Crustasia's Asian Buffet (let it rain Crabs)

Whenever we're in Trinoma, we often see banners/posters of Crustasia's Buffet on our way up to the 4th floor to watch a movie (usually at around 7-8pm). And since the dinner buffet is only up to 9pm, we won't really be able to take "advantage" of the buffet with only 1 hour left before it closes. =)

Luckily Mich and I were on leave last friday and had the time to go on a short date before they leave for Tagaytay early the next day. So here we are, mano-a-mano with Crustasia... Crab, you're going down~

As always, the GIANT menu in front of the resto... (wonder which resto started this)

There you are buffet, yup, I'm here for you, brace yourself... Lunch/Dinner buffet
Priced at 395+ pesos (the "+" there is the +10% service charge, a.k.a. +40 pesos)

oh cool place mat, here crabbie crabbie~

Cool, they serve wine! (not a fan sorry)

Buffet section #1: Dimsum! Liked the Siomai, not sure tho if the steamer's really working,
or if it's just for show, the dimsum we had were not really warm anymore...

Buffet section #2: Vegetarian Haven, yep the no meat area;
Salad, Spring Rolls (lumpia), Pita bread, and Vegetarian Sushi (carrot&mango filling)
Buffet Section #3: Soup and Rice, I dont really get this soup, they didn't put any name
near it so I'll just call it Soapy Soup, cuz it tasted like soap. Sorry but probably there's
an ingredient there which naturally tastes like soap. Would've really helped if they placed
it's name there so at least we would know what's it made of. Don't worry I didn't get dizzy
afterward so it's not really Soap.

Buffet Section #4: Pasta/Noodles and hmm.. mixed seafood something, again
there's no label so I'm free to name it what I want. How about Shellies Galore!
Yeah full of every seafood shell you could think of. For me the only food worth
getting here is the "Thai Pasta"(far Left of picture). It's like the Asia's Pasta
of World Chicken. You can get a few of that if you want...

Buffet Section #5: Mixed Greens (this should have been placed at the veggie section)
and Chicken Something! Well.. let your eyes be the judge, it wasn't really tasty,
to be frank I actually enjoyed Andok's Manok more. Don't waste any tummy space here.

Buffet Section #6: Roasted Angus beef! Yumm, now we're talking, this one's worth
trying, just avoid taking the parts full of Fat. Really oily so don't forget to kiss your heart
and give it thanks for letting you survive this one.

Buffet Section #7: Here comes Mr. Crabs! Get as much Claw Parts as you can :)
you'll have everything you need at the table to crack those big claws open.
Oh and the Fishy Fish above the crabs is also worth trying, tender and tasty ;)

Buffet Section #8: Dessert Area! Fruits (watermelon+pineapple), Pudding (on Spoon),
Thin slices of banana in Lumpia wrapper (Mini Turon), and Yummy Mango Jelly!
Your target here is the Mango Jelly topped with Mango puree, our fave! =)

Okay soldier, so here's what you should have in your arsenal right now...
Half a plate of crabs, the Asian Pasta, Angus beef and Fishy fish.
Meet your two new best friends, Mr Shell Cracker and Meat Picker...
They shall help you in your conquest to obliterate all the crabs on your plate,
and probably (if you're good enough) in the whole restaurant.

Actually if you want to get your money's worth, all that you should be eating
in the restaurant are Crabs...

Crabs... (careful they fight back)

more Crabs... (told you to be careful, use Mr. Shell cracker)

Crab Siomai... more Crabs.....

Cracked open Crabs...

Watermelon... (right now your tongue is already numb of the taste of crabs)

and then back to more Crabs....

Yup, the only thing that's really worth filling your tummy here are CRABS!

Say "CRAAAAAAAAAAAAABBBSS~"

now celebrate your victory by hitting the Desserts table! ;)
Crustasia, MallSpace 2087, Trinoma Mall,
North Triangle EDSA, Quezon City, Metro Manila

For the Complete Menu, click the link below:
http://www.munchpunch.com/restaurants/branch/menus/4118.aspx

High Resolution pictures available at the link below:
http://johnblitz.multiply.com/Crustasia_Buffet_in_Trinoma_March_12_2010


Thanks for munching by foodies!

Bigoli opens in SM North Annex (Italian cuisine)

Ever since Bigoli opened up in Trinoma, we've been planning to try it out, but since the place looks a bit pricey, and offers italian food (which is what we often eat) we usually end up trying other restaurants in search for new non-Italian dishes. Guess I was very wrong with the "pricey" part. You'll be surprised at how affordable (and yummy!) their dishes are...

Bigoli just opened up in SM North Annex this March, it was actually my first time to visit the "new" SM Annex, and the place looks promising, as Trinoma now is usually packed with People, the new SM North Annex has great restaurants and stores to offer. (including some of our favorite places)

Upon entering the restaurant you are welcomed by heavenly and tempting desserts. They actually have the cheapest Gelato in town, priced only at P50 per cup!

