Acaci: Buffet Dining at Acacia Hotel Manila

Spending a fabulous weekend staycation at a luxurious five star hotel like Acacia Hotel Manila would not only entail a night of uninterrupted relaxation and unwinding, but also of food, food and more food. So after touring the new yet already impressive facilities of the hotel, the beau and I paid a trip to Acacia Hotel Manila's signature coffee shop that is Acaci.

Acaci Cafe

Located at Acacia Hotel Manila's ground floor mezzanine, Acaci offers guests breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. Now if you're a regular reader, you'd already know that I love buffets. But although I've been to quite a few eat-all-you-can food spots, Acaci is by far the only hotel restaurant I've seen exuding a fun, stylish and playful ambiance as its space is beautifully drenched with colorful floral and striped tapestry while being surrounded with tall glass windows that give diners a 360-degree view of Alabang.

Acaci Appetizers

Like most hotel restaurants offering buffet dining, Acaci carries international dishes in 5 of its stations. For starters, they have a separate section for soups and another station for an array of appetizers -- cold cuts, cheeses and hors d'oeuvre.

Shrimp Gazpacho Ham Lyoner

On the same station are some cold mussels, sashimi, pieces of assorted sushi and salads.

Salmon Sashimi and Cold Mussels

Salad Bar

Acaci also has a pasta, noodle, Mongolian bar, tempura and carving station in one which I wasn't able to take photos of because of the crowd. (Even though I've spent months taking photos inside restaurants, I still get shy when there are a lot of people.)

Roasted Pork

There's also a separate station for cooked dishes which the beau kept on checking out. This area had a number of viands along with servings of Paella, Oriental fried rice and plain steamed white rice.

Slow Roasted Beef Ribs in Tamarind Orange Sauce
Slow Roasted Beef Ribs in Tamarind Orange Sauce

Grilled Chicken Breast Stir Fried Vegetables Chicken Jus
Grilled Chicken Breast Stir Fried Vegetables Chicken Jus

Grilled Salmon Belly Teriyaki
Grilled Salmon Belly Teriyaki

Vietnamese Prawn with Nuoc Cham
Vietnamese Prawn with Nuoc Cham

Since Acaci is a proudly Filipino hotel's café, they also carry a Pinoy favorite, Sisig.

Sisig at Acaci Sisig

For sweet endings, Acaci also has some cakes, maja blanca and other assorted pastries, as well as fresh fruits which one could dip in the chocolate fondue.

Cake

Dessert

Chocolate Mud Cake

Pineapple Cake Chocolate Fondue

Comparing what I've seen to other blog posts and reviews I've read of Acaci, there was a different line-up of dishes for this particular night, a little less than usual probably. However, we've noticed that the place was easily packed with diners which is one reason why I didn't go trigger-happy.

WHAT WE GOT

Before we went around for the second time, to pick out dishes we'd like to try, the nice servers at Acaci had us try 2 of their soups for the night -- a Filipino classic, Nilagang Baka (beef stew), as well as Onion Soup for a taste of the West.

Nilagang Baka

Honestly, I've grown tired of home-cooked Nilagang Baka since my mom would make this almost every other day. However, Acaci reminded me why I used to love this classic bowl of Pinoy soup -- simple, warm, yet very comforting. My date and I both savored the flavorful soup until the very last drop. The beef shank was also surprisingly soft, so tender that you can break it in pieces with just a spoon.

The Onion Soup on the other hand, was good, but nothing spectacular especially compared to Nilagang Baka. It was smooth, creamy, rich and very filling.

Onion Soup Seafood Plate

After the soupy start, the date and I went our separate ways to get what we wanted for the night. I got a piece of cooked prawn, Shrimp Gazpacho, a California roll and about a dozen of my favorite salmon sashimi.

With an enticing line-up of entrées, I took a plate of almost everything on the buffet table -- a few pieces of Shrimp Tempura, Roasted Pork from the carving station, Slow Roasted Beef Ribs in Tamarind Orange Sauce, Grilled Apahap Fillet, Grilled Salmon Belly Teriyaki, Vietnamese Prawn with Nuoc Cham, Sisig and some Seafood Paella.

Assorted Viands

Sorry for my lack of patience to plate these. But despite the bad presentation, I can assure you that this mix of various dishes was very interesting. Every viand was quite good, but there were 2 which stood out for opposite reasons. For the good, both my date and I agreed that the Grilled Salmon Belly Teriyaki was phenomenal! The fish was cooked perfectly, tender, flavorful and far from being dry. The Teriyaki sauce also gave it a lovely, savory taste. For the not-so-good on the other hand, the Seafood Paella failed to make a very positive impression. Although the seafood pieces -- shrimp, mussels and squid were cooked nicely, the rice was too mushy.

