Spectrum: Five Star Hotel Buffet with Guaranteed Freshness at Fairmont and Raffles Makati

Who would have thought that twin hotels Raffles and Fairmont Makati would emerge in the middle of the busy business district of Makati?  Located in these twin hotels is Spectrum, one of the newest hotel buffets in town.

Spectrum has a modern, classy and clean interior with its alluring drop lights and cozy dining fixtures.  The area is quite spacious affording its diners utmost comfort and privacy.
 

Spectrum is technically located in the Fairmont side but since Raffles and Fairmont are inter-connected, you'd hardly notice it.  

Food
While we were taking photos, we met Chef Gregory Georges who explained to us that Spectrum does not have any specialty dishes but instead they focus on offering freshness and quality.

Assorted Seafood Station

Assorted Seafood

Fresh Scallop, ♥ Smoked Salmon, Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce.

For starters, I got the some Fresh Scallop, Smoked Salmon, Shrimp with Cocktail Sauce from the Assorted Seafood Station.  Although they don't have oysters, what I got were really delightful.  I could taste the freshness of the sea in every bite.

Sushi Bar

Salmon Sashimi and Tako Sashimi

When we ordered a few slices of Salmon Sashimi from the Sushi Bar, we had no idea that they offered them in huge thick slices.  Look at the size of those!  But, the Salmon Sashimi and Tako Sashimi (octopus), tastes so fresh and sweet that we ate them with glee.  

Assorted Maki

They had a lot of variety when it comes to maki.  They had the all time favorites like the Spicy Tuna Maki, Spicy Salmon Maki, Crunchy Salmon Skin Maki, Salmon Belly Maki and Salmon California Roll Maki.  They also have special ones like the Maki Special of the Day which had avocado, fig, cheese and salmon.  We loved all the maki really!  The spicy taste of the Spicy Tuna Maki and Spicy Salmon Maki is at par with the top-notch authentic Japanese restaurants I've been to.  Moreover, you could tell upon first bite that the Crunchy Salmon Skin Maki and Salmon Belly Maki were freshly made.  But, we were most impressed by the Maki Special of the Day which was something new and interesting to our palate especially the chewy fig.

Bread Station

Bread Station

Their Bread Station had hard rolls, baguettes and even foccacia bread. 

Cheese and Cold Cuts

Assorted Cheese and Cold Cuts

They have a whole chiller full of cheese and cold cuts and their Prosciutto is freshly made.  So I got to try the Salami, Air Dried Beef and Prosciutto for the Cold Cuts.  As a cheese lover, I was satisfied to my hearts content with my Brie, Blue Cheese, Blue Pepato, Truffle Gouda and Port Salut.  There are also nuts and dried fruits available to eat with your cheese.  Again, they serve in generous portions as you can see by the huge slices of cheese. 

Chinese Cold Cuts

♥ Braised Suckling Pig and ♥ Peking Duck with Hoisin Sauce

The Braised Suckling Pig and the Peking Duck were cooked perfectly.  Every bite of the suckling pig resulted in a delicious crackle.  On the other hand, the Peking Duck was moist and tender.  You can also request the chef to make these into sushi for a whole new experience.


Mongolian Station

Mongolian Station

Unfortunately, we had to ditch the Mongolian Station to try their other extensive offerings.  They had more than the usual fare of sauces though which includes: Sweet Chili Sauce, Fish Garlic Sauce, Sesame Oil, Asian Black Bean Sauce and Soy Chili Sauce.

Next to this is the Noodle Station, Dimsum Station and Soup Station which we also were not able to try.

Main Course

Assorted Main Course

The servings of their main course are limited because they want to guarantee that its freshly cooked.  I think it makes sense since Fairmont has less than 300 rooms while Raffles has only a few suites.  While dining, we can't help but notice though that for a fairly new establishment, they have already gained loyal customers who are already well acquainted with their staffs and offerings. 

My Main Course

 For staple, I had the Kimchi Bokumbap accompanied by my viands of Gambas Al Ajillo, Asparagus Gratin, Orange Maple Glazed Pork, Mixed Vegetable, Cous-Cous and Buttered Vegetables.  Among these, my top picks would be the Kimchi Bokumbap, Gambas Al Ajillo, and Orange Maple Glazed Pork.

