New buffet experience at Basix

Jeera Meera grilled lamb chops with basmati rice, grilled tomato and onion

With the recent trend of buffet-style dining on the rise, it’s hard to figure out which restaurants are actually worth spending on. Some, if not most, offer huge selections of colorful but bland and tasteless canapés that are meant more for Instagram posts than a gourmet dining experience.

Basix at Dusit Thani Manila revolutionizes the concept of buffet dining. The award-winning all-day restaurant lets you take control and have your meals prepared exactly how you want them. Gone are the days of painstakingly waiting in a long line only to be underwhelmed by the cold, dry, and unappetizing food on the main course table.

You can take a culinary road trip at Basix. Sample their extensive carte du jour of assorted salads, cheese, soups, and carvery that can satisfy even the most discerning of tastes. The restaurant’s modern and cozy ambience will definitely set the mood for a grand dining experience like no other. Basix’s well-trained staff will make you feel like royalty with their sincere hospitality and excellent service.

After indulging in their heavenly appetizers, you can enjoy lunch or intimate dinner and order your main course a la carte. Dusit Thani Manila’s dedicated team of expert culinary chefs specially curated Basix’s exceptional a la carte menu. Each dish is masterfully prepared fresh and to perfection. Unlike other buffet restaurants where the main course has already been sitting on the smörgåsbord table for quite some time and with other guests picking and prodding onto them, Basix’s a la carte dishes come out fresh, tasty, and exquisitely prepared. You can sit back and enjoy the company of your friends and loved ones with a glass of imported wine while Basix’s skilled chefs carefully craft one-of-a-kind meals for you.

Try their Kare-Kareng Bagnet—the crispy slices of pork blend deliciously with the dreamy, creamy peanut sauce and is served on a bed of fluffy, steaming rice. Their mouthwatering Lamb Kofta Curry and Chicken Tikka Masala beautifully capture the unique flavors of India and their grilled Baby Back Pork Ribs and garlic Mashed Potatoes will instantly transport you to a swanky restaurant in New York.

After enjoying your superb main course, you can still treat yourself to Basix’s amazing dessert spread. The restaurant’s decadent dessert table is every sweet tooth’s dream. The lush chocolate fountain, rich pastries, and sticky native sweets will have you craving for seconds. At Basix, you can definitely have your cake and eat it too.

Basix is one of the leading interactive buffet restaurants in Metro Manila. The restaurant is one the first to introduce this new semi-buffet concept of dining where guests have more freedom to choose which dishes they want to relish but still sample and delight in the restaurant’s extensive buffet banquet. This allows guests to have the best of both worlds and fully enjoy all of the restaurant’s offerings.

You can enjoy the Salad & Dessert Buffet for PHP 975++ and includes coffee, tea, and soft drinks. For only PHP 1,450++, you can experience the ultimate dining experience with a buffet spread and your choice of Chef’s a la carte masterpiece. Dusit Thani Manila’s Basix is open from Monday to Sunday for lunch and dinner.

New buffet experience at Basix

Jeera Meera grilled lamb chops with basmati rice, grilled tomato and onion

With the recent trend of buffet-style dining on the rise, it’s hard to figure out which restaurants are actually worth spending on. Some, if not most, offer huge selections of colorful but bland and tasteless canapés that are meant more for Instagram posts than a gourmet dining experience.

Basix at Dusit Thani Manila revolutionizes the concept of buffet dining. The award-winning all-day restaurant lets you take control and have your meals prepared exactly how you want them. Gone are the days of painstakingly waiting in a long line only to be underwhelmed by the cold, dry, and unappetizing food on the main course table.

You can take a culinary road trip at Basix. Sample their extensive carte du jour of assorted salads, cheese, soups, and carvery that can satisfy even the most discerning of tastes. The restaurant’s modern and cozy ambience will definitely set the mood for a grand dining experience like no other. Basix’s well-trained staff will make you feel like royalty with their sincere hospitality and excellent service.

After indulging in their heavenly appetizers, you can enjoy lunch or intimate dinner and order your main course a la carte. Dusit Thani Manila’s dedicated team of expert culinary chefs specially curated Basix’s exceptional a la carte menu. Each dish is masterfully prepared fresh and to perfection. Unlike other buffet restaurants where the main course has already been sitting on the smörgåsbord table for quite some time and with other guests picking and prodding onto them, Basix’s a la carte dishes come out fresh, tasty, and exquisitely prepared. You can sit back and enjoy the company of your friends and loved ones with a glass of imported wine while Basix’s skilled chefs carefully craft one-of-a-kind meals for you.

Try their Kare-Kareng Bagnet—the crispy slices of pork blend deliciously with the dreamy, creamy peanut sauce and is served on a bed of fluffy, steaming rice. Their mouthwatering Lamb Kofta Curry and Chicken Tikka Masala beautifully capture the unique flavors of India and their grilled Baby Back Pork Ribs and garlic Mashed Potatoes will instantly transport you to a swanky restaurant in New York.

After enjoying your superb main course, you can still treat yourself to Basix’s amazing dessert spread. The restaurant’s decadent dessert table is every sweet tooth’s dream. The lush chocolate fountain, rich pastries, and sticky native sweets will have you craving for seconds. At Basix, you can definitely have your cake and eat it too.

Basix is one of the leading interactive buffet restaurants in Metro Manila. The restaurant is one the first to introduce this new semi-buffet concept of dining where guests have more freedom to choose which dishes they want to relish but still sample and delight in the restaurant’s extensive buffet banquet. This allows guests to have the best of both worlds and fully enjoy all of the restaurant’s offerings.

