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!

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





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. 

Birthday Cakes by Iko's Breads and Cakes

I first saw Iko's bakeshop when we went to Kapitolyo, Pasig to dine at Three Sisters. They have a well-lit, attractive bakeshop that is hard to miss if passing by Kapitolyo's main gate. Curious of what's inside, I decided to pop in and see what is good to buy. That's when I learned that aside from specialty breads and pastries, they also customize cakes for birthdays and special occasions.

And so I now have another cake supplier that I can order from for the numerous occasions I organize and host - my kids' birthdays, office parties and family gatherings.

Their cakes are reasonably priced. For example, their doll cakes cost only Php499 each. While it's true that the doll cake is relatively small and I bet there's a thick styro beneath, it's still affordable.

I just had my first customized cake ordered from them for my son's 4th birthday celebration. I wanted a Minion themed cake but they refused to accept character cakes as they said they are not licensed to use the designs. It disappointed me a bit but I was also impressed that they are honest with their business.

As alternative, I chose race car design and requested for colors that would match minions. My plan was to buy minion toys and just put them as cake topper. I was thinking of the Minion Rush game in our tablets. Thankfully, it worked quite well and close to how I imagined it.

  

 My 10-inch round cake for my son cost me Php999. A bit cheaper than cakes by Layers and Layers which is just a few meters away from Iko's in Kapitolyo.

They used choco moist cake which is delicious and filling. I read from a few forums that Iko's cakes tend to harden when refrigerated which I agree but it's because the cake is really "full", not chiffon or mamon-type. It's more like a pound cake. All our guests love it, even my sister who ordered from Goldilocks ended up taking home a slice of Iko's cake (my son and my nephew had a joint party) as they liked it better than what they ordered for their son at Goldilocks.

Iko's Breads and Cakes Kapitolyo

6 East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City

Telephone No. 02 4743899 

Operating Hours: 8 AM to 8 PM

They are also located in various SM and Savemore Supermarkets.

Shakey's Kiddie Party - Not a Typical Fast Food Party

Fast Food chains are slowly becoming a popular choice for kiddie parties especially by parents who doesn't have the luxury of time to plan and the bulk of a moolah to pay for an extravagant birthday bash.

Now that we have 3 kids, I sort of consider myself very well versed in party planning so I thought I wouldn't spend so much now on by youngest child's birthday but still give her an unforgettable, fun and 'hindi mukhang tinipid' kiddie party especially that it's her first birthday.

We've attended dozens of kiddie parties in fast food chains like Jollibee, McDonalds, Burger King etc but the party at Shakey's stands out to me as good choice for a 1st birthday. First, my daughter is still too young to appreciate Jollibee and there's McDo at almost every corner of Metro Manila. I also read in another blog that Shakey's can serve the party food buffet style.

 

I checked various blogs before proceeding to a Shakey's branch so I already know that the buffet food is actually their Monster Meal Deal which they will serve buffet style. And why not, MMD is good for 10-12 people and contains all party food (pasta, garlic bread, chicken, mojos, pizza and drinks). It's a great deal for Php2079 (SC not included) per set.

I chose a branch with a Fun Zone area. Fun Zone is a small arcade where kids can buy tokens and play. As of this posting there are only 4 branches with Fun Zone - E.Rodriguez,  Katipunan, Quezon Avenue and Marcos Hi-way. We're from Rizal so Marcos Hiway was our branch of choice. It has a huge party area that can accommodate up to 120 guests. There's also ample free parking spaces around the branch.

The party themes available are Barney and Justice League, both of which did not appeal to me so I requested be allowed to create my own theme. This would mean I would drop their party amenities which includes game prizes and party give aways. Luckily, the agreed and wasn't charged a dime.

The money I saved for not getting the party amenities, I of course used to purchase our own game prizes, loot bags and other kiddie party ornaments bearing our own theme which is Tinkerbell. The staff still happily arranged them on a dressed table for the party and helped me with the setup.

 

 

They also provided the party host free of charge even though we did not avail the party amenities. The party host did a great job with the kids especially with the games. She basically ran the whole program.

 

I was also allowed to put my candy/dessert buffet to complement the Chocolate Fountain service that I booked (a partner of Shakey's). The dessert buffet and chocolate fountain were actually one of the best ideas I put for this party as it served as finger food for the guests, kids especially, while waiting for the meals to be served.

It's a bit tedious putting the candy buffet together and manage it while I host the party, but then that's the price I have to pay for wanting to have it DIY :) hehe. (Tips on how to setup your own Candy Buffet to follow).

So for those mommies out there who is considering Shakey's, allow me to enumerate what I think are the pros and cons of having your party there:


Pros

1. Just like other fast food chain kiddie parties, a Shakey's party is only for 2 hours. Best to plan the program neatly to maximize the time. If the store allows it, try to haggle for an extra hour especially if they don't have a booking after your party. You will be charged an extension fee of course (Php1000 at Marcos Hiway).

 

2. Unlike other fast food chain parties, Shakey's allowed us to serve the cake to our guests. In other words, di masyadong maarte. I heard other branches would ask for a waiver to be signed, but luckily for us at Marcos Hiway, this was never asked.

