A staple of the metro’s dining scene, Vikings Luxury Buffet has experienced a renaissance. Formal without being too stuffy and elegant without being aloof, NIU in SM Aura Premier, BGC is the upscale restaurant by Vikings that brings people together over a good meal.
Niu means βnineβ in the Viking language. To explain why this establishment is called such, it’s the ninth restaurant in the Vikings group and it has nine food stations with a large array of dishes. Flavors are diverse and enticing as ever!
We had dinner here, using the Vikings Loyalty Card, for the first time. What is it and how does it work? I’ll walk you through the details of the card’s uses and perks at the end of the post. First, let’s talk about NIU. π
At NIU by Vikings in SM Aura Premier, thereβs no pretensions, no pomposity but just nicely spaced tables, discreet lighting, fine service, and excellent food. This is a stellar buffet restaurant that never disappoints, whether the occasion is an important business lunch or a romantic tasting experience.
Review of NIU by Vikings (SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City)
Ambiance: β β β β β
The fancy chandeliers, decorative wall designs, polished floor tiles, and relaxing soft piano music playing on the background (live during dinnertime) mostly make the posh ambiance at NIU resound with high points. Add to these are arched windows that look beautiful and distinctive as an eye-catching focal point and ceiling panels that temper a warm and more welcoming appearance with interesting wavy “fabric-like” beams.
Everything contributes to achieve a great degree of interior cohesiveness, including the color theme composed of browns and muted tones. Equally charming are the purple, brown, and white seating made of plush material, giving a contemporary look but a traditional comfy feel.
At one glance, it’s easy to get lost for a moment in this palace-worthy buffet restaurant “fit for royalty.” But walk around once more and you’ll realize that each area is properly organized and placed. What seemed like an endless parade of all-you-can-eat exemplary cuisines are presented only at one side of the dining area. Function rooms are positioned near the entrance, while the rest of the dining are at the center taking up the rest of the space.
Service: β β β β β
We felt pampered once we stepped into the restaurant. Vikings staff as always are ready to provide friendly service from the beginning and it’s clear that they want customers to have a satisfying meal. They’re attentive and never miss a beat, leaving patrons feel at home. Hospitable and unobtrusive service was expected and we were not at all disappointed. π
Food: β β β β β
NIU by Vikings is a masterclass in interesting flavors, and guests are free to practice the art of taking their time to experience them. Yes, please do. π Once you take a stroll along the buffet counters, donβt feel compelled to get everything on your plate all at once. Thereβs nothing wrong with starting slow on appetizers (or going straight to the mains or desserts) and just working your way through all the selections.
With nothing but the freshest and the most premium ingredients, every dish is prepared for a luxurious feast. We found unusual, unexpected treasures whipped up in bite-size portions in the Appetizer section. The variety of bread, cheese, cold meat, and canapΓ©s would be great enough for you to think about them for months proceeding.
The mains sum up to a culinary nirvana. Filling Chinese dim sum and glorious Japanese maki and sashimi were among my favorites. Excellent cuts of meat such as Salmon Coulibiac, Roasted Turkey, Rib Eye and Rack of Lamb from the Carving station also proved to be house specialties. I still dream about how Italian, French, Spanish and other European dishes from the Western table were tastefully put together. Vikings’ “customize your own pizza and pasta” is a classic fine choice, an oldie but a goodie.
Choices for desserts are big and fabulous, ranging from cakes, chocolate fondue, fruits, and Filipino rice cakes to gelato. We tried every single flavor of gelato in small, premium scoops, and each one left a smile on our faces. It’s creamier, smoother, silkier, and denser than its American ice cream counterpart, plus the flavors naturally tasting heavenly. Yum! π
As a finishing touch on this gastronomic gem, different juices, tea, coffee, beers, and wine are all available. That’s good to know since we always enjoy sampling more than one!