You can enjoy the Salad & Dessert Buffet for PHP 975++ and includes coffee, tea, and soft drinks. For only PHP 1,450++, you can experience the ultimate dining experience with a buffet spread and your choice of Chef’s a la carte masterpiece. Dusit Thani Manila’s Basix is open from Monday to Sunday for lunch and dinner.

Benjarong Royal Thai Restaurant

A stay at the Dusit Thani Manila wouldn’t be complete without eating at their Benjarong Thai restaurant. So far, I’ve eaten in Dusit’s Tosca Italian Restaurant and UMU Japanese restaurant. The latter remains my favorite but I guess it depends on the person’s taste :)

The resto has “stately” interiors and evokes formal fine dining. What greets diners upon entering are these attractive, different sized porcelain ware hanging on the wall. Benjarong literally means “five colors.”

Benjarong, Dusit Thani Manila

Benjarong, Dusit Thani Manila

When it comes to the food, honestly am now more biased to the homegrown Thai restaurants that dot the metro. Good Thai food isn’t just limited to these five-star hotels. But I have to say the pad thai at Benjarong bowled me over. I would have been turned off if this was sweetish (like it tastes in some restos) but how it was seasoned & the flavors all blending together were just perfect!

Pad thai at Benjarong

What would Thai cuisine be without curry? The yellow chicken curry was good, with just the right kind of spiciness. I wonder if they adjust the flavors to suit the Filipino taste.

Thai curry

Another Thai classic that shouldn’t be missed is the Crispy Catfish Salad. I call this the “Di Ko Mawari” (I Can’t place this) Salad because of the contrasting textures & flavors – sour,sweet,salty, spicy etc. Weird but good…in fact, addicting!

Crispy catfish salad

The stir-fried kailan with salted fish was delightful to eat. For a while there, I thought I was enjoying some healthy Chinese food.

Benjarong

Another interesting dish: deep-fried dried shrimps with shallots & herb sauce in pastry cups. Eyecatching presentation, but I’d rather stick with the popular Thai cuisine classics.

Thai food at Benjarong

Marjorie and I were laughing that the pomelo salad disappeared from our sight before we could even taste it. Maybe because they ordered one salad to to share among 16 persons? LOL.

Pomelo salad

So okay, my dinner mate was not Marjorie Barretto but Marjorie Uy, the better half of Jonel… they’re a blogging husband-and-wife team.

Me, Marjorie, Jonel

It was just as good that the pomelo salad disappeared. We were too full to eat the rest of the food….these are the not-too-outstanding ones from the menu.

Baked pork spare ribs with pineapple. Am really not too fond of dishes with pineapple (except Jollibee’s Amazing Aloha!)

Thai food at Benjarong

Steamed mussels with lemon grass and basil leaves.

Benjarong

Dessert: Ripe mango with sticky rice.

Mango with sticky rice

Benjarong Royal Thai Restaurant
Mezzanine Level
Dusit Thani Manila
Ayala Center, Makati City
Philippines
Tel. No. 867-3333 ext 3351

Staycation at the Dusit Thani Manila Club Floor

I pass by the Dusit Thani Manila every time I go to Glorietta and have always meant to experience it. During the recent Unboxed 2013 event, Samsung made it possible for me by hosting a short staycation, and I chose my darling daughter as companion. We were there for something like less than 24 hours, but still it was worth it

Expectedly, The Daughter loves being in a new environment and jumped & lay on the bed as soon as we got in :)

Lucia at Dusit

Considering that I was in another hotel a few days before (the Peninsula Manila), the Dusit Club Deluxe room (about 30 sq.m., $200++ a night) paled in size. It wasn’t really that spacious. There was a bath tub and it looked kinda old too. But I guess that particular room was meant to suit one able-bodied business traveller. If you’re checking in as a family, better settle for the one-bedroom Executive Suite.

When in hotels, I prefer being in the Club Floor because of its advantages. At a little extra cost, it means you get Express Check-in & Check Out, plus cocktails/ refreshments are available any time of day at the Club Lounge for free.

The lounge in Dusit Thani Manila is really elegant. The cocktails are dominated by Asian food (this is, after all, a Thai hotel chain) but I’d advise you to order the Fresh Orange Juice at the bar too.

Dusit Thani Mla

Photo of the Club Lounge during daytime. Tastefully-furnished interiors all over the place.

Dusit Club Floor

Back to the room details, what the room lacked in size, it made up for its amenities.

L’Occitane toiletries in the bathroom.

Toiletries at Dusit Thani Manila

The coffee & tea-making facility had TWG tea

Dusit Thani Manila

DFit is the name of the hotel gym. Membership is open to outsiders (read: not only hotel guests)

DFit

Outside the gym are the swimming pools which had a resort theme. But too bad we didn’t bring our swimming outfits.

Dusit Thani Manila

For breakfast, we had the choice of eating at the lounge again or at Basix, their ground floor buffet restaurant. I chose the latter just to have a fuller meal to start the day.

Basix Restaurant

The juice station had wheatgrass drink – the green-colored one on the right. It’s something I don’t always see in hotels.

wheatgrass

Interesting text on the hotel’s key card holder. Well maybe if I was on a honeymoon, it would be heaven on earth :)

Dusit

Dusit Thani Manila
Ayala Center, Makati City
Philippines
+63 (2) 238 8888