F: Disappointing Buffet at Best Western Premier F1 Hotel

Groupons have been an integral part in my foodie escapades. However, there are times I regret going gaga to purchase some restaurant deals. One of these instances is the time I bought and redeemed my vouchers for Best Western Premier F1 Hotel's F buffet.
F Restaurant Seating

I bought the international buffet vouchers for Best Western Premier F1 Hotel's F for the beau and me as I want to try enjoying lunch by The Fort's skyline. We redeemed these vouchers and dined at F last August 28, 2012, and since then, I have already started contemplating whether to still post a review about their disappointing lunch buffet or not. After a few months of pondering and getting busy on the sides, I decided to finally post this. Please bear in mind though that I don't aim to speak ill of the restaurant. And since it has already been four months since our visit, F might have already been improved. This blog post is just to detail our own experience at Best Western Premier F1 Hotel's F.

F Restaurant's Swirly Couch F Restaurant Tables

When we first got to Best Western Premier F1 Hotel, we didn't have any expectation as to what their F restaurant would look like. So when we arrived at the 3rd floor, both the beau and I actually appreciated the simplicity and coziness of the restaurant's ambiance. While I personally would prefer higher ceilings, I really dig the touch of greens in the dining area. It added a homey and earthy atmosphere against the high-rise buildings-filled The Fort. We also liked the lounge area with the stylish red swirly cushioned chairs.

The Food Offerings

While we found comfort with the restaurant's ambiance and décor, we were quite disappointed when we saw the limited selection of food offerings in F's buffet spread. Deal Grocer cited a number of really enticing dishes. Yet when we arrived by 12:30PM, we only saw a few of what were promised. Replenishing some items also took a while.

01 Cheese and Berries
Assorted Cheeses and Berries
02 Assorted Breads
Assorted Breads
03 Bread and Butter
Bread and Butter
04 Potato Gratin
Potato Gratin
05 Beef Kalbi Chim
Pasta and Beef Kalbi Chim
06 Mixed Vegetables
Mixed Vegetables
07 Baby Back Ribs with BBQ Sauce and Fish Tandoori
Baby Back Ribs with BBQ Sauce and Fish Tandoori
09 Bagnet
Bagnet
08 Vegetable Kurma and Tortilla Wraps
Vegetable Kurma and Tortilla Wraps-of sort
10 Soup and Noodles
Asian Soup and Noodles Section
11 Sweet & Sour Pork and Steamed Fish
Sweet & Sour Pork and Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce
12 Fried Chicken and Birthday Noodles
Garlic Coriander & Lemon Chicken and Birthday Noodles-of sort
13 Plain Rice and Fried Rice
Plain Rice and Fried Rice
14 Roast Duck 15 Tempura
Display of Ducks (Siomai inside the chaffer) and Assorted Tempura

These are the items they had at the main counter-cum-buffet table. On the other side of the dining room, they had the cold Japanese items, coldcuts, cold seafood and salad.

16 Sushi Rolls and Coldcuts
Sushi Rolls and Coldcuts
17 Salmon Sashimi
Salmon Sashimi (Only sashimi they had)
18 Cold Seafood 19 Salads
Cold Seafoods (Mussels and Shrimps) and Salad Section

Being a fan of sashimi, sushi and cold seafood, it was quite disappointing to see that they only had really limited offerings that day. I've seen other blog posts featuring crabs. And on a different note, some even got to try F's Jamon Serrano, not to mention, a choice of Roast Beef, Pecking Duck and Suckling Pig. However, the beau and I just shrugged off the frustration and checked out the desserts section which was somehow decent.

21 Dessert Toast
Dessert Toasts
20 Dessert Pastries and Muffins 23 Chocolate Fondue
Muffins, Donuts & Pastries and Chocolate Fondue
22 More Desserts
Assorted Cakes, Crème Brûlée, Panna Cotta, Halo-Halo and other desserts

There are also a selection of some fresh fruits and ice cream in addition to these dessert items, which I unfortunately weren't able to take photos of since I wanted to eat already.

What We Got

Since the food items at the buffet were just limited, the beau and I got whatever it was that we fancied. I won't get into detail anymore on how each item tasted. Nothing from the buffet stood out taste-wise. However, I can say that nothing was awfully bad as well.

