by consistently stopping by at our table to attend to our questions and requests. they all wear natural smiles, you instantly feel their love for the job. it's the type you'd love to come back to.

food 5/5

what we ordered:

starters
complimentary basket of sweet potato chips with ocopa sauce

piqueos
empanadas de lumo - stuffed puff pastry, braised us beef tenderloin, rocotto honey chimichurri salsa

the best puff pastry i've tasted in a while. texture is perfect while the beef is tender and well seasoned. pair it with little drops of lemon and you'll be surprised of how well it balances the taste.

anticucheria
anticucho de pulpo - chargrilled octopus, panca pepper, roasted potatoes, ocopa sauce, lemon olive oil

i don't even have the words for it but it might just be the best chargrilled octopus you'll have in one lifetime. i've been to japan and since coming back to manila i have been in search of good, underrated octopus dishes but i always walk away disappointed. i've given up on the thought that there could possibly be any match to the ones that i tasted in osaka, but not after tonight. truly amazing. the "wow" factor is literally there -- perfectly charred on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. you can even slice the octopus with a spoon, without effort! amazing. thank you, chef carlo. i literally had tears in my eyes.

platos de foudo
arroz con mariscos - peruvian seafood rice, calamari, octopus, shrimps, scallops, white wine, paprika creole seasoning, parmesan cheese, coral butter

at first i thought it was your normal, mom-cooks-paella-so-its-gotta-be-good type. i didn't think much of it until my first spoon - damn, that parmesan cheese!! fiesta in my mouth! all the flavors started to sink in and it made me think wow, i need to close my eyes and remember this feeling of serenity. it's fantastic.

lomo saltado - stir-fry us prime beef tenderloin, tomatoes, onions, soy sauce, arroz con choclo, andean potatoes

i have to give it to them for the fried quail egg! 😂 the plating was absolutely lovely. the beef cubes was done rare to medium well. no more, no less. just perfect.

postres
merengado de guanabana - guyabano cream, crispy almond merengue, fresh blueberries, strawberry coulis, white chocolate balloon

this one definitely put up a show. we were assisted by liezel as she poured the nitrogen inside the white chocolate balloon. she asked carlo (my boyfriend) to hold it up a little after the smoke's gone and just let it splatter on the plate. amazing. this definitely gave agoodfinish. plus, it's on the house! thank you chef carlo! 💓

beverage (tiki corner)
we had the hakuna matata, aloha, and viking margarita. i had the aloha and it tasted a bit strong for me, but i have no complaints haha! it was great, nothing else. the glass was definitely cute.🌈

this place is highly recommended, definitely worth every penny and yes, i will be back! 😊💗🍉

thank god! finally agoodperuvian restaurant in manila!  i haven't had a decent peruvian meal since i lived in the states.  so i was dying to come here and try.  
i loved the menu and everything looked so delicious. lots of great fresh seafood!  if you're a fan of oysters, then this is your place!  
i came on a lunch date and we ordered the lomo saltado, oysters, ceviche, ropa vieja, and another fried dish i cant quite remember the name.  oh it was all very delicious.  however, i didn't realize how big the plates were!  we could have shared a plate.  but it was all delicious, so we actually finished it all.  obviously, i did not have room for dessert.  so maybe next time.
fun cocktails to choose from and a lovely interior with great service.  i'll be back soon!!  bravo!

this place is agooddinner place for groups. their servings aregoodfor sharing. got to try a lot of their dishes and we loved it. what we particulatly love was their ceviche limeno and their arroz con mariscos. we also liked their peruvian pork adobo and their steak (chuleton). it was interesting also that the steak was torched was in front of us. the steak was tender. dessert was alsogoodwith the effect of dry ice giving the dessert a new feel and experience. service wasgoodas well with the chef interacting with the guests. ambience was great.

food - 4.5
service - 4.5
ambience - 5.0