Goji Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Mabalacat

Not Up to Normal JW Marriott Standards A Poor Representation Of A Great Brand

I really hoped Goji Kitchen was up to the standards of the JW Marriott brand. Sadly I cannot report this to be true. The Hotel itself is within the Widus Hotel and Casino, which results in long walks to and from the parking area to get to the restaurant. Which is bad enough but they make you clear security for the Widus and then enter the Casino for a long walk through the Widus to exit walk across the front entrance of the Widus to get to the JW Mariott only to be required to clear security again. Even if you want to valet park your car it is handle through the Widus, not up to JW Marriott standards.

I have been in as a guest and had meals in about 35 of the 80 plus JW Mariott's Worldwide. Overall this is the worst representative of the group, it should not even have the JW brand with the complex. It is at best a average Marriott.

On the the food, Goji Kitchen is set up to be a buffet, they do have a regular menu but only a handful of basic offerings. Again unlike most offer buffet restaurants in the brand which offer a full a la carte menus. Overall for the Philippines the buffet food was good, but again at the bottom of barrel for Marriott Buffets. If you are looking for the level offered in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Sydney etc, you will be not leave happy. They fail in many small ways, for example a nice cold seafood selection, but not one Western Style Sauces was offered.... And when you ask the staff you get the must famous answer in the Philippines.... Sorry Sir... Got this reply more than once.

The buffet is not checked or refilled often. They had a whole baked Salmon that was 90% gone when we came 7:00 pm on a Saturday night, and when we left at 9:00 pm still had not been replaced with a new fresh Salmon. No Western style soups offered. Several cook to order stations but if you came near them the staff would quick more away to other things. Much more a limited salad bar vs the norm for this brand.

Overall the food was average but overpriced. At about P1750 per person it should have been better. Other places in the area are much better choices. So while I will not say the food was bad it was well below what it should have been and what Marriott traveler's Worldwide know and expect.

But the topper to the night was when the bills came. I am a Expat who has been living in Asia for 20 years and know the scams and con games played, I know to watch for them. But never expected to have a issue in a Marriott property. My bill was a total of P 3707, I handed the server 4000 pesos, the offer couple paid by credit card. When he returned I had only 193 pesos change not the 293 due and reflected on my record. this is a very common thing here at small places 7-11 etc, short change the rich foreigner and pocket 100 pesos... but not at a luxury property like JW Marriott.

When I brought this to the attention of the sever I got those famous words again... sorry sir. This was not a accident the cashier (bar tender) is responsible to count the change the server in every other JW Marriott would confirm the change before bring it back. So this "so called" mistake could not have been a error it was a scam involving the bar tender and the server. If they tried this with me they are doing it to others so count your change.

One time is really not enough to write off a place so I will try Gogi Kitchen again.... and if they try to steal money a second time I will be contacting Bethesda, Maryland, and Arne Sorenson's office to make them aware of this because I absolutely know for a fact this is not the way his resorts...

Best ever Valentine’s date i had w/ my hubby. That was 2022 or 2021. Since it was pre reserved for diners, the food was well-prepared. Upon seeing the gastronomic spread, one would say, “They are prepared!” You could see a humongous whole tuna, a whole big salmon, all huge spread of steak, lechon, lamb, everything you could ask for is there! There were seafoods: lobster, shrimp, crabs, oysters, clams etc! And the chef (the old & very kind & so attentive & entertaining & even had the time to chat to each of d diners to ask if they need anything more. He is definitely an asset to Goji, hope they would realize that and i hope he’s still there when we dine in. He accommodated our request, or rather my hubby’s request to cook lobsters in SG style, chili sauce). And I won’t forget the desserts! I soooo love their cakes, cheesecakes specifically. U know that kind of taste that u can’t help but utter, “this is the best cheesecake I ever tasted!” If only that kind of taste would last coz d ff time I ate cheesecake and couldn’t find that certain taste, only disappointment follow. I forgot d rest of the desserts but I know they’re all good too but those diff kinds of cheesecakes during that time are the best ever! Having experienced such, I bragged about it to our couple friends, that the ff year we invited them to make reservation for us to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Goji again. We were 4 couples and the cost was more expensive but I told them it would be worth it. The spread of diff kinds of viands is still a lot, but didn’t feel the same. And what was disappointing was the cheesecakes I bragged to be so yummy weren’t there anymore. The desserts were just the usual. Guess our invited couple love it since they didn’t experience the first & still the menu remains d same. It was just me & that cheesecakes & not having it made me a bit disappointed but overall, the resto & fine dining didn’t entirely disappoint. It was still worth it esp having to spend it w/ our other friends. But I hope next time esp when it is pre reserved dining, they would do & offer again what they did that Valentine’s Day of...

₱3,100 per person for a Weekend Surf and Turf Dinner buffet is not that worth it if you are not a big eater. They have wide selection of Intercontinental dishes. The highlight of the dinner for us is the Slipper Lobster. First time eating a lobster, not that it has a life changing taste but I guess it is in the way it was cooked. In case you’re wondering, if you haven’t tasted a lobster, it tastes like a shrimp and crab combined together. Lol. Well, the seafoods can be cooked differently, up to you. It could be steamed, cooked in butter garlic or cajun. I tried the Cajun. It’s not that tasty enough and the squids are tough. The shrimps were overcooked, the Clams had shrunken so much! You can barely eat them. The steak is per slices and it tastes good. The pork cracklings are definitely crunchy! Love both the steak and pork cracklings. Just disappointed with the seafoods. If only I have bigger room, I could’ve gone for Ravioli coz they have different varieties of Ravioli and other stuff. My friends said the Siomai was really good and the Ivory Cake. The small desserts are not too sweet. They look nice but they don’t tastes good.

Ambience is really nice, it really feels premium. Premium but not luxurious and it doesn’t matter. My guard is up because of the bad Google Reviews about the Receptionists. Well, the staff are really nice. I had no issues with the Receptionists either.

The buffet comes with free coffee and tea only. Fruit shakes, wines and other flavored drinks are not part of the...