Plate 01 Salmon Sashimi, Maki Rolls and Cold Seafood
Salmon Sashimi, Maki Rolls and Cold Seafood
Plate 03 Creamy Onion Soup
Creamy Onion Soup
Plate 04 Cream of Corn Soup
Cream of Corn Soup
Plate 05 Cheese, Coldcuts and Bread
Cheese, Coldcuts and Bread
Plate 06 One of Almost Everything
My plate of viands -- almost one of everything (healthier ensemble)
Plate 02 Siomai, Fish, Beef, Fried Rice, Bagnet, Pasta and Noodles
The beau's plate of viands -- almost one of everything (high carb, high cholesterol ensemble)
Plate 07 Donuts
Assorted Donuts
Plate 08 Ice Cream and Fruits Plate 09 Pistachio Cake and Panna Cotta
Ice Cream with Mango Slices, Pistachio Sansrival and Panna Cotta

Both the beau and I didn't go back for second helpings, except for the salmon sashimi. We just can't pass up the opportunity to take advantage of the unlimited slices, although the salmon sashimi platter wasn't replenished anymore after our third trip. One thing to note in our lunch buffet at F is that drinks weren't free. Each buffet dining voucher comes with free coffee and tea though which the beau and I happily availed of.

THE VERDICT

While the food selection at Best Western Premier F1 Hotel's F restaurant is limited, less than what Deal Grocer had published, and very uninspiring, I can't deny that the courteous service from the hotel's crew won our hearts over. From the moment we stepped foot in the restaurant, during our meal, and even before we left, the servers at F were friendly and thoughtful in providing us a good dining experience. So although I'm generally disappointed by our lunch buffet trip to F, I am still hoping that Best Western Premier F1 Hotel will improve the selection in F's buffet spread. Maybe then, I might reconsider paying F restaurant a second visit.

Taste - 3/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 3.5/5
Deal Price - 3/5
Original Price - 1/5
Overall Value - 2.5/5

(Note: Overall Value rating is for the discounted voucher amount we paid.)

Buffet Rates:
Voucher Amount (Aug 2012) - P680
Lunch & Dinner (Aug 2012) - P1,088
With Free-Flowing Iced Tea:
Voucher Amount (Dec 2012) - P899
Lunch & Dinner (Dec 2012) - P1,468


F, Best Western Premier F1 Hotel Manila
32nd Street Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig City 1634
Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 928 9888; (02) 928 1888

42 comments:

  1. Quite sad. I think I'd rather go back to Sambokojin.


    http://www.dekaphobe.com/

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    1. Or even Yakimix actually. Both are better than what we had at F :(

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  2. Darn, well at least it was discounted. But yeah at least the one good take away was the courteous service :)

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    1. Even with the discount, it wasn't that worth it. But yeah, the service made the dining experience more bearable.

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  3. Their rates are pricey! Better go to Vikings! :D

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    Replies
    1. True! :) Vikings and Buffet 101 put up better buffet spreads. I'm just not sure if F has already been improved this time around.

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  4. It's been a year since I last visited F and they were newly opened then so its quite understandable that they had limited offerings... But, I'm saddened to see that their offerings has not improved and in fact, they discarded the jamon seranno, roast beef and suckling pig =(
    http://www.tsinoyfoodies.com/2011/11/lunch-buffet-at-f-restaurant-in-best.html

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  5. hay.. disappointed din tlga kami :( didn't bother to continue taking photos after our appetizers hahaha! :)hopefully they improved na since they are still offering deals to group buying sites..

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  6. It’s always awesome when you can not only be advised, but also entertained!
    Chairs for restaurants

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  7. Aww.. Di nga daw satisfied yung friend ko about dyan nung nagkwento sya.. Mas okay pa Tong yang and Buffet king.

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  8. This is why I don't buy coupons and often eat at buffet restaurants. My last buffet trip was Feb pa. Haha. Tagal!

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  9. para saakin kapag ganyan goodluck na lang kung magtatagal resto na ganyan sila din mawawalan ng cutsomers kng ano nakasulat sa voucher dapat tinutupad nakakalungkot lang =c

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  10. These things are usually a hit and miss thing, so it's fortunate that you were able to forewarn us. I hope they improve their selection soon. :)

    http://tastes-intentions.com

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  11. you would see me picking my wallet out of my pocket with that kind of buffet.
    I guess they have to be more consistent and parang wala silang signature dish na pupuntahan ng mga tao. I would risk my money for restaurant without consistency.

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    1. correction: what i mean was "you would not see me"
      -wala palang edit button hehehe =)

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  12. I actually thought they had a great selection like Vikings and Sambo. Well at least your shots of the pastries still makes me want to go :D

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  13. They really should comply to what they advertise if they want to maintain their good name.