Puttanesca

After trying out most cooked viands from Acaci, we asked the chef to whip up a Pasta Puttanesca for us. We liked how the fettuccine was cooked al dente, but we would've loved it more if the sauce had more tang.

Mongolian Bowl

Although the beau is not a big fan of veggies, we also decided to give their Mongolian Bowl a try. Filled with thinly-sliced beef pieces, a few shrimp and squid, some mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots, lots of greens and cooked with Mongolian Barbecue sauce, this bowl was definitely a hit! As expected though from not-so-frequent vegetable eaters, we didn't finish all the greens.

Dessert Plate

For desserts, I had this plate of assorted pastries with a chocolate-coated apple slice. I may not know the specific names of each of these sweet treats, but among them, the round plain biscuit sandwich-looking one (Maybe this is a French macaron?) was the best. The round pastries had a texture similar to the chewy Silvannas, and sandwiched between them is a nice and sweet cream filling.

Acacia Goddess P300 Hot Chocolate P160

For drinks, I decided to go with the Acacia Goddess (P300) -- a lovely blend of fresh pineapples, apples, oranges, carrots and watermelon. Being a fruit lover, this juice was a perfect beverage for me. It's also one healthy drink as it doesn't only taste good but also helps boost metabolism and cleanse the kidneys. And being a hardcore chocolate lover, my date ordered Hot Chocolate (P160) for his drink. It was not too sweet but rich and creamy. And of course, to end our meal, we had a pot of hot tea.

Tea

If you know us, you'd wonder why we didn't seem to eat a lot for this buffet dinner. Fret not though because it's not the food. We wanted to take a dip in the pool before the facility closes at 9PM so we ate dinner in quite a hurry. *toink*

THE VERDICT

As a hotel buffet dining spot, Acaci may not have an extensive selection of local and international dishes. However, quality-wise, everything was good and worth a try. Acaci can definitely use some room for improvement when it comes to variety and overall flavor. But when it comes to service and ambiance, I can already say that Acaci is on the top of its game.

Being only a 6-month old hotel on its soft opening phase, I know this café will be made better. And of course, I am very excited to see how Acaci will grow bigger and sturdier in offering gastronomical delights.

Taste - 3/5
Ambiance - 4.5/5
Service - 5/5
Price - 3/5
Overall Value - 4/5


Take a tour of Acacia Hotel Manila's rooms and facilities
Head over to The Lobby for a la carte dining

Buffet Rates:
Breakfast - P788+
Lunch - P988+
Dinner - P1,088+



Acaci, Acacia Hotel Manila
5400 East Asia Drive corner Commerce Avenue,
Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang,
Muntinlupa City 1781
Metro Manila, Philippines
(02)720-2000; 588-5888
Official Website
Facebook Page
Twitter

51 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, tons of salmon sashimi. I'm sold! :P

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  2. One thing I've noticed in a hotel, their dining experience boasts of varieties of food to choose from And for someone having a strict diet it'll be a sight hard to resist. The food varieties are awesome.

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  3. wow, the food looks really good.i will visit this place when i get to Manila

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  4. gosh, heavenly! it does is worth staying in this hotel!

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  5. choices may not be that much but lahat parang masarap!! :)

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  6. Wow! Doesn't have much dishes but everything looks delicious. :)

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  7. Now I really can't wait to visit the place this Saturday! The food is soooo tempting! And I am not going to miss the pool ; p

    xoxo
    MrsMartinez

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  8. Hi Sumi Go, thanks for the visit. You have a very nice blog. And great review you got here. Now, I have a food review blog to follow. Following you at GFC as well. Keep your reviews coming in :)

    Directions on web

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  9. would love to try that Grilled Salmon Belly Teriyaki FTW! =)

    pinned to my digital dreamboard hehe!

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  10. YUMMY! Another mouth-watering post here. :))

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  11. The food shots, as always, are mouthwatering! Bigla kong na-imagine ang sarili ko nakumakain rin sa Acaci.. may magandang view kasi. I'm sucker for those kasi, other than the food! =)) Nako.. kung di lang mahal sa Acacia..heheh

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  12. wow! gusto ko ang sashimi. nalaway tuloy ako! LOL

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  13. Parang super refreshing ng Acacia Goddess. I normally like apple and carrot combo but this one has more fruits! Yum yum! AND I LOVB the Japanese buffet!!!! It looks sooo good! Not very impressed with the sweets selection though. There seems to be a lack of light desserts. :)

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  14. I like the interiors. It has a lot of natural light.

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  15. Haha i'm also shy to take food photos in the buffet area sometimes when there's a lot of people! :)) anyway, great hotel!!

