Edsa Shangri-La’s Heat buffet restaurant have always been one of my few choices for special occasion dinners. This year though, Heat stepped their game up as they revealed a special buffet menu which have Wagyu beef as the star – Mad for Wagyu which is available every Saturday of this year.
Intendedly, we showed up for Mad for Wagyu on February 13th, Valentine’s eve. We came at around 6:45 to 7:00 and the place is already half-full for dinner.
Wagyu Pao Bun
Its basically your asado flavored steamed siopao with more than just juicy pork but with fat wagyu beef stuffing.
This is one of my favorite dishes that they served that night; I think it was the only Wagyu dish that they served right that night.
Wagyu Xiao Long Pao
Who ain’t a fan of the juicy Xiao Long Bao? And then stuffing it with ground Wagyu beef. It feels as if heaven came down and let everything on fire. Apparently, it was not. The dish came out around 8pm on the buffet menu; we were at least 85% full from the other offerings, so I sacredly took two pieces and spooned each piece into my mouth.
It tastes like a regular Xiao Long Pao. Nothing more. Nothing less. Underwhelmed with this dish.
Wagyu Sushi
Cheesy Gyu Sushi and another wierd tomato slice topped sushi.
Both were okay and were not great; but if you will be going around the Japanese section anyway, get a plateful of fresh salmon and tuna.
Wagyu Steak Cannelloni
One of those dished that you would’ve love if it’s not for it’s under-preparedness. The pasta rolls is tough, feels like it’s outright uncooked.
But the meat and sauce was great, so I left the past and just ate the ground meat straight. Again, would’ve been great…
Wagyu Beef Brisket
Another nice dish they had for the night. Especially when you get a the “litid” part. Ohh so soft….
Wagyu Shawarma
And then there was this. We were looking for at least a decent flavor from the shwarma stand, with the beef melting in our mouth. But then again, another huge disappointment. The shawarma tasted like garlic sauce and onions.
And rather than serving it freshly sliced from the shawarma griller, they have pre-sliced meats on a bowl mixed with the sauce and had some of the customers just scooped out pieces onto unwarmed white buns (not even pita bread). Some were too special to get up and wait in-line like everyone else so the shawarma server will always be out of his station serving these “important” guests.
Wagyu Rib Eye Steak and Round Steak
These were supposedly the main dishes of the evening. Was looking for succulent, juicy wagyu meat but was disappointed at the end.
Don’t get me wrong they were juicy and delicious but they just did not lived up to my Wagyu experience expectations.
With 20 to 30 people lining up at around 10 to 20 minutes of queuing to get slices of these, you better get your plate full before coming back to your table. I had around 2 slices of each and by the time I got to my second to third slice, it was already cold; I did not even finished my fourth slice of Round stead as it was very unappetizing to eat.It wasn’t well seasoned as well.
Wagyu Steak Tartare
One of the few dishes I enjoyed. Although served raw with different condiments like egg, it was very peppery and that’s how I like my meat.
You can’t eat alot of this though as they are again raw and you don’t want your stomach getting upset after this meal.
Mussels
You have your seafood that has mussels, crab, and prawns re-cooked with a hefty amount of butter and garlic.
As I was allergic to anything crustaceans; I just had buttery mussels to for my seafood serving for the night.
Churros
Definitely something worth picking up from the dessert section. I plead you to leave some room for this as it is all worth it! Instead of the regular chocolate dip they come with, you have a selection of Strawberry syrup, I think mine was maple syrup.
What we missed
Wagyu Taco – Wasn’t really keen on getting a Wagyu taco. I don’t think I’ll get any Wagyu experience from the ground beef, tomatoes and onions.
It might be just a crunchy version of the underwhelming wagyu shawarma.
Wagyu Beef Jerky – I was looking for this one. I never found it! Damn you Heat buffet!
Fruits, crepes and cakes– They had fresh yellow watermelons; I was so full I resisted to get from both the fruits and cakes section.
Noodles – I read that they had Wagyu ramen….. Didn’t saw one available…
Some other chinese food like soy chicken and roasted duck – I came here for the sashimi and the Wagyu. So I didn’t bother to check up on these.
The Verdict
For 2,415Php – It’s a nice dinner date and the buffet selection is as extensive as you want to get. But if you were expecting a full soft and juicy wagyu experiece; you may want to go elsewhere. They could however, step up their Wagyu game if any of the Heat’s management is listening. It might help to have two different carving stations just to get the queue halved and please try to complete all Wagyu meals before sitting begins; especially for a dining event aptly named, Mad for Wagyu. If I weren’t craving for Wagyu meat; I might be better of getting a reservation down at Sofitel.
Also, we got to spin the wheel of prizes that they have after eating our meals. We won 2 complimentary beertails ( I presume these are expensive beer beverages they have in stock .) They told me I could avail of my prize on my next visit; but they could not answer if I need to be dining with them again (I won’t pay 2,415Php again just to claim my prize). They told me they will be contacting me for more details, but three days have passed and I haven’t heard a word from them.
I expected a better customer service from such a high-end and expensive institution.
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