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The country’s largest buffet resto is the best place to dine in this graduation month

BY Reggie Aspiras

March 21, 2013
2:20 am

Where to dine after graduation seems to be the question of the week—preferably something different, where the whole family can indulge, and yet not too steeply prized.

Of the places I’ve been to of late, I think Vikings Buffet fits the bill. It is a restaurant like no other, where the buffet is long—very, very long. The food trail traverses through the 600-seat restaurant, much like the never-ending twists and turns of the Marikina River. The resto bills itself as the “largest buffet restaurant in the Philippines, hands down!”

You sail through the spread, meticulously hunting for what it is that your palate fancies. There is simply no way you can gorge yourself on the bounty with just one visit.

While I was impressed by how fresh their suahe was (impeccable quality, something I never expected in a setting like this) and the homemade fish balls on their hotpot were so delicious and soft as clouds, my sister feasted on the different lumpfish caviars. Our friend Miriam enjoyed the salmon and the lamb. Mark and Carlos, the birthday honoree, ate everything! We collectively tried a lot of things that day, and though taste is relative, we enjoyed many of the offerings.

The spread highlights favorite dishes from across the globe—Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Italian, Mediterranean, Spanish, Mongolian, American, Filipino and a bit of everything else. According to Vikings Marikina chef Jenny Gumboc, the resto serves no less than 280 dishes at a time.

At Vikings, I find that apart from the never-ending buffet, it is the many little things the resto does that make dining in this place memorable, such as picking the seafood fresh every day; perking up the birthday song (theirs is the liveliest, most festive version I have heard); managing to keep the buffet stations and the floors very clean considering the volume of people working their way in, around and through it.

Most impressive is how happy the chefs were at work (headed by Pedro Canlas). Busy as they were, they all managed to serve us with a smile.

Viking now has three branches and has a special graduation promo. For reservations, call MOA at 8463888 and 8464888; Marikina at 5703888, 5704888, 0917-8766888 and 0919-9993888; North Edsa at 3763888 and 3764888.

Iced tea recipes

To beat the summer heat, here are Iced Tea Recipes by coffee and tea specialist Lance Cruz.

Perfect Ceylon with Watermelon

Garnish: Muddled lemon wedge, watermelon slice

6 oz Dilmah Exceptional Perfect Ceylon

1¼ oz watermelon syrup

1 oz sugar syrup

4 pcs tube ice

Chamomile with Apple and Brown Sugar Cinnamon

Garnish: Cinnamon sticks

6 oz Dilmah Chamomile Tea

½ oz apple syrup

¼ oz brown sugar cinnamon syrup

1 oz cane sugar syrup

4 pcs tube ice

Ceylon Green Tea with Passion Fruit

Garnish: Lemon wedge

6 oz Dilmah Ceylon Green Tea

¾ oz passion fruit syrup

1 oz cane sugar syrup

4 pcs tube ice

Lychee and Peach

Garnish: 2 pcs of muddled lemon wedge

6 oz Dilmah Lychee Tea

1 oz Torani peach syrup

¾ oz Torani cane sugar syrup

4 pcs tube ice

Procedure: Mix ingredients well to combine. Chill and serve with ice.

For proper steeping, refer to last week’s Kitchen Rescue.

If you have no flavored syrups, you can muddle the fruit and mix with simple syrup. Adjust to taste.

Tea and food pairing

You’ll be surprised by how teas enhance the flavors of food. Here are some guidelines to follow from Dilmah, but please do not limit yourselves to these. The pairing possibilities are endless. Food is usually paired with hot tea, but do whatever makes you happy.

Green Tea with Jasmine Flowers—Steamed fish, rice, green salad

Ceylon Young Hyson Green Tea—Light, cream cheese, salad, chicken

Moroccan Mint Green Tea—Chocolate and chocolate desserts, mint-flavored dishes