#FourSeaonsBuffet

[thehungrykat1]

Four Seasons Buffet & Hotpot Opens in SM Southmall

The Hottest Buffet in the City has just moved closer to the south with the opening of the newest branch of Four Seasons Buffet & Hotpot at SM Southmall in Alabang. This marks the third branch of this well-loved restaurant that was initially just a hotpot venue but has expanded into including other exciting buffet dishes as well. It’s original branch opened at the SM Mall of Asia early 2015 with another branch opening soon thereafter at the Manhattan Parkview in Araneta Center, Cubao.

Four Seasons Buffet & Hotpot was conceptualized by the Vikings Group which operates the country’s most popular buffet chain, Vikings Luxury Buffet Restaurant. I am proud to have visited all nine Vikings branches all over the Philippines, including those in Davao, Cebu and Bacolod, so I am also happy to complete my Four Seasons collection by dining at the new SM Southmall outlet during its opening week.

The new branch had its grand opening last January 11, 2017. I was not yet actually planning to visit it that week but I had made a mistake on one of my scheduled events and ended up in Alabang with nothing to do. Thankfully, Four Seasons was there just a few minutes away in SM Southmall to save my trip. The restaurant comes with the same bright, cheerful and homey interiors you can find in their Cubao branch.

As with all other Four Seasons and Vikings branches, expect the restaurant to be full of hungry diners. The SM Southmall outlet is not as big as the other two branches, but it can still comfortably seat around 200 diners. The buffet area can be found in the center of the restaurant. The round tables offer the bigger communal hotpot bowls for sharing while the long tables offer individual mini hotpot bowls. Unlike other branches, there are no VIP function rooms in this branch.

I started with the appetizers section where you can find the salad bar and other cold dishes. If you know me, I usually skip this section entirely and head to the more interesting sushi and sashimi stations. They have an assortment of sushi available like the California Maki and the Tokyo Sun Rise.

Salmon and Tuna Sashimi are always on the top of my buffet list so I made sure to get a few slices for myself. These Japanese offerings are really what makes Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot special and I’m glad that they always have this on the menu.

The main attraction at Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot is the green wall of vegetables that you can place inside your steaming hotpot bowl. You can choose your favorite vegetables and ingredients from this beautifully designed area.

Different types of colorful noodles are also available if you want to put more carbs into your hotpot. Take your pick from mushroom noodles, carrot noodles, polonchay noodles, chili noodles and even squid ink noodles!

Now let’s get to the more interesting ingredients for our hotpot. A wide array of dumplings and balls can be found on the chillers like mushroom balls, chicken balls and beef balls so if you can’t decide which ones you like, just get all of them.

Seafood options are also displayed which include gindara and other fresh and delectable fish. Make sure to also grab a few orders of shrimps which are the best items to have inside your hotpot.

Premium meats can be ordered at the Sliced Meat Section and these include Pork Belly, Pork Neck, Lamb, Beef Striploin, Beef Shortplate and Beef Karubi. Just place your order at the counter and they will deliver your plates of meat right to your table.

A hotpot bowl in not complete without adding a few more sauces and ingredients which will serve as a dip to satisfy our taste buds. I usually combine some satay sauce and soy sauce, but you can also ask the servers to prepare a Four Seasons Mix for you if you need some help.

Once you choose your type of soup from the servers, ranging from chicken, satay, pork or sinigang soup, just place all the ingredients you got into the bowl, turn on the heat, and then wait for your hotpot to finish cooking. I really enjoy using the individual hotpot bowls on the table because you can cook everything according to your preference. There’s also no need to fight over that last piece of shrimp.

But Four Seasons is not just all about cooking and hotpots. Taking from their big brother Vikings Luxury Buffet, they also offer a big selection of cooked and prepared dishes which is getting even wider and wider. The Carving Station is always my favorite and I ordered a few slices of their Herb Roast Chuck Eye Roll together with the Garlic & Rosemary Studded Roast Lamb.

They even have Crispy Pata included so I had a few servings of that as well. Ask the server to grill your slices of steak according to your preferred doneness. I usually have my orders done medium so that the pinkish center remains juicy and flavorful.

I didn’t know that you can also ask the servers to grill your shrimps! I just saw them prepare this for the other customers so I also asked them to cook my shrimp in garlic and butter. Now I can have my shrimp two ways, cooked inside the hotpot or grilled with buttery goodness.

There’s actually a third way, because Four Seasons also has Tempura on the menu. These crunchy and delightful tempura are always a sure hit with the guests and I can eat a lot of these in one sitting.

Another fan favorite is the sumptuous and tender Patatim with its thick sauce and even thicker portions of meat. 

One of the highlighted dishes that afternoon was the Corned Beef Karubi specially created by Vikings Executive Chef Von Ragodos. This looks like something that could be presented in a cooking competition. The tender slices of beef karubi are complemented by its sweet and savory sauce.

Finally, the Dessert Station offers a great way to complete your buffet with crepes, kakanin, fruits, frozen yogurt and several flavors of ice cream all at your disposal. 

Don’t forget about the Fondue Station! Dip your fruits, marshmallows, or just about anything else into the chocolate and white chocolate fountain.

Beverages are also included with the buffet so there is really no need to look for anything else. Juices, iced tea, coffee, tea, sodas, beers and frozen Milo Shakes are all here. 

Four Seasons also has its own Birthday Promotion so birthday celebrants can eat for FREE on their exact birthday when accompanied by One full paying adult. They can also dine for FREE during their entire birth month when accompanied by at least Three full paying adults. Whatever the occasion, the entire family and barkada is welcome at Four Seasons Buffet & Hotpot. Those living in the south now don’t have to go all the way to SM Mall of Asia because The Hottest Buffet in the City is now open in SM Southmall.

Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot

Upper Ground Floor, SM Southmall, Alabang-Zapote Road, Las Piñas

556-2777 / (0977) 834-5888 / (0998) 995-9888

www.fourseasonsbuffet.com.ph

www.facebook.com/FourSeasonsSouthmall