Marco Polo Ortigas brings a taste of Switzerland to their all day dining outlet, Cucina. The All Things Swiss Food Festival will run until Sept. 4, 2016 and is available for both lunch and dinner service. Chef Rolf Jaeggl of Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel started the festival on Aug. 19 but had to go back to HK so has left it in the capable hands of Chef Uri. The buffet is priced at P1,500 for lunch and P1,800 from Monday to Thursday, P2,300 for lunch and P2,650 for dinner from Friday to Sunday.
This was my first time to visit Cucina, my other visit was to dine at Lung Hin. The restaurant is located on the 24th floor, adjacent to the check in counters, so you have great views sitting by the windows. I did a once around the whole buffet spread before getting my choices. Cucina’s buffet spread is not the biggest, but it is well curated.
Bread and cold cuts are in a separate circular area, partially hidden by dividers.
Appetizer and salad spread. I enjoyed the cold lobster salad in a shot glass. I also got a plate of fresh oysters, just squeezed a little lemon and it was heaven.
In my opinion, the weakest part of the buffet and the one that needs improvement is the Japanese station.
The Chinese noodle station is very well stocked with 4 noodle choices and a bunch of toppings. Irene enjoyed it a lot.
I focused on the Pasta station instead after seeing spicy salted egg cream sauce. I had a plate of delicious Farfalle in salted egg cream sauce, the spiciness is well balanced by the salted egg cream sauce and coats the pasta well. You can stick to more traditional carbonara, bolognese or tomato sauce if salted egg is not your thing.
If you like things grilled you can have a go at the Grill station. I recommend the Pork with Leeks and Lemongrass Beef, which are both constants. The ones that change daily are the seafood choices, we had squid and snapper that day.
They position the Swiss dishes right smack in the middle of the buffet spread. My favorite was the red cabbage slaw and the leek and potato stew. What drew me to the stew was the sausage and ham, but I late found out that the star of the dish was hidden below. I appreciate them collecting all the appetizers and main dishes for the festival in one place.
The mainstay of their carving station is the rib-eye but during weekends, a whole cochinillo and a fresh carved tuna joins it on center stage.
In the desserts area, there are a few Swiss dishes to complement their regular offerings, there is also another are of cakes and ice cream.
All Things Swiss
Cucina, Marco Polo Ortigas, ManilaMeralco Avenue cor. Sapphire Road, Ortigas Center
Pasig City, Philippines
Contact No. (632) 720-7777
Facebook Page: Marco Polo Ortigas Manila
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