Vikings Create Your Own Buffet at Home

Who else have not celebrated any of their special occasions at Vikings? It's the most popular restaurant for birthday celebrations for good reasons - the wide variety of food in their buffet spread, international selections from Japanese to Mediterranean cuisines, sumptuous desserts and unlimited drinks including beer.

 

But with the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in place, and I think well after the restrictions are lifted and we begin our new normal, we either have to cook or have food trays delivered for our small private celebrations. Sadly, buffet restaurants will have to step aside until a vaccine is found.

 

The good news is Vikings is also shifting their business to adapt to this challenging situation. They now accept food orders via home delivery service so we can create our own buffet at home for a price of only Php600 per head.

 

For a minimum of 5 persons, you can have:

 

 

Here's what our orders look like

 

Buttered veggies, mashed potato and paella
 

 

Main course -  Roasted Angus Beef Belly, Sliced Roasted Lamb and Binusog na Lechon. All cooked perfectly well and delicious.

 

Our other two main courses - Buttered Shrimp and Shrimp Tempura. The hakaw is from the appetizer selection.

 

 

From the salad selection, who chose Greek Salad and Macaroni Salad

 

Super sulit to have chosen this as one of the appetizers. Look at the generous serving...

 

Assorted cold cuts

 

Assorted maki and sushi - highly recommended!

I didn't take photos of the 2 cakes as our table is already full but we had the Macapuno Pandan and Purple Yam (ube) cakes.
 

If you are ordering for a birthday, just send the celebrant's ID to avail of the 4+1 Birthday Promo. It means you'll only be paying Php2400 for the 15 dishes they will be delivering.

Enjoy!

Party Venue : Mirea Residences Clubhouse

If not for an unfortunate double booking for my daughter's 7th birthday,  I wouldn't have found this beautiful party venue in Pasig City. This  DMCI residential development - Mirea Residences, is near Santolan train station and can easily be reached by guests either via public transport or by private car (plus points in accessibility).

Anyone familiar with DMCI properties would already expect first class amenities and plenty of open spaces. As expected, they have an a modern, beautiful clubhouse with a well-appointed function room.

This function room can comfortably accommodate up to 120 guests. It's new, polished and well maintained and exudes a hotel ballroom atmosphere.

The floor length drapes add a nice elegant touch to the venue. Setting up could be quite easy especially for simple christening celebrations that doesn't require a lot of decorations. The challenge, however, is for those who wish to put extensive ceiling decors like balloonderitas and swags as it's prohibited to stick anything to the ceiling.

Frankly speaking, the lights and chandelier, gives a hotel function feel and it might be better to use simple ceiling decors to complement what's existing.

Rental for this function room is at Php18000 for 4 hours use with additional 2 hours for ingress and an hour for egress. Sponsorship from a homeowner is required.

 

Note too that they are very strict with guests. A list have to be provided well in advanced and a copy is submitted to the security at the entrance. Guests not found in the list requires clearance from the party host prior to being let in the Mirea compound.

 

Parking spaces will be allotted but up to 10 cars only.

 

MIREA RESIDENCES

Amang Rodriguez Avenue

Santolan, Pasig City

Stunning Flower Cakes by MD Cakery

The centerpiece for all celebrations, be it a wedding, birthday, christening or anniversary, is the cake. In fact, sometimes having a cake is just enough to pull off a birthday surprise for your special someone.

So what better centerpiece to have but beautiful cakes adorned with flowers made with buttercream.

Each cake is a work of art and you'd probably find it too beautiful to slice and eat.

For kiddie parties and those who wish to do away with flower designs, MDCakery also makes themed cupcakes and equally stunning cakes of your preference.

MD Cakery's cakes are all cake, no styro (that's too many "cake" in one sentence haha) so you really get value for your money especially that each cake is made from high-quality ingredients.

MD Cakery by Maria Yna can be reached through Facebook through this link.

Party Venue: Delicere

Private and Intimate. Exact words to describe this beautiful venue in Marikina.

Delicere is a garden inspired café and restaurant in Marikina City. Outside the resto is their glass-enclosed events venue that is simple yet beautiful.

This cozy and charming function room can accommodate up to 50 persons only and is perfect for intimate gatherings like christenings and small family reunions. However, if you have up to 100 guests and is open for an outdoor party, they have the whole garden available for your exclusive use.

Perfect for day time parties but I bet this is equally stunning for evening affairs especially with their huge trees adorned with fairy lights.

 

Rental for the venue is free for a minimum consumable amount of Php50,000 for food and drinks. They have buffet menus to choose from and additional food may be ordered from their restaurant.

