Spanish Cuisine has always been a family favorite.  The family is a purist when it comes to things.  we always opted for authentic and traditional rather than modern and fusion.  And when searching for authentic and traditional Spanish cooking, you can start your list with "A" for Alba Restaurante Español.  


Although Alba is one of the first Spanish restaurants we've tried and frequented as a kid, we haven't tried it since the branch near us closed down.  So when we had dinner at House of Wagyu Stone Grill, we planned to dine there at the Prism Plaza branch for a lunch buffet which was fortunately materialized a few months ago.

I noticed that it has maintained its classy baroque-styled ambiance.   Red is the predominant color that of the place.  Staffs are also matching that color motif.  At night, it offers a romantic setting with its dim lighting and candle lighting.

It has a chiller where they display chilled wine, cold cuts and sausage similar to that of a typical deli.

They also sell whole cakes too.

The buffet table is found at the end of the room which makes it visible from the entrance still.  The dishes are organized from appetizer to main course and there is separate section for desserts. 

Food

Tabla de Embutidos

They offered an assortment of their home-made cold cuts: Pamplona, Mortadela, Salchichon. 

Quesadilla

I'm really impressed with their organized system and monitoring of the dishes.  Plates are rarely empty and the dishes are freshly cooked.  The Quesadilla was crunchy in every bite.

Spread

They offered a variety of spread to match their pastries.  I enjoyed the prawn spead the most.

Escalivada

The Escalivada is roasted vegetables with anchovies.  Perhaps this is the one of the rare circstumances where I'd say skip the veggies for the more sinful ones.

Croquetas de Pollo, Almejas al Horno and Albondigas de Vaca

I enjoyed these three especially the Croquetas de Pollo.  Too bad, I had to save some space for the rest.  Otherwise, I would've loaded up with these.
 

Lenguado Meuniere and Pollo Frito

The Lenguado Meuniere is dowry fish.  Though the blend is right, I'm just not really a fan.  I found nothing special with the Pollo Frito which is their version of fried chicken. 

Steamed Vegetables and Lenguini Carbonara

I got some veggies and tried the Lenguini Carbonara.  But, I think the right move should be skip the pasta for the paella. 

Lengua Sevillana and Callos a la Madrileña

These two are my all-time favorite Spanish viands!  You can imagine my excitement upon seeing these. 

Cochinillo Asado

According to my family, the ones they got had crunchy skin and tender meat.  But, mine wasn't. =( 

Paellas

Paella Valenciana

I'm a huge fan of the flavorful paellas.  The Paella Valenciana is a carb dish, I would never regret having.  Every spoonful of it is a blissful moment for me.


Postres

Flan al Caramelo

What I Had

Upon being seated, we were served prawn bisque which was delicious!

My Appetizer Plate

My Main Course

My Dessert Plate

I usually stay away from meringue cakes because I find them too sweet.  But, Alba's Canonigo is now my favorite!  Ooh... it's soft and mellow fluffiness is simply delightful.  The Tarta de Chocolate Al Cointreau is dark and rich with a pleasant hint of orange liquor.  The Maja Blanca and Lemon Square, does not disappoint too.

My Fruit Plate

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
We really enjoyed our lunch buffet at Alba Restaurante Español.  The offerings may not boast of quality, but quality is assured.  Considering that Spanish cuisine is usually at a higher range than others, the ambiance and service, I'd say the price is worth every peso.  Their service is top-notch.  Upon being seated, we were quickly served our soup, our glasses were filled with water, and we were assisted with our napkins.  The empty plates were cleared as soon as we leave the table for another helping too.

Despite it being my finals week, I just couldn't say no to my mom's bright excitement to watch Pyromusical Competition while dining at Movie Stars Cafe.  After almost two hours of lining up for a parking slot, we reach made our way to Movie Stars Cafe which had closed their doors and were declining to take in more clients.  Fortunately, we somehow managed to get in.  


