Riviera Cafe @ The Heritage Hotel

Had lunch at The Heritage Hotel's Riviera Cafe a couple of weeks ago. This was before my sick streak, where I could barely eat without feeling like hell... The calm before the storm.

I seldom set foot in this hotel, since it's not really near places of interest to me and I don't hang out in casinos. However, the meal was because of a coupon that set the buffet price back 50%. Nice.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Lovely table near the buffet with a view of the pool area."][/caption]

I liked the variety of food they had there. It was a mixture of Chinese, French, Indian, Filipino, and Japanese. The serving platters weren't big gastronorms, so it really gives the impression of a small cafe set-up.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="The salad station at the front of the buffet. Cheese station is somewhere on the right side."][/caption]

I always start off with the cheese platter, which makes me feel so un-French. I don't usually have cheese with wine. Rather, I treat it like an appetizer... Something I have it in lieu of a salad.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="An assortment of cheese, a breadstick, and some cold prawn and mango salad."][/caption]

Then I eat my way through the buffet, degustation style, which means that I get the smallest possible serving of each and every dish there is. After tasting everything (and if there's still room for more food), I come back for seconds of what I really like.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Clockwise from Left: Make-My-Own "Taco", Fresh Oysters with Cocktail/Dill sauce on side, Duck meat something, Terrine of something with Duck (eggs, I think)."][/caption]

The oyster didn't go with the cocktail sauce and the dill. It's still the best with a few drops of lemon. There was also an assortment of cold shrimp and crab, so I get the cocktail sauce. But I don't understand what the dill is supposed to complement. (Er... Unless I ask the sushi station for some salmon sashimi and ask the griller guys to fire it up.)

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Salad, Potato something, Steamed Fish in Spinach, Chinese-style Chicken (can't remember the exact name though), Caldereta (the old-school kind)"][/caption]

Part of the Chinese dishes there was a Dim Sum cart. No labels though, so I couldn't distinguish between the lotus siopao and the asado one. I decided to throw caution to the wind and pick a random one: The lotus siopao tasted nice.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Creme Brulee (<3), Macaron (top), Grandma's Brownies, Upsidedown cake something, Fruit Tart, Linzer Torte, Blueberry Crumble, and a Chocolate Bonbon"][/caption]

Grandma's Brownies, which were also being sold at the cafe's bakery, were a little dry... Come to think of it, I am so very particular about the moistness of cakes.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="2nd Round of Creme Brulee and the Chocolate Mousse"][/caption]

I love Creme Brulee. I can never say no to it. The mousse, though, seemed a little sticky/gooey, but VERY chocolate-y.

Overall, the buffet was quite satisfying. I couldn't go back for seconds anymore because I was so full from tasting everything. The seafood was fresh. The foreign food authentic-tasting.