Party Venue : East Ortigas Mansions

Tucked  somewhere in Ortigas Avenue Extension in Pasig is a small and quiet low rise condominium community by DMCI named East Ortigas Mansions.

 

It's one of the first private residential communities developed by the Consunji-owned property developer and has the signature resort-type facilities like a huge pool, gym and of course, a club house.

 

East Ortigas Mansion's Clubhouse is an spacious venue ideal for children's parties and even debut celebrations.

It can comfortably accommodate up to 120 persons in a banquet setup.

 

They also have a Karaoke Room that can be added to the booking if you need a room to entertain VIP guests or an after-party entertainment.

 

There are also two billiard tables permanently setup and these cannot be moved and removed. Personally, I think this one of the disadvantages of this venue but if you are creative enough, this area can be used for candy buffet or dessert setup.

 



 

 

This venue can be rented for only Php13000 for 4 hours (plus 2 hours ingress, 1 hour egress). Homeowner's sponsorship or endorsement is required to be able to reserve.

 

East Ortigas Mansion, Ortigas Ave Ext, Brgy. Sta. Lucia, Pasig City

Telephone Number: 02-8655 4772

Halloween Party Food Ideas

Planning an office Halloween party and everything is just DIY? Here are a few food ideas.

Deviled eggs topped with creepy crawlers. There a lot of deviled egg recipes in the internet that you can use but the simple trick here is to source spider jellies to bring out Halloween feel.

 

My colleague who runs a small catering business on the side sells coffee jelly in shot glasses. They are always a big hit in our office parties so we decided to add this to our Halloween menu and just put worm jellies to "spice it up".

 

 

Another easy peasy finger food is quail eggs.  Just add a drop or two of red food coloring and you now have pierced eye-balls in your party spread.

Grilled and barbequed food are always a big hit so why not leverage on that by adding grilled goodies with a twist (chicken feet, pig's blood, chicken intestines).

In  any party, especially with limited budget, creativity is key.

Initimate Garden Parties at 14 Four Cafe

Who would have thought that a stunning garden party venue is tucked somewhere in the quiet neighborhood in Brgy. San Isidro in Taytay? The venue seems far but near enough to be reached by public transportation as it's close to Ortigas Avenue Extension.

 

14 Four Café is an small garden café owned by a family of furniture designers, hence, the beautifully crafted sofas and tables used the resto.

If you prefer an intimate In-Room dining party, their airconditioned dining room can accommodate up to 25 people. You'd be welcomed by uniquely designed furniture that would surely trigger those Instagram-worthy poses.



 For larger parties of up to 80 guests, the patio area is just as lovely. It's perfect for debuts, office events and even christening receptions.

14 Four Café can be booked for private events by simply availing of their party packages which come with consumable food and use of venue for three (3) hours.

 

 

For more details about 14 Four private functions, please visit their website here.

 

14 Four Café

144 Magnolia Lane, Barangay San Isidro,
Gregoria Heights Subdivision,
Taytay, Rizal

 

Open from Fridays to Saturdays 10am to 10pm

Sundays 10am to 9pm





A Museo Pambata Party

Who would think of holding a party in a museum? We all know how museums are like - no loud noises, hands off with all the display in the galleries and definitely extreme care must be observed when touring with children. Oh well, what if I say you can break all these rules and have a party in a museum?  

It's possible at Museo Pambata. The name itself suggests it's a children's museum showcasing exhibits that stimulate children's thinking and imagination.

There are 4 party venues at Museo Pambata: Multi-Purpose Hall (150 pax capacity), Karapatan Hall (120 pax seating capacity), Learning Room (180 pax seating capacity) and the Outdoor area. Amidst the busy schedule and last minute booking, my sister got lucky to be able to book the Multi-Purpose Hall.

Museo Pambata's multi-purpose hall is located outside the main museum, near the parking lot. It looks small from the outside but its 288 square meter size can easily seat up to 150 people. The front wall is fitted with floor to ceiling mirrors that create an illusion of extra space especially that the venue is rectangular and has pillars in the middle. It can be rented for 3 hours for a fee of Php15000. Renters may choose to add Php3000 (total rental cost of Php18000) to include 30 pcs of Museo Pambata's giveaway packs (coloring book, crayons, lanyard).

What's unique about having having a party at any of Museo Pambata's party venues is that there is a guided tour inside the museum for 50 of your guests. You can use the ticket as prize for the games, or for the early birds to your party.

For more details, please check their website. 

