Celebrating Milestones with Alfred at Home

When it comes to hotel buffets, Alfred's seasonal buffet offerings at Makati Diamond Residences would have to be one of my favorites. Admittedly, food choices are extremely narrow compared to the overwhelming selection others have (ahem, Spiral!), but this is because they cut out all of the fluff and non-essentials buffets are notoriously known for. Its food selection is carefully curated; that you’re guaranteed to help yourself to second and third servings of most of its dishes. It’s an added bonus that the buffet also features unlimited servings of coffee from Toby’s Estate. Coupled with Makati Diamond Residences’ impeccable hospitality and its lounge aesthetic, Alfred's buffet experience will definitely be enjoyable.

ITALIAN PORCHETTA AND BRAISED BEEF CHEEKS IN CABERNET SAUCE

Of course, it’s no question how badly the pandemic has hit the hotel industry. However, I love how they quickly crafted Alfred at Cost and Alfred at Home, pre-designed course set menus that change on a weekly basis; that helps them keep Alfred going. I’ve always flirted with the idea of ordering a set meal but it felt a little bit overindulgent for a regular lunch or dinner since a set would cost around P2500 to P3500 for roughly ten courses! Finally, as 2020 was closing in, I got a notification that they were doing a special set course for the holidays, and it felt that it was the right time to finally try it out.

HERB ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES AND HOTDOG BUNS

I felt I wanted to usher in the new year by treating my family to a feast. I was aware of the number of courses included in the package; but I didn’t expect full-size containers of everything! We were actually able to stretch everything for around 3 to 4 meals! You'd definitely get your money's worth for this! I also appreciated that each dish was neatly packaged in individual plastic containers and came with individual labels and heating instructions!

CHICKEN ROULADE WITH MUSHROOM FARSE

When I did a teaser post on this, everyone seemed to be curious about the Hotdog Buns. To be honest, it really felt out of place when served aside the other courses in the package. However, after months of lurking in Makati Diamond Residences’ Facebook page, I became aware that each set usually features an item from their Bakeshop so it didn’t really seem as weird to me as it did to others. I’m not a big fan of hotdogs in general, but I did appreciate that the sausages they used seemed to have been made in-house.

PENNE WITH TRUFFLE MUSHROOM CREAM AND BAKED SALMON W/ MEDITERRANEAN CRUST AND SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

The Baked Salmon and the Braised Beef Cheeks are the ultimate standouts in the course set. Despite being reheated via microwave, both still boast of juicy salmon meat and melt-in-your-mouth beef cheeks. Both come in delectable sauces that you’d love to lather over rice. The Almond Parsley Rice serves as a perfect pair as it’s ‘plain’ enough to not overpower the flavorful sauces but the toasted almonds it comes topped with lends a subtle roasted sweetness in each bite. I enjoy my vegetables simply roasted so the Herb Roasted Root Vegetables was simply a delight to eat. Showering them with the Cabernet sauce from the Beef Cheeks makes them taste even more heavenly.

ALMOND PARSLEY RICE AND SHRIMP AND CHEESE CROQUETTES

The Shrimp and Cheese Croquettes were also amazing. Expect no shortcuts on quality here as each croquette is stuffed with sizable shrimp pieces and delicious gooey cheese! The Italian Porchetta and the Chicken Roulade seemed to have a similar sauce base, but I’m not complaining. Both are characteristic of their sweet gravy sauce; but I’d have to favor the Chicken Roulade. This was mainly because the Italian Porchetta lost the crunch of its skin (most likely since it’s been days since we got it).

LE ROYALE

The Penne with Truffle Mushroom Cream seemed to have taken a backseat to the other dishes. As a standalone pasta dish, it definitely cannot match the truffle pasta dishes served at Nonna’s and Mamou; but it’s not a bad substitute for the Almond Parsley Rice, especially if you’re looking for a subtle tasting pair to the other saucy dishes. A little more cream sauce, and an extra drop of truffle oil will do wonders for the dish.

The P5000 New Year’s lunch set ends with a whole Le Royale cake. Fans of Ferrero Rocher would easily warm up to this cake as a surprise crunchy layer in between the chiffon cake and chocolate mousse perfectly recreates the crunch that comes from each Ferrero! I’m extremely choosy with cake, but I honestly wouldn’t mind helping myself to another serving of it!

Alfred at Makati Diamond Residences

Date of Pick Up: January 1, 2021 (check the Facebook page of Makati Diamond Residences)