Tong Yang, One Ayala — Restaurant in Makati

We decided to look for a good buffet restaurant but not so expensive and we found Tong Yang One Ayala branch.

Prior to this, I had a bad impression from other two branches of this restaurant.

Uptown BGC SM Southmall

( my experienced on these branches are not satisfying since their foods are not fresh and not enticing at all )

But I had to give this restaurant another chance since my partner told me that this restaurant was superb on his experience. This branch indeed change my impression in every aspect.

When we arrived at the restaurant, I can say that their interior is really nice and very aesthetically pleasing. In terms of food, they are fresh and new. It was all perfect! We tried their sushi 10/10, fried rice 9/10, their soup 8/10 (laksa and sate soup), they also have this sauce station where you have to create on your own but if you’re not knowledgeable, you can ask one of the crews which I did since I’m not familiar and this chef (I didn’t get his name) assisted me and he made the sauce for me and it was perfectly incredible .

Desserts are like 9/10 it was good!!!

Kudos to Crew MJ, he was really accommodating to all of the customers, he is the best!!! 1000/10.

Their chefs are very hands on to the food stations to make sure still organized and still look eatable ( I don’t know if that’s the right term, hahaha )

Our experienced here was really superb, I would say that I’m super satisfied. One thing that is remarkable to us, we noticed all of their crews or staff on this branch are in good mood, full of energy, it’s contagious and very welcoming. They’re really happy serving customers and with their job. Super kudos to this Branch!!! I would really come back soon and will invite some friends or family and probably will recommend this to them.

Tong Yang One Ayala Branch. We super thank you for experience that you gave to...

I don't understand how this place has a 4.9-star rating. The staff seated me at a table, asked for my name, and then walked away. I requested soup and the grill, but while they acknowledged my request, they didn't ask which type of soup I wanted. I went to grab some meat and sauce, but even though my meat was on the table, the grill wasn't turned on, and I still had no soup. The staff continued to walk by without checking on me. Eventually, I asked another staff member for mushroom soup. They informed someone else to bring it to me, but the soup never arrived. Later, another staff member came by and asked what soup I wanted. I repeatedly told them it was mushroom soup. How many staff members does it take to get me my soup? At this point, I had lost my appetite and considered leaving, but I didn't want to waste the food I had touched.

I stayed in Makati but walked to this restaurant to try it out because of the high rating. I was so disappointed that I should have remained in Makati to get dinner there. Throughout my visit, they came to collect the meat trays but never asked if I wanted a soup refill or anything else. However, they ensured that the other Filipinos at various tables were well cared for. The irony is that my table was the closest to the staff, who walked by my table each time.

In the end, I ended up refilling my soup.

I love the Philippines and Thailand; Their people are the kindest in Asia. My birthday is tomorrow, the 18th. I traveled to Bacolod to get a sleeve tattoo as a gift to myself to show how much I appreciated this country and the people, and I stopped by Manila while waiting for my friends to arrive so we could head to their province. I probably won't return to the Philippines for a while after this. I probably return to the PH in a year for my touch-ups on my...

Bad experience overall, possibly because we were walk-ins and seated around 7:30 pm.

They only have a few choices for ready-to-eat cooked food. Normally, this wouldn't be a concern for a grill and hotpot, but during our visit, it took 15 minutes for our soup base to be served and another 10 minutes for our grill to be turned on. We were hungry and ended up eating the cooked food.

Choices for the hotpot and grill are plentiful but never refilled once empty. We walked around to get our first batch of food, but for our second serving, most of the food was gone, and we were not able to get anything. Even at the meat slicer, where you can get freshly sliced meat, the person in charge seemed to always leave his station and needed to be called back.

Lastly, the grill was very weak; during our entire visit, we were only able to cook one batch of food on the grill. We tried to get the staff's attention, but none of them were responsive or attentive.

Overall, we did not experience the hotpot and grill buffet as expected. It was terrible for us, especially considering it was still full price. Based on my personal experience, I do not...