Appetizers
Β Western
Japanese
Mediterranean
Chinese
Carving
Desserts
Beverages
Price for Value: β β β β β
Vikings is known for its scrumptious buffet items and for good reasonβit has truly redefined the all-you-can-eat dining experience over the years. Now with NIU, that experience is made even better.
Prices of NIU are higher than those of the regular Vikings Luxury Buffet, but it will be worth it, I promise. Book your reservation and come check it out to know why. π (Note: Make sure to reserve the function rooms early for special occasions or exclusive gatherings.)
| Prices | Weekday lunch | Weekday dinner/ weekend and holiday lunch and dinner |
| Kids below 3 ft or 3 years old | Free | Free |
| Kids (3ft. to 4ft. or 3 years to 7 years old) | PhP 288 | PhP 388 |
| Kids (4ft. to 4 ft 6β or 8 to 10 years old) | PhP 588 | PhP 688 |
| Adults | PhP 888+5% SC | PhP 1388+ |
| 75 years old and above | 50% special discount | 50% special discount |
Everything You Need to Know About Vikings’ Loyalty Program
Registration is easy. π
| VIKINGS LOYALTY CARD PERKS AND PRIVILEGES | MEMBERSHIP LEVEL | ||
| Basic (0 β 999 points) |
Silver (1000 β 1500 points) |
Gold (1501 points and above) |
|
| Receive exclusive discounts with partners and affiliates | X | X | |
| Access to exclusive Vikings discount | X | X | |
| (5% cash, 3% card) | (10% cash, 8% card) | ||
| Invitation to Special Events | X | X | |
| Priority Entrance during opening hours | X | X | |
| One full paying adult requirement for 1 week* | X | X | |
| One full paying adult requirement for 2 weeks** | X | ||
| *1 week birthday promo flexibility: 3 days before and 3 days after actual day of birthday. ** 2 weeks birthday promo flexibility: 7 days before and 7 days after actual day of birthday. |
|||
For FAQs, please refer to this page. Enjoy!
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
Sign me up for a Vikings Loyalty Card today! What great features and who doesn’t want to save money these days, eh? What an extraordinary banquet with a wide variety of delicious looking foods! This banquet would be perfect for catching up with friends!
It’s fun to collect membership and loyalty cards as you feel somewhat more powerful than those who don’t own them. π These are indeed great features and promotions you can have when you get the Vikings Loyalty Card. This buffet is extraordinary. Try it!
Now that’s a buffet! I miss the big buffets they have here with different types of cuisines and a nice atmosphere. Buffets in Denmark tend to be small, dingy, and depressing. I wish they’d up their buffet game over here.
Come here one day and experience buffet at NIU. π Our lives revolve around food, and it’s a lot easier to turn a sad face to a smile when we can have this many good-tasting dishes in one seating.
OH my, everything on the buffet looks so tempting and tantalizing. I am enjoying all of your photos. They are making me hungry though lol.
Thanks, Terri. They are more beautiful in actual! π You have to try everything that looks interesting to satisfy your craving and your hunger.
I can’t wait to try Niu! We will be eating here for the first time next week, so I’m really hoping that it’s well worth the price. I can’t wait to do battle with the carving station!
Cheers,
Jay
Hey, try to dine there at dinnertime or in the weekend so you can also taste “World Street Food” special items of the month. Go go go for the carving station. π Attack and eat like a Viking!
That food looks amazing, and there are so many options! I think I’d plan several trips just so I could sample it all. And I love the decor too, it’s a beautiful restaurant!
Yeah me too. My stomach space isn’t enough to be filled with everything here. We would be returning for sure as we thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at NIU. π This restaurant is mesmerizing!
The food looks amazing! I love all of the options! It’s so hard to find a good buffet these days that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg! Beautiful decor too!
That is so true. Considering the price for value here, PhP 1500+ per person is not bad. There are so many options and the quality of food isn’t done cheap. You won’t feel disappointed. Also, there are DIY pasta, ramen, and shabu-shabu here in case you’re interested to try!