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  16. your photos are superb and maybe your dining experience was just over-the top.
    staring at those sumptuous foods make my stomach ache because i cannot eat them. huhuhu! :(

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  17. ok ok. convinced na ako na dapat stay ako diyan pag uwi ko lol

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  18. it's so nice to know that there's another addition to hotel and resto industries back home. everything looks pleasant and tasteful.
    kaya lang ang layo; to me alabang is the moon! hehe

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  19. Accckk! Ang layo naman dear. Alabang pa? :(

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  20. gosh, I can stay here 24/7 eating salmon! fave! ;)

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  21. hahahaha... nagutom ako bigla... umagang umaga eh.. hahaha... i like how they present the food.. sobrang sarap sa mata.. esp the Vietnamese Prawn with Nuoc Cham..

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  22. I like the ambiance of the place. ♥ very refreshing.

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  23. Hey Sumi , looked like you had a great time with Acaci! Hope I can also go there soon!

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  24. Acaci is interesting. Still avoiding buffet these days. lapit na kasi ang summer. But, hope I can try them out next time.

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  25. Interesting tong place na to tlg sis. Been reading your posts on this hotel. Grabe. kaya lang ang layo nya skin.. Hope I can visit this too, soon!

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  26. How much was the buffet? Ask ni FM

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  27. @Kathy Ngo: On the bottom of the post po :) Buffet Rates: Breakfast - P788+, Lunch - P988+, Dinner - P1,088+

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  28. their smoked salmon is really yummy, and the Slow Roasted Beef Ribs in Tamarind Orange Sauce is awesome as a rice-magnet too :D loved their furnishings, the chairs are so comfortable! =)

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  29. tempting! I always head straight to dessert station lol! It's been awhile since we indulge in Friday Brunch. It's a Dubai culture where people indulge in grand buffet complete with unlimited drinks - soft and hard.

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  30. Grilled Salmon Belly Teriyaki...NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM...... the best!

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  31. i like the grilled salmon belly.your review makes me wanna try their buffet service,ang daming choices at an affordable price.

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  32. I love the designs of the furniture here. Different with your recent post. It's good to know that they haven't not stick to one designs and explore other interesting designs. :) Correct me if wrong if the cold mussels are the one with shrimps on the glass. It's pretty cool. New in my eyes. :)

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  33. @lalalaPatricia: That's actually one feat I like about Acacia Hotel Manila. They're really bold with prints, yet they know how to work it.. :) Btw, the glasses with the shrimps are called Shrimp Gazpacho.

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  34. Great review, Sumi. :) I would like to commend also the great photos. The interior is really nice and this post made me crave for seafood! They all look yummy

    Hope you also find my blog helpful. I do post reviews and compare different cuisines. Hehe. By the way, would you be interested for a link exchange? Please let me know. Thanks!

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  35. my gosh! high end ang dating...sarap nang selection nila!

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  36. Your posts are always a feast to the senses, Sumi. I always feel relaxed after reading your blog. :)

    Aaah so endearing that you still get shy about photographing in a crowd! It does not show in the images you share. This is a heartwarming tidbit to read because it shows that it is hard work to put up what you seem to do so effortlessly.

    Well, I'm sold wih Acacia Hotel Manila. Definitely going to be in our itenerary. I always like your unbias reviews, it makes me curious!

    BTW, going to reread back on your blogs because I'll start traveling again, and would love to at least be decent in my reviews of the hotels and restaurans we would be visiting. :)

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  37. I love the photos. :) You're getting better and better.

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  38. Looks very delicious.. Wanna try them :D

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  39. So mouth watering though I'm a sweet tooth and would love to taste every dessert. I'm really curious how their Nilagang Baka taste like, our native dish elevated to the next level hmmmm.. cant wait to try it

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  40. Love the photos, wish I can stay there! ♥

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  41. Based on the pictures itself, why is it that their nilagang baka and sisig look more delicious than mom's home cooked meal? I would love to try this buffet for it is complete. Whatever it is that you crave, you will find it here.

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  42. so wanna experience this hotel resto :)

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  43. the cooked dishes look delish. :) and whoa, the sisig was quite a surprise ha, I mean to be part of a hotel's buffet....love it! super sisig fan here. :D makes me want to reach out for a bowl of rice and soy sauce with calamansi and chili. :)

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  44. Wow! lots of food to choose from i wanna eat there!

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  45. yummy foods are there, so tempting!! Wish I can try them soon.

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  46. wow!!! nakakatakam... maganda ung ambiance...

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  47. Yummy yummy yummy! This must be the best looking food ever! :D

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  48. ooohhh... Love the Mongolian Bowl!

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