If you're looking for a memorable dining experience, look no farther. Manila Hotel's Café Ilang Ilang offers an All-You-Can-Eat buffet that's hard to beat.

After months of being cooped up at home due to strict lockdowns and travel restrictions, it was indeed a pleasure to reunite with family and friends for lunch at Café Ilang Ilang. The indoor restaurant reopened last May 2021, after community quarantine levels were eased to Alert Level 2,  with dine-in  allowed for vaccinated customers (18 years old and above), and children 17 and below.

Getting There: The iconic Manila Hotel (opened in 1912) is accessible via Roxas Blvd., with ample guarded parking. Before entry into the hotel, you'll need to present your vaccination card to the doorman,  then proceed to the x-ray, and fill out the contact tracing form.

You'll have to go through their grand hotel Lobby to access Café Ilang Ilang.  Taking photos with their towering Christmas tree is a must to record your visit. At the Café's front desk, a receptionist will take your reservation name, and escort you to your table.

Gastronomy: There will be plenty of delicious, healthy and fresh food selection among the 8 food stations, that include Asian, Mediterranean, European and Western dishes. All  stations now have partitions, and you order from or point at the food you want from the chefs/food servers, and get the plate/bowl from an opening on the partition or on the side. This is unlike the type of buffet where you take food by yourself. These partitions are for hygiene and health purposes. It's challenging for the chefs to hear our orders because of the partition and our face masks, so we used our hands and sign language to make ourselves understood.

The food stations and tables are spaced apart and at specific locations to prevent congestion. A bar for drinks will be the first you'll notice upon entry at the restaurant. Next the pizza station. There are a selection of  Filipino favorites like Lechon. I queued up for their extensive array of Japanese dishes including Sushi, Salmon, Maki, Tempura, noodles, etc. I like their authentic Samosa, curried vegetables and shrimps from their Halal food selection. The Korean soup with seaweed and mussels, their prawns, steak and Halo Halo were some of my favorites. The kids enjoyed the wide variety of desserts, cold cuts and salads.

As an added treat, birthday celebrants are serenaded by restaurant staff, complete with cake blowing at the end of the meal.

Additional Notes: Make your reservation in advance, due to the limited seating capacity and the Café's popularity. Some of the reasons it is popular are the wide selection of delicious local and international cuisine, the cosy and safe ambience, the health protocols that they adhere to, the discounts (BDO and senior citizens) and promos they offer, and their highly efficient service. They boast of sanitizing the premises using UV light, air filters, with all their serving staff fully vaccinated.

The atmosphere inside the restaurant may be a little confusing to navigate between your table and the food stations. But there are friendly hosts and staff who can guide you, they also go around collecting empty plates, taking requests, and reminding diners (who are walking around) to wear face masks.

One suggestion is for them to open a Mexican food station, highlighting the cultural and historical ties between our two nations. With Tacos, Tortillas, Nachos, etc., these would have added a more festive ambience to the restaurant.

Now that I've enjoyed the delicious and wide selection of food at Café Ilang Ilang, with its safe and clean ambience, and efficient services, I can say that it is highly recommended for a cosy twosome, a family gathering or a group dining experience.