The Movie Stars Cafe is difficult to miss with its huge lighted sign and the large crown peeking through its glass windows.  The movie geek in us were all squealing with glee.

King Kong

 Even outside, they have this large King Kong display.

Jack and Sally of Nightmare Before Christmas

As its outside centerpiece, there is a display of Jack and Sally of Nightmare Before Christmas. Seeing this reminded me of the time I watched this Tim Burton movie with my siblings and cousins when we were little kids.  

Spider-Man

As expected from a  movie memorabilia studio,there are life-sized statues of your favorite movie characters like Spider-Man.

Movie Posters and Memorabilias

The dining area is really grand.  There are tv screens everywhere.  It shows only three channels though.  The orange cozy seats, the costumed servers, posters, life-sized statues memorabilia transports you to a whole new world indeed.

They also have an al fresco area.  They have a separate buffet table and stage there too.

The Joker from Batman: The Dark Knight

Here's The Joker, a role excellently played by the late Heath Ledger.  He may have been gone, but his character is pretty much alive in our memories right?

Batman from Batman: The Dark Knight

C-3PO from Star Wars

My family is a huge Star Wars fan.  We must have watched a marathon of the two trilogies at least twice after seeing them in the movies.  C-3PO has consistently appeared on all of them.  The details of this C-3PO is impressive. 

Iron Man Mark VI Armor from Iron Man 2

The  life-sized Iron Man Mark VI Armor from Iron Man 2 brings back memories of Tony Stark scenes where Robert Downey Jr. excellently displayed his character of being cool and bad-ass right?  

Shrek

And, who doesn't love Shrek?  It's one of the most memorable fun and entertaining animated films of all times.  The movie made use of various kinds of humor that will certainly leave you bursting in laughter.

Spider-Man from Spider-Man

This Spider-Man is from the Spider-Man movie of 2002.  I personally prefer this over the new costume in The Amazing Spider-Man Movie.

Sandtrooper from Star Wars IV: A New Hope

Basing on its armor, this is a Sandtrooper from Star Wars IV: A New Hope.  A Sandtrooper is a  Stormtrooper in that are specialized in dessert environments since they are equipped with cooling systems.  Thy can be distinguished from the Stormtroopers by their pauldron on their right shoulder, chest armor and diamond kneeplate.   

Movie Stars Cafe Performance Show

Watching the Movie Stars Cafe Performance Show while enjoying your meal is an awesome experience.  All the servers are called to the stage and they will performed dance numbers.  They are very lively so its fun to watch.  There are over 30 servers in costume out there.  There's Optimus Prime from Transformers, V from V for Vendetta, Spider-Man, Snow White and more.  

After the show, the large screen is turned on and there is also a live band on the side by the bar. 

Servers
I tried to capture some shots of the servers.  They were very friendly and accommodating when it comes to photographs.  

Gingerbread Man

Captain America

Food


Dino Buffet (699 php from 6-9pm)
Everyone is availing the Dino Buffet so we went for it too.

Pastries

Sausages

Burgers

Salad

Dessert

My Plates

Main Course

The salad is fresh so its pretty good.  The burger has got to be the worst I've ever tried.  It doesn't even taste like meat.  I really wished I skipped it.  I've had four types of sausages.  Some were good while some were so-so.  My steak was tough but according to my family, you can request a newly cooked batch so its tender and juicy.  The breaded chicken fingers and the fish fillet were also okay.

Dessert

I got everything from the dessert selection.  The Banana Cake was good.  The cakes are random.  The Chocolate Munchkin was okay.  The Jelly with Corn was pretty good.  But if you want to play it safe, I'd go for the Fresh Fruits.


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Movie Stars Cafe and Restaurant is a fun place to be.  The friendly and lively staffs as well as the grand movie memorabilia studio and dining area is superb.  The food is quite pricey for its so-so quality but I think its worth it because along with that price is the awesome experience.  If you think about it, its like paying for the an entrance to a performance show, live band, museum plus you get to dine and have fun.