Breakfast Buffet at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa

The only time I have a heavy breakfast is when I stay in a hotel and my stay comes with a buffet. I must say the breakfast spread of Shangri-La Mactan was pretty darn good.

There were two dining options at Shangri-La and on my first day I went to the more popular buffet restaurant, Tides.

The place was full of happy tourists but the aircon was quite insufficient.

There was so many kinds of fruit juices available and I was surprised to find iced coffee right next to it.

So many, many bread options and I managed to resist them all.

I wasn’t swayed by the soft waffles, pancakes or French toast either.

crepe station

I knew there was a reason for resisting all those bread. My resolve crumbled when I saw the bread pudding made with croissants, rolls, ensaymada and donuts. What a great idea for using  leftover bread.

I wonder if the tourists tried these local sweet rice delicacies.

budbud, puto maya

I love danggit (fried dried fish) and it was still very crispy.

There was an international selection of hot dishes.

cheese krainer, chicken stew, kimchi, kimchi pancakes

Among the several cooking stations this was probably the most unique for breakfast.

This station had grilled veggies and amazingly succulent grilled squid.

I was so engrossed with eating that I was half way through before I remembered to take a picture of my plate. I forced myself to eat a fried egg every morning for good protein. My favorite was their beef tapa which was very tender and the flavor was quite good and not too salty.

Check out the bread pudding! It had whole cashews in it. The top layers didn’t get to soak up the egg custard so it was dry but I didn’t mind since the bottom layer was sweet and moist enough.

I got more bread pudding and mango slices. I didn’t bother with the croissant since it wasn’t worth the calories.

On the second day I decided to go to the Ocean Wing’s Acqua Italian restaurant for breakfast and shot these gorgeous pictures of the pool. Yes they had their own pools separate from the main wing’s pool.

If you sit on the tables in the picture below you can have breakfast with a view of the infinity pool and the clear blue skies.

Acqua served basically the same breakfast as Tides but with just less choices which wasn’t a bad thing.

I liked the ambiance much more than Tides but unfortunately it was just as warm. Either there aircon was turn down or it was just really that hot outside.

The most important thing for me was the presence of danggit and beef tapa. The tapa must really be popular because I always find the container almost empty. Luckily there were a few pieces left for me.

fish, danggit, beef tapa, noodles and chicken adobo

sushi, salad bar, cold cuts

noodle soup and egg station

mini jams and honey on the table

My breakfast was beef tapa, corned beef, cheese krainer and a chocolate chip scone I got from my friend’s room at Mövenpick Hotel .

Too bad Shangri-La didn’t serve scones or biscuits. These scones were not bad at all considering I hardly see scones in Manila. I warmed them up in the restaurant’s toaster.

After breakfast I soaked up some vitamin D under the morning sun. Somebody beat me these lounge chairs under the shade.

I had to make do with lying under the shade of the coconut trees.

My view.

My last breakfast was at Tides and was the simplest and most delicious one yet. Fried garlic rice, beef tapa and a fried egg. This is my favorite Filipino breakfast combo ever. If you’re a tourist and happen to read this post do try this breakfast and you will realize eating rice for breakfast is a good thing.

Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa
Punta Engano Road, Lapu-Lapu, Cebu, 6015, Philippines
telephone: (63 32) 231 0288
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