Strategically located in the heart of Chinatown, the Philippine’s oldest business district, Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel provides good amenities of an international standard business hotel. When my maternal grandmother found that Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel Buffet (來來大酒店) serves all-day buffet, she invited us to go try it out for breakfast. I thought it was definitely a great idea since this hotel in Binondo is just near our place and the cost per person doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Offered with a whopping price of PhP 148 (from 7AM-10AM), how could we say no? Also, restaurants around this area has not really disappointed us—until that day. 🙁
We might had just expected more Chinese dim sum and more familiar palatable Chinese food to delight our taste buds. In any case, it was a nice try. The good news is that food variety they have on the buffet are on rotation, so it’s best to keep an eye every now and then to see what’s on the table.
Review of Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel Buffet 來來大酒店 (Binondo, Manila)
Ambiance: ★★★☆☆
On the surface, interior design at Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel Buffet looked rather unassuming considering that it’s placed in a “hotel of international standard.” The restaurant’s ambiance was contemporary, cozy, and clean. Red table linens easily created a decent “Chinese restaurant” setting. Buffet tables were arranged at the farthest end of the dining room, and dining furniture were set across with enough space for everyone to move freely about.
Food: ★☆☆☆☆
This buffet restaurant in Binondo may be a good place where hotel guests can comfortably dine in to start the day, but foodies must understand that there’s a lot more choices of restaurants in Chinatown where they can go for a leisurely meal.
Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel Buffet’s food selection simply failed to impress. We had plain porridge, white bread and eggs, ampalaya (bitter gourd), fish, salted pickled mustard (kiam chye), Chinese cabbages, hotdogs, pork, garlic rice, noodles, and soup. At one glance, I knew they’re skippable. Tastes were not terrible but nowhere near a worthy representation of what Chinese cuisine has to offer. I was with my family and that was what counted more than the unappetizing food.
Price for Value: ★☆☆☆☆
If you’re satisfied with these food selections for morning buffet, then dining at Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel Buffet may be the best bang for your buck and you’ll have plenty fun finishing multiple plates. Nothing was wrong with the tastes of the food; these were just not my ideal choices for a all-you-can-eat meal. I’m better off paying the same amount of money to get a bowl of ramen noodles or a short order of my favorite dumplings in Binondo. 很抱歉，我不想回來.
[schema type=”review” url=”http://www.chinatownlailai.com/” name=”Chinatown Lai Lai Hotel Buffet” description=”801 Ongpin St. Cor. Padilla St. Binondo, Manila, Philippines” rev_name=”For inquiries, call (+632) 25-22-888, (+632) 736-6501, or (+63927) 810-2559 ” author=”Rochkirstin Santos” pubdate=”2016-01-09″ user_review=”5″ min_review=”0″ max_review=”15″ ]
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