Michi Photostory: buffet

During our overnight stay at Radisson Golf & Convention Center Batam, we also had the chance to try some of the food available at the hotel. From lunch at Bite Restaurant to room service dinner and the breakfast buffet, here’s a look at what we ordered and our experience.

Lunch at Bite Restaurant

We had our lunch at Bite Restaurant, where we ordered a few dishes to share.

Here’s what we had:

Chicken Satay Delight – IDR 170,000
Crispy Fish with Sweet and Sour – IDR 230,000
Steamed Rice per Cup – IDR 50,000
Coke in a Can – IDR 145,000
Pisang Goreng (Banana Fritter) – IDR 105,000

While waiting, they served complimentary chips. We enjoyed our lunch, and the food was satisfying. One thing I noticed, though, is that they don't serve complimentary water. If you want water, you need to order bottled water separately.

The prices are also subject to an additional 10% service charge and 10% tax. If you are a hotel member, you can get a 10% discount.

Dinner via Room Service

For dinner, we ordered from room service since we were already back in our room. For room service orders, the 10% member discount doesn't apply, and there's an additional 10% service charge and 10% tax too.

We kept things simple and ordered pasta and pizza:

Margherita Pizza – IDR 145,000
Carbonara Penne – IDR 175,000

They asked which type of pasta I preferred, so I chose penne for the Carbonara. The main issue we experienced was the waiting time. It took quite a while for our food to arrive. After around 30 minutes, we were informed that our order would be delayed because they needed to remake the pizza after the first one was overcooked.

When the food finally arrived, the taste was just okay for us. For the Margherita Pizza, I was expecting fresh basil leaves, but they used dried basil instead. This was a little different from what I'm used to when ordering a Margherita pizza.

Breakfast Buffet at Bite Restaurant

Our reservation included a buffet breakfast at Bite Restaurant.

I wasn't able to take many photos of the buffet spread because the restaurant was already quite crowded during breakfast. The buffet offered a mix of Western and Asian dishes, so there were plenty of options to choose from.

There were also some hearty breakfast choices, including steamed salmon and beef breakfast steak, which I thought were nice additions to the buffet.

One thing I particularly enjoyed was the variety of drinks available. There were different beverages to choose from, and you could even make your own fresh-squeezed juice, which was a nice touch and a refreshing way to start the morning.

We enjoyed our breakfast and found that there was enough variety to fill us up before heading out for our private Batam tour.

Overall Food Experience

Overall, we enjoyed being able to try different meals during our stay at Radisson Golf & Convention Center Batam. Lunch at Bite Restaurant was a pleasant experience, while the room service dinner took longer than expected and was more of a mixed experience for us.

The breakfast buffet was a convenient way to start the day, especially since we had a full day of exploring Batam ahead of us.

If you're staying at the hotel, Bite Restaurant is definitely convenient for meals, especially when you don't want to leave the property. Just keep in mind that complimentary service water is not provided.

A month before my birthday, I was already searching for restaurants where we could celebrate. I made a list of restaurants I wanted to try, but we eventually chose Brasserie on 3 at Conrad Manila because, among my choices, ito lang yung may promo at that time.

Brasserie on 3 was on my list last year, but they required a minimum number of diners, so we couldn't try it. This year, they no longer required a minimum number of people, although the discount was no longer 50%. They were offering 30% off their lunch and dinner buffet instead.

My husband tried calling to make a reservation, but no one was answering, so he filled out the reservation form on their website instead. We didn't receive a confirmation, though, so he eventually messaged them on Facebook to verify our reservation.

Brasserie on 3 Buffet Rates

Here are the regular buffet rates at the time of our visit:

· Lunch, Monday to Saturday: PHP 3,200
· Lunch, Sunday: PHP 3,400
· Dinner, Monday to Sunday: PHP 3,600

30% Off Rates

With the 30% discount, the rates were:

· Lunch, Monday to Saturday: PHP 2,240
· Lunch, Sunday: PHP 2,380
· Dinner, Monday to Sunday: PHP 2,520

Our Birthday Lunch at Brasserie on 3

Fast forward to my birthday celebration, I was a little bit excited because it had been a long time since my last buffet experience, sa Disney Adventure Cruise pa!