Carving Station

♥ Roast Beef and Salmon Quiche

On the Carving Station, they had Roast Beef and Salmon Quiche.  The Roast Beef beef was cooked medium rare so we had it cooked further and topped it with mushroom sauce.  This was tender and scrumptious!  The Salmon Quiche had moist chunks of salmon and mushrooms which I enjoyed very much.

Middle Eastern

Babaganush, Hummus and Pita

I like that they toasted the Pita before serving so its hot, soft and fresh. But, the Babaganush and Hummus failed to meet my expectations.

They also have a Tandoori Station which we overlooked and it was too late when realized it. 

Brick Oven Pizza
They cooked your pizza fresh upon request on their brick oven.  They offered a lot of variety and we wanted to try them all.  Good thing they had a mini size with four slices.  And, you can have different flavors per slice.  That's really awesome right? 
 

♥ Margharita, ♥ Four Cheese, Pepperoni and ♥ Seafood Carbonara Pizza (Counter clockwise)

The Seafood Carbonara Pizza was their Pizza of the Day.  The rest were their regular Classic Pizza variants.  All of them were really good.  Even for a mini, they don't scrimp on the ingredients.  You can taste the bold flavors especially with the Four Cheese Pizza.  I like their tangy red sauce base and the soft chewiness of the pizza dough too. 

♥ Salmon & Capers, Bacon & Parmesan, ♥ Anchovies & Olives and Parmaham & Capsicum Pizza (counter clockwise)

For their regular Special Pizzas, I'd say they were all delicious and bursting with flavors too.  It's been quite some time since I've had an authentic Italian Anchovies & Olives pizza too.

Fresh Pasta

♥ Spaghetti with Brocolli, Tomatoes and Almonds

I rarely go for pasta when dining buffet style because heavy on the tummy.  But, their display of freshly made pasta in interesting variants sparked my foodie enthusiasm.  They had two pasta of the day offerings: Spaghetti with Brocolli, Tomatoes and Almonds and Penne with Salmon Teriyaki Sauce.  Though oil-based which I'm not a fan of, I loved the Spaghetti with Brocolli, Tomatoes and Almonds because it was light, fragrant, zesty and nutty. 

Honey Station

Honey Station

This is my first time to see a Honey Station with real live busy buzzing bees.  Unfortunately, I was already stuffed upon reaching this section and its my policy to always save room for dessert so I had to content myself with a cup of Mascarpone topped with Pistachio and the Honey.  You can also use the honey to sweeten any dessert, drink or use it as a bread spread. 

♥ Mascarpone topped with Pistachio and the Honey

The Mascarpone topped with Pistachio and the Honey is something delightful and new to my palate.  I love how the silky sweet honey and the crunchy nutty pistachio complements the mellow taste of soft mascarpone.  

Dessert Station

Dessert Station

Honestly, at first glance, Spectrum didn't appeal to me to be as extensive as other buffets I've been to.  But, it felt like we've come from a long gastronomic journey before we reached the dessert station.

Mango Dessert Section

Mango Dessert Section

Spectrum wants to highlight the local tropical flavors so they have the Mango Dessert Section and their desserts have local fruits in them too. 

♥ Coffee Taho, Black Sesame Pudding, Mango Cheesecake and ♥ Chocolate Cheesecake

I've tried a lot of flavored taho before.  They were good.  But, in the end of the day, I'd still pick the plain one.  But, the Coffee Taho is certainly a game changer with its smooth aromatic blend.  The Black Sesame Pudding is an unconventional dessert because it tasted dominantly of unsweetened roasted sesame with raspberry syrup on top.  The Mango Cheesecake which I got from the Mango Dessert Station was delicious!  It had a light and silky texture and it was both sweet and tangy.   The Chocolate Cheesecake topped with fresh strawberry is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.  It was rich in taste but light and cocoa powdery in texture.  It's a one of a kind and a must try!

♥ Strawberry Mouse Cake and Tiramisu

The Strawberry Mouse Cake is definitely the best one I've tried!  It was not too sweet so it was able to highlight the natural fresh flavors of strawberries.  Even the texture is excellent!  It was soft, silky yet with a slight roughness and crunchiness from the strawberry seeds.  On the other hand, the Tiramisu is served at the right chilled and slightly soaked state with pleasing richness that would delight any coffee lover such as myself.