Museo Pambata Foundation, Inc.

Roxas Boulevard corner South Drive

Manila

Tel. Nos: 523-1797 to 98; 536-0595

Fax: 522-1246

Mobile No. (for Booking and Reservations) : +63 9183822212

Email: info@museopambata.org

Party Venue: Industria Marikina

I am excited to blog about Industriya Marikina although I haven't attended any events here. We had lunch at their posh restaurant and had the opportunity to view their events venue.

This impressive, fully air-conditioned venue that can accommodate from 150 up to 400 guests is located in the quiet neighborhood of Roxas Street in Calumpang, Marikina. The trip may be long and winding (but hey, just seek the help of Waze!) but it's all worth it.

Aiming for grand entrance to your debut? No problem. There are 2 staircase leading to the hall perfect for that precious moment. Oh did I mention that there's a suite room provided for the celebrant which leads to one of those staircases? 

Aside from the easy-to-decorate-venue (imagine all the swags you can put from that high ceiling), what's great about this venue is that it's FREE! Just avail of any of their menu packages starting at Php495 per head (minimum of 50pax) and you got yourself a beautiful party venue complete with buffet setup, tables and chairs and basic decorations according to your color motif.

As with the food, Industriya Marikina is a one of the most popular dining place in Marikina so just read up reviews and you be the judge. 

Note: Ample parking spaces are provided inside Industriya compound.

Industriya Marikina Restaurant and Events Place
23 M.A. Roxas Street
Calumpang, Marikina City
Tel No. 02-9048372

Party Venue: PBA Cafe

If you are looking for a venue for your sports-themed party, there is no place more perfect than PBA Cafe.

PBA Cafe (formerly Elbow Room) is a spacious bar and restaurant with 450-seating capacity (600 maximum). Diners can enjoy watching live basketball (and replays) games from the 50 television units installed all in all nooks and corners of the resto.

There are also 'pop-a-shot' stations that guests can enjoy for only Php5 per game. No drama for tokens. 

Not satisfied with pop-a-shot? Sweat it out some more in their half court which can be rented for only Php50 for a 12-minute game.

The resto-bar is not only perfect for sports themed parties. Rock Star kiddie celebrations will surely be a hit, too, as PBA Cafe as a nice setup stage complete with band equipment and impeccable sound system.

For small parties and private functions, PBA cafe has VIP rooms that could accommodate from 20 to 40 guests. Each room has a videoke system.

Governor's Room, good for 25 to 40pax, Table setup and elegant chafing dish are all by PBA Cafe

The large private room can be had for only Php18,000 of consumable food and drinks from their Ala Carte menu. This is already good for 6 hours exclusive use. What I did for my daughter's party was to I requested for the food I ordered from Ala Carte to be served in chafing dishes, buffet style. Note that 3 days advance order is required. 

For parties at the main hall or dining area, there are buffet packages to choose from or you can have your menu customized. They are very flexible with your requirements.


PBA Cafe 
2nd Floor, Metrowalk Commercial Complex, 
Meralco Avenue, Ugong, 
Pasig City
02 5858696
Open from 4pm to 2am

Kenny Rogers Roasters Parties and Celebrations

They are popular for their roasted chicken and lip-smacking, tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs but I seldom encounter friends who have attended a Kenny Rogers' birthday party. Suffice it to day, my impression is that parties are not yet their cup of tea.

But I guess I was wrong. Kenny Rogers' parties can readily compete in the kiddie party arena. In fact, because Kenny Rogers has a more extensive (and adult) menu compared to other fast food restaurants, they are also ideal for christening/baptismal receptions, seminars and other functions.

In fact, my sister chose Kenny Rogers' for my niece's first birthday celebration as she wants to balance good food (not fastfood) and a fun theme party for her daughter.

game prizes

Party amenities such as balloons, birthday banner, invites, name tags and party hosting are included in the Kiddie packages starting from Php9,400 for 30 kids. Adult meal packages are also available from Php280 per person. You may also opt to customize the meals.

Adult food is served buffet style while the kids get plated meals, not in styro which is more 'appealing'.

My sister was also allowed to bring our own cake (and serve it too) as well as setup a dessert counter.

They also have packages for baptisms that start from Php14,850 for 30 persons covering food and amenities (free use of function room, balloons, invitations, backdrop, giveaways and Thank You cards).

Overall, I would recommend Kenny Rogers as a party venue especially for practical mommies who want to serve good food both for adults and kids guests and still have a fun, party atmosphere. The only downside I can think of is they have limited branches that accommodate parties and also they don't have a mascot.