It was also our first time visiting Conrad Manila. Since we live outside Metro Manila, we decided to leave early. Surprisingly, there was no traffic, so we arrived about 45 minutes before the restaurant opened.

Buffet lunch is from 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM. Before 12:00 PM, they had already started welcoming guests, although the buffet spread was still closed.

While waiting, I explored the buffet area and, honestly, I was a little surprised because I was expecting more. Since the regular rate is already PHP 3,000+, I was expecting a bigger selection with more food stations. So, at first glance, I felt a little underwhelmed.

Buffet Food Selection

One thing I immediately noticed was that there was no tempura station and no lechon. Of course, I understand that every buffet restaurant has its own selection and specialties, but these are two dishes that I always look forward to whenever I eat at a buffet. So I was a little disappointed not to see them.

Thankfully, they had steak, which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo. Waah!

They also had a seafood station. However, the grilled seafood was served at room temperature. It actually reminded me of the seafood setup at The Pantry at Dusit Thani. My husband enjoyed the seafood station, but personally, I prefer buffet restaurants where you can have your seafood cooked according to your preference, like at The Café, Cucina, Seasonal Tastes, and Marriott Café.

I simply prefer my food served warm, especially grilled seafood.

There was also a Teppanyaki station, although the choices were quite limited. I ordered the beef teppanyaki, but when it arrived, mas marami pa yung vegetables kaysa beef. Hehehe!

What I Enjoyed Most

Among all the food I tried, the steak and the dessert station were my favorites. I enjoyed all the desserts I tried, and they also had halo-halo, which was a nice addition.

So while I found the overall food selection a little underwhelming for the price, I was happy that I found dishes that I genuinely enjoyed.

The Restaurant Ambiance

It was a weekend, but the restaurant wasn't crowded during our visit. Because of this, the dining area felt spacious and maaliwalas.

I actually enjoyed that part of the experience. It didn't feel chaotic or overly busy, which made our birthday lunch more relaxing.

Birthday Celebration

At around 1:13 PM, one of the staff informed my husband that the singers would be coming to our table soon.

Since we had already finished most of our meal, we decided to have the complimentary tea and coffee while waiting.

After about 25 minutes of waiting, I told my husband that I didn't want to wait for the birthday song anymore. I was already ready to ask for the bill because I didn't want to spend more of my birthday just waiting.

Good thing the staff gave me my complimentary birthday cake, so at least may picture ako with the cake. Hehehe! We decided to take the cake home.

But here's the funny part: just as we were about to leave our table, the singers finally came to our side of the restaurant!

It was already 1:50 PM, which means we had waited approximately 37 minutes since the staff told us at 1:13 PM that the singers were coming.

By then, we were already getting ready to leave, so unfortunately, I wasn't able to enjoy the birthday song at our table.

My Thoughts on the Birthday Song

I actually think the birthday singing could be organized differently.

I understand that it is nice to have a personalized birthday song for every celebrant, but because the singers go from table to table and some guests also request additional songs, it can take quite a while.

Personally, I think it would be more efficient if they did the birthday song per group or per section, and then served the complimentary cakes at the same time.

This is something I experienced at The Café, where the birthday song is done per group. For me, that system feels more organized and avoids having guests wait too long.

Final Thoughts

Anyway, it was my birthday celebration, so ayaw ko rin magpakastress.

Despite the things that I felt could have been better, I still enjoyed our lunch. I was happy that I got to celebrate my birthday at a new restaurant with my family.

Still, I'm glad we finally got to try Brasserie on 3 after having it on my list for quite some time.