Misto Cafe’s buffet features rice from all over the world

There's a variety of organic rice available at Seda BGC's International Rice Buffet. Photos: Yvette Tan

At a time when carbs are considered the enemy, it’s both brave and refreshing to see a restaurant go against the norm.

Seda Hotel BGC’s Misto Cafe’s International Rice Buffet features rice dishes from different “rice is always part of the buffet but it’s always the mains that are the highlight, so we decided to do it the other way around” parts of the world, says the restaurant's head of communications Genny Puno.

The buffet is small, compared to the mega buffets other hotels offer, but it is more than substantial, especially if you’re looking to fill up with tasty food during a weekday lunch. It offers familiar classics like risotto from Italy, paella from Spain, nasi goreng from Indonesia, and biryani rice from India.

“We always stick to the original recipes but we give it our own twist in terms of presentation because people will always go back to their comfort food,” Puno says.

The vegetable risotto is healthy and filling.

The buffet consists of a salad station, a sushi station, a soup of the day, six different plain rice varieties such as organic and biryani rice and tempura maki, four mixed rice dishes such as risotto and paella, and about eight kinds of mains.

There are vegetarian, seafood, and meat options, so no one is left out. There is also a selection of desserts, some of them also rice-based, such as mango sticky rice.

An array of choices for the sushi lover and the dessert aficionado.

According to executive chef Pepe Castillo, the idea for the buffet came about because of frequent customer requests. “Yung sinundan ko na promotion namin, more on healthy—may calories pa nga na nakalagay doon pero some of the guests [would ask], ‘Chef, wala bang heavy talaga?’ Kasi yung mga pumupunta sa hotel, gusto nila mabusog sila,” he says.

And the buffet is indeed filling, each rice dish offering its own personality and characteristics, depending on one’s mood. The paella and risotto are particularly tasty, as is the soup, which on the day of the interview was pumpkin. The salad bar offers interesting items like grilled zucchini aside from the usual salad fare.

The paella is rich and flavorful. Sometimes, this is switched with paella negra.

The menu also changes, with surprise dishes sometimes appearing depending on what’s available in the market that day. “Lagi ako nagsesend ng guy to check ano available sa palengke. Kunwari: ‘Chef, may crab dito na sariwa.’ [Sasabihin ko,] ‘Sige, bilhin mo, ia-additional sa menu.’ Although may fixed na menu, may mga four na dishes na ina-add pa,” Castillo says.

The buffet has elicited positive responses, with customers from other Seda properties requesting it as well. “People think that rice is unhealthy, but at the same time, people think that rice is filling because it’s heavy, so we thought why not offer a buffet where they’ll really get good value for their money?” Puno says. “At the same time, we had to address that misimpression, so we thought, let’s also offer the basic rice varieties, so we also have organic rice, which is as healthy as you can get.”

The buffet offers a variety of main dishes on the side--the complete opposite of how buffets are usually laid out.

“Ang gusto ko talaga, bago sila lumabas dito, parang wow, busog na busog ako,” Castillo says. “Na satisfied sila sa pagkain.”

It looks like no matter how much carbs are vilified, people will always look for what’s filling. To borrow a well-known quote, you can take Filipinos away from rice, but you can’t take rice away from Filipinos. — BM, GMA News

Misto Cafe’s Rice Buffet is available Mondays to Fridays from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at 700++ per head.