RADISSON Blu Cebu’s premier dining restaurant Feria remains to be the most festive with the widest buffet selection in the city.
The huge area with a contemporary design has become a food destination with its long stretch of international food stations that include
Filipino, Japanese, Chinese and Asian choices, Indian, Mediterranean, Italian and Latino.
There is a different daily theme to satisfy discriminating palates.
My granddaughter Sophie’s birthday falls on Dec. 27. Since Makati-based Sophie is always home for the holidays, her birthday celebrations at Feria are actually becoming a tradition with the family.
With several other choices, Feria is always her preference. Aside from the variety of choices, she simply feels pampered by the service and friendliness of the staff. And I guess, the fascinating dessert buffet appeals to her.
Our first stop is usually the Japanese station prominently situated almost at the circumferential center of the spacious dining area.
Commis chefs freshly slice the freshtuna and salmon sashimi displayed at the counter.
An assortment of sushi or vinegared rice rolled with seafood, vegetables and tropical fruits are constantly replenished and served with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.
Asian salads on display with the assorted sushi are all refreshing.
After an exchange of holiday greetings with Executive Chef Roberi Kunitz, an accomplished German who has adapted beautifully to our country after marrying an Ilocana maiden from the north, I did a leisurely culinary walk to check out the stations with scrumptious international offerings.
The rest of the family ventured into the interactive stations of their liking. Chinese cuisine is one of my favorites.
The steaming crabmeat Xiao Long Bao eaten with black vinegar is very inviting while the roast duck and Char Siu (barbecued pork) look very tempting.
I asked Commis Chef Rolando Cabañero to slice a few pieces.
He also stir-fried clams, scallops and New Zealand mussels in chili and oyster sauce with a dash of black pepper. The shellfish was bursting with freshness in my mouth.
The Indian dishes, one of Sophie’s favorite cuisines, were just as interesting—Aloo Matar (a vegan Punjabi dish of peas and potatoes in tomato puree) and Mutton Rogan Josh (lamb curry with Kashmir peppers), Chicken Biryani with yogurt sauce and assorted chutneys. Naan Bread paired well with the dishes.
At our dining table, we checked out one another’s plates and sometimes envious of choices we may have missed.
The holiday roast turkey and pepper-crusted roast beef were stars at the carving station.
The Mediterranean and Italian dishes took a back seat for me then since I am not really a big eater, a good reason to make another trip to Feria.
From where we sat, we heard several birthday songs being sung for guests who, like us, were celebrating too.
A group of food attendants surprised Sophie with a birthday song and a lighted cake just when we were getting ready to make a trip to the dessert
station.
The very amiable Restaurant Supervisor, Alexine Almeda, volunteered to record the memorable celebration by taking our photos.
The delightful dessert buffet entailed several trips for all of us.
The homemade ice cream, vanilla and strawberry, was pleasingly light but flavorful. I made my choices: pomegranate-blueberry trifle, Italian cream cake and crepe tiramisu. The birthday celebration was deliciously happy befitting Sophie’s 16th!