Wow! What beautiful photos! π This looks like such an amazing place to eat! I love how they have all kinds of food. It looks like there is something for everyone! Great review – very thorough!
Thanks, Breanna! It actually took me quite a while to write this review because I just did not know how and where to start. Having this large spread of food is quite overwhelming! Glad you like my post. π
This place looks amazing! I love the decor. Some buffets make you feel like you are in a cafeteria but this place is definitely elegant. The variety of food is awesome. I would love to try it!
Yeah, it felt like dining in a hotel restaurant except the entire dining area is packed with people and there’s more noise in the background. I’m sure you will love it here. Bring your family and friends to join in the fun. π
Now this is my kind of buffet. Those banana bacon shooters look really interesting, I’d love to try those. Your photos of everything are amazing, you are making me very hungry!
Thanks, Sarah! π I love eating bananas and that’s why I made sure to try those banana bacon shooters. It’s SO YUMMY!
I would skip ahead to the dessert starting with the shooters those are neat. I see them coming up with them at parties in the US a lot and it’s taking over the traditional cakes and cupcakes. Love these reviews to see how to eat from other places in the world
Thanks, Kita! π I would have also gone straight to the dessert, however the stations near our seat called our attention first. We started our dining adventure at NIU from the Japanese+Chinese+Pan Asian stations, the Carving station, Western, then the appetizers and desserts. It’s a bit jumbled from the normal sequence, but hey, it’s all good. π
yummy⦠i love foods and i eat a lot. i want to visit this place so badly. I went to buffet casino nearby, they offer great seafood selection! Love it . I am craving for some seafoods right now !
Oh if you’re looking for fresh and tasty seafood, NIU would make an excellent choice. π
Wowww, i love how luxurious the place looks! So posh! And although i am not the biggest fan of buffet places, those pictures really makes me start drooling haha. I don’t think we have such a nice buffet restaurant in our town (the ones we have are old, jaded and frankly, boring), but there is one i’d definitely check it out!
Aww, I hope there comes a time that you visit Makati and try out the fanciest restaurants that have my mark of approval here. π NIU by Vikings is a new favorite and I highly recommend it.
what a great and huge buffet… if I get there, expect me to spend a quality time to each station LOL.. I wanna try that Paella dish.. it makes me miss my lola kasi she used to cook Paella for us ^_^
Sure! There’s no one to restrain the time you will spend looking or getting food from every station. That’s actually a wise way of maximizing your stay here. Discover more food that you haven’t tasted before. Their version of paella is good, too. π
I love buffets me and my hubby is looking for a place to celebrate our anniversary and I will list this resto as one of our options. Thanks! π
Welcome! This will serve as a great venue for you to celebrate your anniversary. Have fun, book early, and I hope you enjoy. π
I don’t even know where to start it all looks amazing! I’ve only ever been to a buffet like this once and it was in Vegas where they’re known for buffets. I love going to buffets and being able to try out a ton of different things like those unusual appetizer bites that you mentioned, so fun!
Food here has no bounds. It’s really a paradise for those who like trying out different types of cuisines in one seating. π
We love eating at Vikings! but personally I love their japanese and Chinese foods, and the wide variety of Desserts.
Those are my favorite go-to sections, too. π Vikings is a natural top pick for celebrations and special occasions. Itβs fairly priced. If you have the Vikings Loyalty Card, you can even earn points and redeem to get better value.
I love loyalty cards! The Niu by vikings looks like a great way to rack up some amazing rewards too! I am sure to sign up now that I saw your review! Thanks!
The good thing is that you can use the same card to rack up points with other Vikings establishments. I’m looking forward to my next dining experience at Four Seasons Hotpot City and I’ll use my gold status card to avail of the 10% discount. π
[…] casual meals among many families in the Philippines. From the same group that brought Vikings and NIU, Four Seasons Hotpot City is the latest addition to the Vikings family. After its successful […]
How to avail the loyalty card and how much
Vikings customers may purchase loyalty card at a price of P300 per card. You may ask Vikings staff for more details. π