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  14. Awesome looking photos! Too bad you didn't get as much as what was advertised. Hopefully they improve soon if they want to compete with the likes of Yakimix and Vikings.

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  15. paano pong limited? You are not allowed to go back and get another set of meals? I do think its a strategy of most buffets, And for the establishment here for example to serve meals that are dry, No taste, Salty, Hard meats just for meant to stop people from over consuming, Or para maumay.

    By the way, is Buffet101 better? Ive got a strict diet of no porks nor Beef,(white meats only) Will that establishment suffice?


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    1. Hey Kany, I used the word "limited" in a sense that there is less variety of food than what was advertised/promised. You can go back as many times as you want to get your 2nd, 3rd, and so on helpings. However, for the price, I think it was not that worth it.

      Please note though that we went to F a few months ago so our experience might not reflect what they offer now. But if your diet allows you to only have white meat, I suggest you try other restaurants :) Personally, I prefer Buffet 101 than F, but Buffet 101 offers a lot of dark meat too so your only choice would be their seafood items, chicken/duck, etc. :)

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  16. wow I think if the restaurant would read this in the future, they shud do an immediate action towards what happened to you guys! Coz customers only come ones and if it bad then they wont come back xx

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  17. Thanks for having this kind of food and restaurant review here sis. This doesn't mean they have to close, right? This will serve as their guide that once you are going to open a FOOD BUSINESS, prepare for criticism...GOOD or BAD.

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  18. I guess there is a reason why it is called F. It is sad how some hotels don't really look to make their restaurant buffets any good

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  19. Hmm to think that it came from Deal Grocer which I consider the luxury group buying website. I'm just hoping they would have improved by then.

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  20. Ohhh that is so depressing. Good thing that I was not able to purchase 4 vouchers for me and my close friends use.

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  21. hahaha... i would only try a restaurant with that food costs if i heard that their food tastes really great... otherwise, there's still thousands waiting. Yahweh bless.

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  22. personally, there are only a few restaus that cater great food choices plus the taste, that are in promo. This is why I dont expect much on buffets (especially if it's lesser than what people really pay). Hope the restaus offering great deals in discount sites do try their best to offer their customers the satisfaction they expect and deserve :) well sila naman din ang nagoffer ng discount not the people using it diba so it's not the consumers' fault na lesser ung pymt :)

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  23. madedesapoint talaga ako kung ganun lang ung Buffet nila, pero nung nakita ko ung menu or ung food na nasa picture. i think worth it naman un. Kasi nasanay lang tayo dun sa ibang Buffet na marami talaga ung choices dito kasi parang pa social ang dating :)

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  24. I was also going to try the deal at DealGrocer, but when I read this blog, I had second thoughts. Maybe next time, if I read more positive feedbacks, then I shall try their buffet at last. This is so sad.

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  25. Thank you for this post. We are actually planning to stay in this hotel, but after reading this post, I think we would dine outside when we stay here. their price is too expensive.

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  26. Now i Know !and to all deal online they should ensure that they fulfill whats on the voucher after they post their deals and to the merchant pls fullfill was on the voucher and still prioritize cause the voucher holders are still you customers!

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  27. Food doesn't look inviting..=(
    If I were here, I would have eaten only the maki's..=)

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  28. I was there over a year ago and it wasn't like that.
    http://www.foodiesgalore.info/celebrate-chinese-new-year-at-f-resto/

    But then, I went back in July '12, and yeah, they had limited the buffet. We didn't buy the groupon but in fact paid the regular amount and we were so disappointed too.

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  29. hey thanks for the post we wont try this either... hehe

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  30. awww! this is quite disappointing! just like you, i always have this urge to buy coupons from sites like Deal Grocer. THank God I still have self control.

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  31. For the price it can be really disappointing plus when it comes to buffet it should be overflowing .

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  32. I used to purchase coupons in ensogo and deals spot. Haven't actually experience this before. quite disappointing for it is not totally worth it.

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  33. overpricey for what they offer, and thanks for the review!

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  34. good thing you had made this review... stick kami ni pichi pichi sa sambokojin hehehe :) the only things that looked worth eating are the desserts. :)

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  35. maybe the price is not worth it if in original cost

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  36. http://ericjazfoodies.blogspot.com/2013/09/f-cafe-f1-hotel-manila-staycation.html#comment-form

    dito iba na ung foods at may head chef na :) good to know nagbagu na sya :D

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