♥ Chocolate Calamansi Mousse and Mango Crumble

The staffs insisted that I try their specialty Chocolate Calamansi Mousse and Mango Crumble so I did.  The Chocolate Calamansi Mousse is a rave-worthy multi-layered cake!  It it topped with dark chocolate ganache followed by rich dark chocolate mouse, calamansi chiffon, dark chocolate mouse, calamansi jelly, calamansi mousse then rich dark chocolate mouse.  This is a must try!  On the other hand, the Mango Crumble is a baked crumble with fresh mango bits topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel syrup.  I enjoyed the crunch but found it a bit sweet for my taste.  Perhaps, more mangoes and less caramel syrup would bring it to a balance.  

New Zealand Ice Cream

New Zealand Ice Cream

Their ice cream section is filled with imported ice cream from New Zealand. This was actually the first that captivated me when I went in.  Ice cream has always been my comfort and pleasure food.
 
Crepe Station

♥ Banana, Mangoes and Mixed Berries Crepe topped with White Chocolate Raspberry Ice Cream and Pistachio and Almonds

They have a crepe station where you can choose your desired fillings between Banana, Mangoes and Mixed Berries.  The crepe expert suggested that a good combination would be Banana and Mangoes but I just wanted to try them all so I persuaded her to produced one with all three toppings.  The Crepe Station is just beside the Ice Cream Station so you can choose whatever flavor you like to be added on your crepe.  We had the White Chocolate raspberry Ice Cream as recommended.  They had all sorts of nuts and dried fruits for toppings too.
 
Although I've tried a lot of crepes, I've never been to a buffet that has met my preference which was similar to the ones offered by Cafe Breton.  Finally, I've found it here in Spectrum!  Their french crepes are light, soft and velvety.  Their toppings are not too sweet too.  I highly recommend this and I'll definitely have more of this on my next visits. 

Drinks

Complimentary Green Apple Flavored Water, ♥ Mango Ginger No' jito (300 php), Grapefruit Lemonade (300 php) and ♥Mango with Pandan Ice (from the Mango Station)

Spectrum offers a Complimentary Flavored Water that varies per day.  It is only available during lunch buffet.  We got to try the Green Apple Flavored Water which was refreshing.  You can also grab some Mango with Pandan Ice from the Mango Station which has milk, mango bits and topped with their special pandan ice.  

But, if you want to order something special, they have an extensive but a bit pricey drink menu. I really liked the Mango Ginger No' jito because it was a cool, refreshing and yet neutral drink.   And, they also have an exclusive selection of fine wines from their sommelier’s cellar. 

The buffet is also inclusive of coffee and tea.  

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Spectrum offers one of the finest buffet in terms of freshness and quality.  You're sure to leave this place stuffed and satisfied.  And, it will leave you wanting for more.  During our visit, we're informed that they will be having a weekend brunch with champagne offerings.  I'm really tempted to go back and try that.  It's great ambiance and location is one of its good selling points too. 

Tsinoy Foodies Review Rating		Spectrum Buffet Rates and Menu
Ambiance	★★★★★	Ala Carte Menu Buffet Rates: Breakfast - P 1450 NET* Lunch - P 1675 NET* Dinner - P 1995 NET* * inclusive of service charge and applicable taxes
Taste	★★★★★
Service	★★★★
Price	★★★
♥=Favorites or Recommended

Spectrum at Fairmont and Raffles
Business Address	Lobby Level Fairmont Makati, 1 Raffles Drive, Makati Avenue Makati City, Metro Manila
Business Hours	Breakfast                       Monday to Friday: 6:00 am - 10:00 am Weekends and Holidays: 6:00 am - 11:00 am Lunch                               Daily: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm Dinner Daily: 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Payment Options	Cash
Service Charge	10%
Budget/Person	700-2,000
Free WiFi	Yes
Unlocked Foursquare Perks	None
Contact	(02) 555-9888 ext 6840
Other	Email: dining.makati@fairmont.com Website | Facebook Fan Page

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