 

3. Fun Zone tokens are being sold at only Php10 each and can be used as prizes for games to those arcade addicts enthusiastic kids.

 

4. The food is good! The chicken parts are huge and crispy. The pasta are filling and you have 2 choices pa. Best of all, they now allow you to choose your pizza (because before they have only Pepperoni and Manager's Choice).

 

5. They are not too strict (at least at Marcos Hiway) and tried to accommodate all my requests, including additional balloons, additional dressed tables, party hour extension (must be made WEEKS before the party and not on the spot), photobooth service from a non accredited provider and many more!

Cons

1. The party themes at Shakey's are limited and lame. Justice League and Barney? Seriously? Haha. If only they can come up with better themes then I am sure clients would be availing more.

2. The Fun Zone can be both a blessing and a curse. From our experience, I felt the downside of the Fun Zone when the kids became very hard to coax to come into the party area and join the program. They are more interested in the arcade!

3. They have a mascot which nobody knows or even remember. I haven't met a kid who is aware of Shakey's mascot. Haha.

Party Venue: Village East Clubhouse

For Cainta residents looking for a great venue for weddings, debuts or birthday parties, the clubhouse of Village East Executive Homes offers 3 venues.

The cafe area (open air hall) at the ground floor can perfectly fit 80 to 100 guests and is great for semi formal and evening gatherings. It's comfortable even with just only the ceiling fans especially during late afternoon 'til evening.

the entrance

 

left side of the hall from entrance

  

center

right side of the hall from entrance...that door after the bar are the comfort rooms/toilets

corner area, view is the swimming pool

 

For larger parties, the Function Room at the 2nd floor can easily accommodate up to 200 people. It is fitted with enough air-conditioning units to keep the guests cool throughout the event. The room is also L-shaped which suits parties that need a separate area for photo booths, kiddie salon, and other whatnot.

For summer parties, the swimming pool area including the covered hall and tables can be reserved for 4 hours.

Best of all for this venue is that the staff at the Admin office are very accommodating and easy to talk to. Look for Nonet if interested.

Details here:

their flier is from March 2009 but these are the same rates when we had our party in December 2012.

 

Burger King Kiddie Party Package

Yes, you are reading this right. Burger King has joined the kiddie party bandwagon.

When my sister announced they will be holding her son's birthday party at Burger King, I frowned and thought she made a mistake and actually meant perhaps Jollibee or McDo or even KFC. But it's true, Burger King has kiddie parties too!

 

My sister was very happy with the party coordinator. Aside from hosting the party, she helped with the preparations, including the assembly of the loot bags.

They offer only one theme which is the Royal Party (aptly because BK wants to fit the party around the word King in their brand name). My sister wanted Cars theme instead and was allowed to bring her own loot bags and even the cake.

 

 

Note: They allowed the cake to be served but asked my sister to sign a waiver.

The food is just okay but if you are someone who is used to the taste of Jollibee Chickenjoy, you may find BK's fried chicken a bit bland and lacking despite BK being owned by Jollibee Foods too. The burger of course is really good but I must say it's not for kids as they put mustard dressing.

 

The party area is huge and there is sufficient space allotted for games and party activities (at least at Timog Branch). We love the simple balloon decor with swags too.

 

 

Food Packages are as follows:

 

Package 1 @ Php154/pax

1pc. Chicken w/ rice value meal (with drink)
Regular fries
Sundae

 

Package 2 @ Php 204/pax

2pcs. Chicken w/ rice value meal (with drink)
Regular fries
Sundae

 

Package 3 @ Php239/pax

1pc. Chicken w/ rice
Whopper Jr. value meal (with fries and drinks)
Sundae

 

Package 4 @ Php254/pax

1pc. Chicken w/ rice
Chicken sandwich value meal (with fries and drinks)
Sundae

 

Package 5 @ Php284/pax

1pc. Chicken w/ rice
Whopper Value meal (with fries and drinks)
Sundae

There's also a Php3000 fee for party amenities.

 

 

Shakey's Kiddie Party Package

It is very seldom that I am invited to a Shakey's kiddie party. If my memory serves me right, I've only attended 2 parties in Shakey's. The first one was my cousin's 1st birthday and the second was a birthday of a godson.

 

So yes, this was the 3rd time and a lot have changed in their party package since.

There are 2 themes to choose from: Barney and Justice League. Not much choice especially for girls who are more particular with parties.

On positive note, the giveaways/lootbag and game prizes are of good quality (not cheap-looking) and useful compared to the lootbag at Jollibee or McDonald which contain mostly small toys.
 

cupcakes are NOT from Shakey's, hehe

 

I love the Superman capes if you choose to have the Justice League theme. It's fun watching the kids excitedly wear their capes and join the games. Speaking of games, maybe due to the fact that hosting kiddie parties is not one of the key competencies of Shakey's, the party host is not that entertaining. She could further improve with training...maybe she needs to attend Jollibee parties.

 

 

 

For the food, below are the packages, but I also learned you can have food served buffet style. Just check with the branch for more details.

 

 

 

If I could give an unsolicited suggestion to Shakey's, I'd say they should give ample space for their party areas. The space was too limited (at Retiro Branch but I've also been to other branches) for the parlor games and other party activities.

 

For more party info based on personal experience on Shakey's, please click here.