Sofitel Manila’s Le Bar, Spiral, Snaps and Sunset Bar (Part 3)

When you are at Sofitel Manila, it seems as if you don’t want to leave anymore. Why? Because they practically have everything you need.

The comfiest bed.

Beautiful view.

Resort setting.

Amenities & facilities

And world class service and probably the best restaurants and bars any hotel can have!

Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila has a wide array of dishes for you to choose from. Food is delectable, well thought out and only using the finest ingredients. The words “compromise” and “mediocre” are never in their vocabulary.

Allow me to expound on that by bringing you around their hotel establishments, if only through this blog post…

LE BAR

For our first night, a sit down dinner was arranged for us featuring their bestsellers. Le Bar Manager, Mattieu Chapuis was in-charge and made sure we were enjoying our food as well as our evening in general.

They also handed us their high-tech backlit menus in case we wanted something else.

Our kids were each given a Virgin Lychee Martini mocktail while were were given the real (alcoholic) counterpart.
I love Lychee and this pretty drink did not even make me tipsy! Sweet and smooth. Though my son did not enjoy drinking it too much, thinking it was too… ladylike. He opted to try some of the wines instead.

In-between sips of my cocktail drink, I indulged on these beautiful canapes and assorted bread.

To start off our dinner, we were served Pecan Crusted Brie Cheese.
A nice combination of slightly pungent and subtle mushroom flavors from the Brie and the Pecan’s nutty and buttery taste. And since this dish was warmed, the Brie was gooey and deliciously creamy.

For our dose of veggies, we had Seared Scallop Salad with asparagus and crisp greens.
The scallop was perfectly seared and drizzled with an interesting dressing of acid and sweetness.

All About Mushroom Velouté with Truffle Oil
This soup sent me straight to the moon! The pureed mushrooms and truffle oil gave this soup spectacularly rich and earthy flavors with just the right amount of cream.

For the main entrée, we had Pan Seared Sea Bass.You can easily tell when fish meat is fresh by checking if its snow white and firm. A well prepared and cooked fresh fish is always a joy to eat.

Then came the steak – Grilled US Beef Tenderloin.
I requested for a perfect medium steak and they gave me what I asked for – a perfectly well rested and well seared steak on top of a delicious polenta. When you slice into the meat, it is evidently pink without the blood. Just perfect!

For our serving of carbs, there’s the Papardelle Carbonara that I wasn’t able to take a photo of (sorry!). The plate was wiped clean in seconds! My kids are cream lovers and they did not waste any moment. Even without any photo, I assure you, Le Bar’s Papardelle Carbonara with their beautiful smooth sauce was spot on.

Assorted Cheese Plate
My family loves cheese and passing on the opportunity to enjoy cheese is never an option for us. A platter of assorted cheese and dried fruits were served which I enjoyed nibbling on with a glass of Pascal Jolivet Sauvignon Blanc. It was quite dry with a hint of fruit and acid.

To cap off our wonderful dinner at Le Bar, we had a wonderful serving of Crème Brûlée.
This rich custard base dessert with a hint of vanilla and lemon zest deserves a return visit! I partnered it with the sweet and fruity Monbazillac that has been a favorite of mine ever since Spiral Manager, Mr. Tanguy Gras introduced it to me during our Spiral lunch. A perfect aperitif or dessert wine. But I can actually enjoy this any time of the day!

Every single dish at Le Bar was top notch, beautiful and absolutely delectable!

By the way, if you want to have a drink while looking at the amazing view of Manila Bay but would rather stay indoors, Le Bar has one of the best and coolest view of the bay.

Half-way through our dinner, Jane checked up on us to see if everything was going well.
Thank you, Jane for being so accommodating! Til our next “chikka” session. 🙂

It was a happy coincidence that during our 2nd day, the very gracious Le Bar Manager, Mattieu Chapuis approached us and asked if we wanted to see the Cappuccino demonstration at Le Bar by Pete Licata, World Barista Champion 2013, who happened to be visiting the hotel as well.

Mr. Licata demonstrated how to make the perfect cappuccino. This demonstration was actually a quick training session for the staff but they happily opened it to the public. It was an additional treat for Le Bar guests.

My husband and I were given a cup of Cappuccino each while the kids had milk instead.
This is called a “wet” Cappuccino because it has more steamed milk than froth. I actually prefer this more than a “dry” one. Although foam/froth keeps a cappuccino hot longer, considering the very hot weather we now have, it seems less foam is better. For now, at least!

