The Battle of the Buffets: a ‘Pop Talk’ review

Not all buffets are created equal. In a recent episode of ‘Pop Talk,’ Kuya Tonipet Gaba—with guest reviewers TJ Trinidad, Chef Bruce Lim and mommy Julie Christine Ong—set out to find the best and most unique buffet Metro Manila has to offer.

Here’s what he found.

What to look for in a buffet

• Variety of dishes
• Freshness of the food
• Quality of the preparation
• Value for money

Yakimix
Robinsons Place Ermita, Manila (with other branches across Metro Manila)
Budget: P520 for lunch, P620 for dinner, P660 on weekends

There are 170 dishes to be tried at Yakimix, a Japanese-Korean style buffet. Each table has its own smokeless grill, where one can cook different kinds of marinated meat. Yakimix also has a sushi bar and dessert section—complete with chocolate fountain!

Julie enjoyed their tempura, or deep-fried battered shrimp. Despite churning out large numbers of the expensive dish, Yakimix did not scrimp on quality. The tempura wasn’t all batter, and the shrimp itself was quite big. Final Verdict: 8/9 Pop Points

Chinatown’s Best Food
Banaue, Quezon City
Budget: P548/head

You don’t need to go far to taste authentic Chinese food: Chinatown’s Best Food aims to bring the flavor of Binondo to Quezon City. From cold cuts (spicy jellyfish, anyone?) to Peking duck to dim sum to Cantonese-style crabs to lechon Macau, this buffet has it all. They even offer unlimited soya milk!

Chef Bruce Lim, himself a Chinoy, particularly enjoyed their pata tim. He said, “it has this almost jelly-like, caramelized layer of fat. You know it’s really good, that it’s been cooked slow.”

“Clean yung flavor, halatang prepared fresh,” said TJ. “Nandoon yung ‘wow’ factor. Lahat ng nakain ko, gusto ko.” Final Verdict: 9/9 Pop Points

City Buffet
Inside SM Fairview
Budget: P399 for lunch, P499 for dinner, P539 on weekends and holidays

City Buffet went the international route with Japanese, Chinese, American, Italian, Spanish and Filipino food. The dessert buffet here is massive—tarts and cakes galore!

Perhaps City Buffet tried to do too much, though. Chef Bruce found the ribs are a bit tough, and Julie felt that the pesto pasta lacked in flavor. However, they agree that for the price, City Buffet is still a “safe option.” Final Verdict: 7/9 Pop Points

Check out more food reviews by ‘Pop Talk:’
The Sinulog Food Trip: 'Pop Talk' tries restaurants in Cebu
Believe the hype: Celeb-owned restos worth a visit
Basta driver, food lover: Three great carinderia's on the road

-Cristina Tantengco/PF, GMA News