We traversed the long road to University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. Luckily the traffic was not as bad as predicted. It took us a little over an hour to reach the place. It was a long walk, however, from the (wrong) entrance we took in the vast building complex of the UP Town Center to The Alley where we were to have lunch.

The Alley by Vikings

2/L, UP Town Center, Diliman

This is a strip in an enclosed area that houses a string of restaurant stalls serving a wide selection of food, from Filipino to international specialties. It is a unique buffet style.

Looking for the usual long table laden with different dishes, we found none. Instead at the end of the hall was a stretch of food stalls serving different cuisines, from Filipino to Italian. The new concept allows each diner to get a serving of each dish.

We went through the whole lineup with a staff solicitously following us. Each stall is manned by a staff who plated our orders. A staff was on hand to bring the loaded plates to the diner’s table. Drinks are served the same way.

The offerings include bagnet in various forms, including rolled bagnet; Black Paella with hardly anything else but the blackened, seasoned rice with a very tiny piece of squid: the Chinese Pancit Canton as bare of meat as the paella; the steak with brown gravy, which was not as tender as expected, the slightly spicy vegetable lumpia; the white pasta; the roasted duck; the sashimi and sushi. We had those. Our company had more.

For desserts the chocolate cluster was crunchy, and the cucumber juice very refreshing,

The Alley offers a good meal and you have fun selecting and enjoying your favorite dishes.

There’s also the traditional cart serving ice cream in cones. Try The Alley, para ma-aliw.

Service charge and government taxes are included in the bill. Senior cards are honored.

Rating – 2 Spoons