7Flavors Philippines is the newest dining destination nestled within the lush urban confines of Addition Hills, San Juan that’s composed of an artisan bakery, a gourmet café, and a world fusion buffet restaurant in one location. There’s a lot going on here! This kind of place can be tricky, but no doubt, it’s a a pocket of pleasure, where guests indulge in delectable delights and tempting treats.
Why 7Flavors? The restaurant serves food that are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami, spicy, and astringent. Whoa, wait—what? I couldn’t wrap my head around that last one. I know “astringent” as a face cleaner that removes excess oils and tightens the pores. After a quick definition search, I learned that the term also refers to a sour or bitter taste causing the mouth to pucker. Interesting! 🙂 So if you’re the adventurous type of eater, put your hopes up and rest assured that everything is good. 7Flavors Philippines is a foodie’s paradise, lovingly crafted by a celebrated master of the arts, the renowned Chef Boy Logro.
Review of 7Flavors Philippines (Addition Hills, San Juan)
Ambiance: ★★★★☆
7Flavors Philippines’ ambiance is so charming that makes it a perfect place for family gatherings, hanging out with friends (tambayan), birthday celebrations, and lunch or dinner dates. The real notable feature is that guests have all the freedom to choose where they want to stay to taste different sorts of food: at the bakery, the café (first floor), or the buffet area (second floor).
The 7Flavors Bakery is where you can have fresh bread, savory pies, and baked goods. With fun, playful, and heavenly items displayed in rows, this part of 7Flavors can make you smile as soon as you walk towards it. Seating is limited though you can always move indoors to the café.
Just footsteps from the bakery, the 7Flavors Gourmet Café looked classy, resonating with warmth of the servers. I love intimate places like this where you can just stay for hours and enjoy the neutral colors layered with blue and yellow accents. Pay attention to the menu posted on chalkboard-designed wall at the side. The ambiance was quite homely, too, with the sofa set making a statement at the back. Chill!
The second floor sets the stage for the 7Flavors Fusion Buffet and opens up to a spacious dining area that can accommodate up to 150 people. Three function rooms are available; one of which can hold 30 people, while the other two can each hold 15 people. Interior design looked simple but still festive and elegant. The blue and white theme just reminded me of a traditional Greek restaurant. 🙂 Lighting was ample and the instrumental background music also played a part in making us feel relaxed.
Service: ★★★★★
Service was first class, but not the slightest bit stiff. The staff were friendly in assisting guests and taking requests. It’s easy to get stressed out when attending to so many people at a time, so I hope that they manage to continue serving efficiently and responsively even after the soft opening.
What’s also noteworthy is that the staffs’ uniform looked stylish as compared to the usual plain polo shirt. Donning a red scarf and a red beret, the receptionist and the rest of the service attendants wear shirts with black and white stripes and black pants. 🙂
Food: ★★★★☆
It isn’t often to come across buffet restaurants serving good Asian fusion food in the city. 7Flavors Philippines is an exception. Here you can find unique and inventive dishes that may just blow your mind. They have grilled, baked and stewed meats, seafood, freshly cooked vegetables, and desserts. Yeah, it’s a party. Get involved!
You can start with the salad and jump right into the carbs. Pork Bagnet With Fermented Shrimp and Bagoong Rice made a nice pair. With a serious jolt of umami, these two have the ability to put your regular fried pork bagnet entrée and steamed white rice to shame. The combined taste is not for the timid. It’s bold, distinctly salty, and just mouth-watering. The Fried Potato With Cheese And Bacon was cooked well, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
You can hide in your comfort zone or go with an open mind. The following dishes were stunning, presented with bright colors and stimulating tastes.
Far from bland, the Beef Bourguignon featured a deep, hearty, and beefy flavor similar to pot roast. Tropical Fruits Salsa was a nice accompaniment to the crisply coated fried fish fillet that packs a wow factor for seafood lovers.
The Buttered Vegetables were too tasty not to try, and the juicy Norwegian Meatballs were tender and moist with a smooth, almost custard-like texture that almost melts in your mouth.
7Flavors’ Chicken Drumstick with Sticky Lemon Sauce came with a plethora of aromatic and zesty lemon flavor. For the Korean-Style Mafu Tofu, I was expecting a lot more spiciness. While heat was out, it was still satisfying. Much of that help can be credited to the soft tofu which absorbed the pork’s flavor.
Firmly set, the Pumpkin Frittata seemed like a pancake topped with squash. Bursting with savory, funky flavor but not so spicy, the Chicken Wings with Butter Spicy Sauce was tender and rich and they’re enough to make your eyes water. Other great to be eaten with rice include the Fish Marinated by Sweet Miso, Malaysian Beef Rendang and Shrimp Coconut Tempura.
Fans of home-style cooking will be eager to try Asian BBQ Pork Ribs and Garlic Green Beans. Dessert options are limited but these pastries carefully made in-house were decent. I just think that bringing more creative sweet courses into the buffet table will further end meals on a more satisfying and wholesome note. Another thing that’s quite limited in number are the drink selections in the buffet. We had unlimited iced tea and water.
In case you want more sweets and drinks to come back to balance, you can order items from the bakery or the café downstairs. The 7Flavors Ensaymada (PhP 50) with seven distinctive flavors (butter, pandan, cheese, ube, coconut, flan, and bacon) is an absolute must-try. Its interior, while moist, is more dense than fluffy, and begs for a cup of coffee or smoothie.
7Flavors Cheesecake (PhP 120) is another crowd favorite. It’s a calamansi-infused cheesecake on a coconut and graham crust, topped with an ube and langka mixture, fresh durian, frosted with coffee cream, and dusted with chocnut crumble. Any café can make cheesecakes, but it takes a great one to come up with something as indulging as this. 🙂 The 7Flavors Cheesecake is an artistic treat skillfully combined with unexpected lip-smacking ingredients with the right textures.
The Elvis (PhP 120) is one of the most recommended drinks offered. The name itself was enticing enough given its uniqueness. This smoothie was made with fried bananas, maple syrup and chocolate, and topped with bacon. While I enjoyed the richness and creaminess, I barely tasted the bacon in it.
Price for Value: ★★★★☆
7Flavors Philippines (near Co-op and Chocolat in San Juan) is a must-visit restaurant for casual dining and for special occasions. It’s recommended for those who are willing to hike to “Greenhills area” in QC for some FLAVORSOME EATS. Once you’ve settled in, instead of buckling up your belt, you may loosen it down a bit and grab all exciting flavors of food to make the most out of the ride.
With a good selection of items on the buffet, price for value is fair and reasonable. Buffet rates are as follows:
- Monday-Thursday: Lunch – PhP 399.5 / Dinner – PhP 499.95
- Friday-Sunday: Lunch and Dinner – PhP 599.95
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Operating hours:
Artisan Bakery: 7:00AM to 8:00PM daily
Gourmet Café: 8:00AM to 11:00PM daily
World Fusion Buffet 11:00AM to 2:00PM (lunch) and 6:00PM to 10:00PM (dinner) daily
Soft opening promotion: Enjoy 20% discount on the World Fusion Buffet until June 14, 2015.
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