8 ways to enjoy new buffet place The Pantry

Buffets offer diverse food options ranging from hearty meat dishes to healthy greens. The Pantry at Dusit Thani is the newest one I have visited, and it is not your run-of-the-mill buffet.

I confess, I sometimes feel overwhelmed at buffets simply because of the abundance of food. I feel paralyzed and don’t know where to start. So if you’re like me, it’s best to have a game plan to have a good buffet experience. Here are some tips to keep in mind to enjoy The Pantry.

1. Bring a big appetite

Skip breakfast if you know you’re going to have buffet for lunch. Maybe have some coffee and toast, but make sure to leave space for the delicious food you’ll soon have in your belly.

The Pantry has nine global stations: the Chinese bao bar, the Indian Tandoor oven, the brick oven pizza area, the salad station, the seafood station, the carving station, the dessert station, the beverage studio, and a takeaway counter called Grab & Go.

The Pantry observes three to four cycle changes in its menu. “That means, if you come for lunch today, tomorrow and the next day, it would be a different lunch every day,” said Chef Nicolas Issel. “What people really love, obviously we’re going to keep. We’re going to interchange and switch up as I feel is necessary. I always like to change up the technique or the presentation. The change will be a natural progression as we go along.”

Yummy food options for meat lovers.

2. Pace yourself

It’s hard not to want to try everything with all the mouthwatering presentations on display. From the start, I was drawn to the divine desserts (hello, chocolate-covered strawberries!) but I controlled myself and headed for the savory stations first. I told myself I would save the best for last.

The queues may tempt you to fill your plate with mounds of food, but as much as possible, get only what you can eat. After all, you can go back for seconds. You’ll need the exercise anyway to burn off some calories.

3. Go green

Fill yourself with vegetables that your mother always told you to eat. You can create your own salad with 100 percent organic ingredients and eco-friendly products.

“The idea of farm-to-fork is obviously what we’re trying to do as much as possible from the Philippines, which is very easy," said Issel. "To have every type of vegetable, fruit—all these beautiful produce. But it’s just being able to get it on a sustainable basis, which is a challenge with the weather or traffic or all these different scenarios that come up.”

Make your own salad with organic ingredients.

4. Must-try the live lechon pit

If there’s one thing that meat lovers should not miss, it’s the live lechon pit helmed by lechon chefs from Cebu. The spit-roasted pigs are directly sourced from local farms.

“We really want to have the best lechon in town. That’s very difficult, obviously. You know it’s a sacred thing here,” said Issel. “We’re humble, we know where we are. We’re constantly trying different techniques to improve.”

The chef said he and his team did a lot of research about smoking meats. They even built their own smoker in the kitchen, and also tried countless techniques and durations. “If you’re passionate about it, that’s the most important thing. For me, I like to constantly learn and challenge myself,” he said.

5. Indulge in cool cocktails

There’s a big bar in the middle of the room that’s pretty hard to miss. It supplies refreshments of all kinds to the patrons of the restaurant as well as the guests of the hotel lounge.

Choose from its selection of signature cocktails or spirits with an organic infusion of lemongrass, basil, ginger or apricot. Or go non-alcoholic and try the drinks included in the buffet, such as chilled fruit juices, premium tea, and freshly brewed coffee.

Indulge in a refreshing cocktail or two. Photo: Nikka Sarthou-Lainez

6. Be entertained by musical acts

If you’re lucky, you might catch a performance from a piano sextet or a live band at The Pantry.

7. Remember, quality not quantity

Since I cannot eat a lot in one sitting, I typically get food that would give me the most value for my money. The carving station caught my eye, but so did its long queue, so I headed for the prawns and seafood instead.

The Pantry focuses on quality, not quantity. “We are not the most expensive, we are not the second, the third or fourth. So first, that was our positioning. We don’t want to be perceived as expensive because people won’t go back too much,” said Dusit Thani general manager Bruno Cristol.

8. Save room for dessert

I always, always end my meal with something sweet. I think I was born with a sweet tooth. I spied an ice cream station, and lots of pastries and baked goods. I fixed myself a sampler plate of chocolate cake, brownies and chocolate-covered strawberries—finished every morsel and got a serving of churros with chocolate dipping sauce. Now that made my meal memorable.

Freshly made churros with chocolate dipping sauce. Photo: Nikka Sarthou-Lainez

— BM, GMA News

The Pantry at Dusit Thani, Makati City is open for breakfast (6 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.), lunch (12 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.), and dinner (6 p.m. - 10 p.m.). For reservations, contact +63 (2) 238-8888.