Cafe Ilang-ilang - Manila

The buffet is spread out across a spacious dining area, featuring separate stations that showcase major cuisines from around the world. You can find Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Italian, American, Mexican, and Mediterranean dishes, along with burgers, wings, wraps, sushi, pizza, pasta, a variety of international cheeses, fresh oysters, a seafood section, a carving station, an array of salads, and, my favorite part, a huge dessert table. Everything is beautifully presented, and the layout of the buffet is very well organized. The individual portions of appetizers and desserts served in shot glasses and Chinese porcelain spoons are not only delicious but also visually appealing. The service staff is incredibly attentive, making you feel as if you have dedicated servers just for you and your guests. Throughout our lunch, our glasses were never empty, and not a single dirty plate remained on the table. Our drinks were constantly refilled, and plates were cleared as soon as we were finished. The restaurant hostesses at the entrance reminded me of the elegant and sophisticated air hostesses from the 1970s. I could go on and on about this wonderful experience, but to sum it up in one word: Café Ilang Ilang is exquisite.

However, I found the lobster and a lot of the seafood to be dry and overcooked initially. I ordered lobster three times, and I noticed that with each round, the quality improved significantly, so the dryness and overcooking in the first round might have been due to large quantities being prepped for the dinner service. As for the atmosphere, there’s not much to comment on—it’s quite large with multiple sections. One odd aspect is that some sections are quite far from the main food area, which made me unaware that there was a Japanese section tucked away in the back. On the positive side, they do offer a wide variety of options. Unfortunately, one of the servers had a bit of a sour attitude, although most of them were quite helpful. Overall, there are many choices available, which is definitely a plus.

Dining at Café Ilang Ilang was an unforgettable experience. The exquisite selection of international dishes, paired with the elegant ambiance, made for a truly delightful and memorable breakfast. The service was exceptional, adding to the overall enjoyment of the meal.

I highly recommend this restaurant! The food was incredible, and the service was outstanding. The ambiance is wonderful, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the delicious dishes. I would give this place 10 stars; not only is the food fantastic, but the atmosphere and the staff are exceptional as well. It was a wonderful experience, and I absolutely loved it!

**Service**: Dine-in **Meal type**: Lunch **Price per person**: ₱2,000+ **Food**: 5 **Service**: 5 **Atmosphere**: 5 **Recommended dishes**: Fruit and Desserts Bar, Smoked Salmon, Raspberry Sorbet, Steak and Salmon Corner.