Le Bar is located at the lobby level and is open from 6:00AM to 1:00AM daily. Dress Code: Smart Casual

SUNSET BAR
Our barbecue buffet dinner was held at the Sunset Bar by the lagoon-shaped pool with a fantastic view of the sunset (hence the name). If you decide to dine here, make sure to arrive a bit early to capture the magnificent view.

Al fresco dining has always been a favorite of mine – romantic yet casual.

As we were led to our table, I quickly scanned the buffet tables. I knew it was gonna be one helluva dinner again!

The buffet tables were spread out in such a way that guests wouldn’t feel too cramped up while getting food, allowing them space to move around freely.

One side showcases the main dishes like seafood and an assortment of meat.

While opposite to it are the salads and desserts.

And situated in the middle is their bbq grill.
Nothing beats seeing (and smelling) grilled meat being barbequed in front of you! The smell alone will really make your mouth water!

I practically sampled everything but I opted to indulge on these 2 dishes more!

Diners and guests were treated to a live local cultural show showcasing Filipino Folk Dances.
Personally, this was one of the highlights of my night. You would see foreign guests enjoying their time as the folk dancers entertained them clad in native costumes.

You would also see the Poolside Restaurant Manager, Caleb Han busily going around, making sure every guest was well tended to.

Sunset Bar is located at the Plaza Level by the Poolside and is open from 9:00AM to 10:00PM daily. Dress Code: Casual

SPIRAL
Our breakfast for those 2 days were at Spiral. But during our last day, it was incredibly jampacked! Was it because we got up later than usual? LOL!

Since I didn’t know what dish to have first, I had my family go ahead of me. I decided to binge on assorted cheese and cold cuts in the meantime.

After a good amount of time mulling over what else to eat, I ended up going for Danggit, Bacon and Garlic Rice.

Also some yogurt, pastries and jams.

Special thanks to Spiral Manager Mr. Tanguy Fras for all the assistance.

You may also check out my previous Spiral lunch experience here.

Spiral is located at the Plaza level and is open from 6:00AM to 12:00AM daily. Dress Code: Casual

SNAPS

Snaps is a sports bar where you can enjoy drinks as well as their local draft beer. They also have a wonderful variety of fare on their menu from pica-pica to heavier dishes.

When we arrived, a bucket of popcorn and a basket of assorted bread were immediately served. And this time around, Blessy joined us for lunch. Yay!

We had several dishes for lunch but what I enjoyed eating the most were Gambas, Burger and Salpicao.

Marinated Gambas
Really good shrimps sautéed in garlic and capsicum in chili oil. The shrimps were cooked perfectly. I paired it with fries instead of rice and it perfectly complemented each other!

Bench Warmer
A nice, classic tasty and juicy 100% US beef burger complete with pickled cucumber, onions, tomatoes, melted cheddar cheese! But if I were to eat this alone, I wouldn’t be able to finish it! Help! LOL!

Pineapple Shake to beat the scorching heat.

Ube Ice Cream with Choco Chips
Since I am not much of a chocolate lover, I decided to have Ube instead. The chocolate chips and chocolate sheet were happily devoured by my kids.

Whenever you’re at Snaps Bar, make sure to order their Beef Salpicao.
These peppered beef tenderloin cubes were very tasty and tender. Make sure you have enough space for extra rice!

TRIVIA: When Manny Pacquiao pays a visit to Snaps, he always orders Salpicao. Whenever he’s around, they fondly change the name of this dish to “SalPacquiao” instead. Cute!

At Snaps, you can also play a few rounds of billiards while waiting for your food to arrive (or perhaps after eating).

Darts

Or Soccer table

Thank you Blessy for joining us despite your busy schedule! It’s always fun and very pleasant sharing stories and a couple of laughs with you! Til the next!

Snaps is located at the Lobby level and is open 24 hours. Dress Code: Casual

Ah! The joys of discovering and enjoying wonderful, delicious food all in one spectacular place! But eating like there’s no tomorrow for 3 straight days made me gain quite a few pounds! That’s why the husband and I took advantage of Sofitel Manila’s So Fit, Vietura and Le Spa to burn all the calories, to detoxy and to rejuvenate ourselves as well.

Read all about it here!

Want to know about Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s Amenities & Facilities? Read my previous post (Part 2) here.

Contact Details

CCP Complex
Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City
T: +63 2 551-5555 / +63 2 832-6988
F: +63 2 551-5610
E: [email protected] / [email protected]
http://www.sofitelmanila.com
Facebook: facebook.com/SofitelManila

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