Cravings Fresh Picks: Salad, Soup, and Mongolian Buffet

Buffet and Healthy are words that we do not frequently see together in one phrase nor sentence. When searching for best buffets in Manila, healthy is not really the first word that plays in our mind - well at least for me. But this blog post is all about buffet that allows people to indulge but not without total disregard to health. 

To be specific, as the title suggests, this blog post is about Cravings Restaurant's Fresh Picks Salad, Soup, and Mongolian Buffet.

Soup and Salad Buffet is not really a new concept at Cravings Restaurant. I remember having enjoyed it years ago when I frequent Cravings branch at EDSA Shangri-La Mall. Aside from their Coffee and Cakes Unlimited, this is one of the reason why Cravings is one of our family's go-to restaurant. But this time, Cravings takes a new spin to their promo.

Chelsea Kitchen at SM Megamall

My visit to Chelsea Kitchen located at SM Mega Fashion Hall in SM Megamall happened amidst the time when attending to pressing matter at hand hinders me from throwing affirmative response to dining engagements. I guess luck was on my side the time a friend, Ramil of Pinasmuna.com asked me to join them for an intimate lunch at Chelsea Megamall.

The luncheon schedule indicated was the exact time I was free to do blog related things. That rarely happen these days, truth be told.  So I guess I was destined to dine at Chelsea Kitchen for the first time to finally experience the creations of the talented chef Kalel Chan. Meeting new people and catching up with some blogger friends – the proverbial icing on top.

Under Raintree Group of Restaurants, Chelsea Kitchen at Megamall is the laid back version of Chelsea Grand Café in Serendra. It occupies the space at the ground floor, EDSA side entrance of the bustling SM Mega Fashion Hall.

Oliva Bistro Cafe along Marcos Highway, Pasig City

The thing about moving far away from what is considered as the mecca of restaurants in Manila, you sometimes concern yourself with other options within reasonable proximity. That is if you write about food and do not always have the liberty of time to battle the horrendous traffic jam on the road. I should know. It's the story of my life.

So when I learned that one of the restaurants I admire most, Oliva Bistro Cafe opened its branch along Marcos Highway in Pasig City, I know a visit must ensue. The area can be easily accessed if you are from Antipolo City through Sumulong Highway and other nearby location such as Cainta, Cogeo, and Marikina since it is basically located right beside Barrio Fiesta near Sta Lucia East Grand Mall and Robinsons Mall Metro East.

It was exactly two years ago when I wrote about the first time I experienced dining at Oliva Bistro Cafe Visayas Avenue branch. That time, I was introduced to the talented chef Kanan's kitchen creations. It opened my eyes on chef's take on making each dish that hails from different countries stand on its own instead of resorting to the confusing and overused "fusion." After all these years, Oliva Bistro Cafe still believes in celebrating different culture on plate.