And their best selling Turtle Cheesecake (80 pesos/slice) Though I did like the Tre Latte cake more (55 pesos/slice). It looks just like a regular chiffon slice but wait till you get to dip it in your taste buds.

They also serve coffee and the place actually has a lot of room, so if you just want to hang out and have coffee, try out Bigoli, not sure though if they have free wifi. (Tre Latte picture shown below)

Having an open Kitchen is always a plus! Ensures the customers that nothing fishy happens to their food prior to serving it.

Walls are well decorated with Italian themed paintings.

And check it out, they have couches all over the place. Hooray for comfy dining!

Now lets get it on! First on our list is their "NEW" Spicy Chicken Pasta (115 pesos).
This is not yet on their menu but it's priced the same as their Chicken pasta bigoli. This is one of my Favorites, so for all you spicy food lovers out there, don't miss out on this one (yup, it's really spicy!). BLITZ-RECOMMENDED!

Meatballs Pasta Bigoli (115 pesos), fellow bloggers found the pasta a little bland.

Bacon Stromboli (120 pesos), 8 big pieces of Stromboli, definitely a must try, one of their best sellers! Will order this again on my next visit. BLITZ-RECOMMENDED!

Spaghetti al Pesto! (90pesos Solo/ 130pesos Grande) notice the exclamation point I placed after its name? yes, surprisingly they have yummy pesto here, it won't give you the feeling of eating grass and the pasta is not drowned in oil. A perfect balance of all its ingredients. One of my faves! (though I can't really recommend it to everyone since pesto seems to be an acquired taste).

They serve breadsitcks with all of their Pasta, and their Breadstick is the best that I've ever had, the bread is so soft it almost melts in your mouth, "freshly baked" indeed, hopefully it's not because they just opened up, and they will be able to maintain its quality.

The Bigoli crew! I love those Beret/Hats, I should've asked if they have some for sale. Looks really cool, lol.

Bigoli's Italian Chicken (4pcs: 235pesos, 6pcs: 345pesos, 10pcs: 550pesos) there's no wondering its one of their best sellers, the chicken is tender, and very tasty, imagine eating Buffalo wings but without the spicy kick, that's exactly how it tastes like.
BLITZ-RECOMMENDED!

Pizza Time! Pepperoni Pizza (570 pesos - whole) the crust shares the softness of the bread sticks, but the pizza was not that cheesy though. The size wasn't also mentioned in the menu. But the slices are as big of those of Sbarro and Yellow Cab.

Here's a better view so you can see the pizza's size compared to the other dishes.

Gamberetti (160pesos - Alfredo/White sauce Pasta), though it's not one of their best sellers, I'm a fan of White Sauce and really liked this. The Shrimp tastes good and was obviously fresh.

Pork Picatta (150 pesos - with Spaghetti Marinara) wish I was able to try this with Italian Rice, I actually found this better than Pizza, haha, I wonder if you can order the Picatta only without the Rice/Pasta. Deep fried breaded Cheese and Ham, yum! BLITZ-RECOMMENDED!

Now after the long wait, its time for Dessert!

First on the list is their best selling Turtle Cheesecake (80pesos/slice) It was good, the saltyness is a bit lighter compared to other cheesecakes but sorry, My love for Blueberry cheesecake remains.

Bigoli's Tiramisu (55pesos) I didn't really enjoy this one. Probably a pinch too bitter.

Among the Pastries, my Favorite is the TRE LATTE (also 55 pesos) I actually failed to get a good picture of it, it looks just like a simple Chiffon Cake (see image below) but wait till you get a bite out of it. It's like the base cake is made of half cream and half flour. Real creamy goodness! BLITZ-RECOMMENDED!

And last but not the least, Gelato! (50pesos/cup) perfect to cool off the summer heat! Their Gelato comes in 5 flavors, Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate, Cappuccino, and my favorite Pistachio! The chocolate tasted a bit flat, Vanilla and Strawberry were good, I wasn't able to try the cappuccino. What sold me for the Pistachio is its Minty Taste. Yum!
BLITZ-RECOMMENDED!

Here's the Complete Menu (Click on the Image to open in full size)

Refillable Drinks! (55 pesos) brings back those drink-all-you-can Burger King memories lol.

Don't forget to Press that Smiley on your way out! ;)

Bigoli, 2nd Floor, SM North - Annex (near the sky Garden entrance)
There's also a Branch in Trinoma, 4th floor (near Cinema 7)
Special thanks to Branch manager Mr. Alexis for accommodating us and answering our queries even though he was very busy that day. Thanks Bigoli!

More Pictures here:
http://johnblitz.multiply.com/photos/album/40/Bigoli_SM_North_-_Annex_March_7_2010


Thanks for munching by foodies!