Christmas at Makati Diamond Residences
ALFRED’S SCALLOPS, SHRIMP, ONION PIZZA (P980)
Last Christmas, I decided to treat my entire family to a one night staycation at Makati Diamond Residences. Despite being situated in the heart of the busy Makati central business district (conveniently located right across Greenbelt mall), this luxurious serviced apartment still is a bit underrated.
Admittedly, it was our first time staying in Makati Diamond Residences; but it definitely won’t be the last. Each room we occupied in was spacious, fully furnished, and complete with amenities and toiletries you didn’t even think of needing. Its level of customer service can easily rival the top tier luxury hotels in the district.
ALFRED’S US ANGUS TAPA (P950)
However, the highlight of Makati Diamond Residences would be its food. It may only have one main dining concept, Alfred; but boy is it a gift that keeps on giving. We first came to be familiar with Alfred through its luxuriously curated buffets which boast of succulent slices of choice steaks, perfectly grilled lamb chops, and melt-in-your-mouth baked salmon which easily makes you forget about Conti’s famed Baked Salmon in an instant. I love that their buffets focus on a few good items (rather than giving you a plethora of options which are mediocre at best) which they play around with every so often.
ALFRED’S BAKED CHEESECAKE (P250)
For Christmas eve, we decided to sample its ala carte menu for the first time. Despite its narrowed selection, ordering was still a dilemma. I decided to try out its US Angus Tapa, which featured glorious glistening strips of tender Angus beef with deliciously charred fatty bits. The meat's marinade possessed a nice balance between sweetness and sourness, staying true to the home-cooked tapa we all grew up with.
Never end a meal in Makati Diamond Residences without a scoop (or two) of its famed homemade ice cream. If you’re a fan of Cow Cow Ice’s soft serve ice cream, you’d easily warm up to Alfred’s Baked Cheesecake. Die-hard fans of Carmen’s Best Salted Caramel ice cream will definitely enjoy Alfred’s rendition of this famed flavor as well.
ALFRED’S PROSCIUTTO, FIGS, GORGONZOLA (P980)
For Noche Buena, we decided to order two pizzas from its room service menu. (which is basically just a condensed version of Alfred's menu. The Scallop, Shrimp, and Onion Pizza was as tasty as it looks. Each slice packs in a whole lot of umami flavor courtesy of its well-seasoned scallop and shrimp toppings. Its dough was on the chewy side; but the delicious toppings definitely made up for it. We contrasted this with the more subdued Prosciutto, Figs, and Gorgonzola. I first fell in love with this pizza combination when I first sampled it in Todd English Food Hall (now revamped as The Food Hall); which pretty much set the bar high for this pizza flavor. The contrast of sweet and salty, sticky and dry was simply too magical for me to forget. Unfortunately, Alfred’s version cruelly skimped on the ingredients, evidenced in how half of the dough was left bare of toppings. I knew we had all the right to complain (given its price point), but it was Christmas eve, so we decided to let it slide. It could have rivaled Todd English’s if they loaded it up with more toppings.
BUFFET BREAKFAST SPREAD
Owing to the Christmas crowd, the complimentary breakfast buffet was held in their function rooms. To maximize the space, seating was done a la conference event style; wherein tables were shared among hotel guests.
Most of its breakfast spread consisted of your typical mix of Filipino and American staples. Noteworthy though would be its bestselling hearty Arroz Caldo, paired with Tokwa’t Baboy. Arroz Caldo may be a breakfast staple in a number of buffets; but its pairing with the Tokwa’t Baboy definitely made it something worth queuing for; especially if it came with soy sauce, perfectly blended as theirs.
BUFFET BREAKFAST SPREAD
Another noteworthy attraction which people went crazy for would be its insanely creamy scrambled eggs. You can actually see people lurking around to wait for refills of this heavenly breakfast side.
To top it all off, Makati Diamond Residences sources its coffee from Toby’s Estate; which essentially makes them an offshoot branch of the famous coffee shop chain. Starting your day with unlimited refills of its Long Black coffee is definitely a Christmas gift in itself.
One thing I really appreciated about Makati Diamond Residences is the fact that it doesn’t force its breakfast buffet on you by offering its Dining Card. Perfect for long-staying guests, late risers, and those who simply don’t eat breakfast, the Dining Card gives you the freedom to swap your breakfast buffet allocation to an equivalent meal from its partner restaurants; most of which are just situated in Greenbelt Mall. Best thing about this is that you can avail of it anytime of the day! This is definitely something that other hotels should consider following, as it helps its guests make the most out of the money they spend.
Makati Diamond Residences
Dates of Visit: December 24 to 25, 2018 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua, and Jem Chua
118 Legazpi Street, Legazpi Village, Makati City
