Overall an amazing dining experience to cap off our Philippines vacation.
For starters, we knew about this restaurant prior to travelling to the Philippines (due in part to following food Vlogger and Youtuber, Mikey Chen). The popularity, alone, of this restaurant was enough for it to make it onto our "to-do-list" during my family's visit to the Philippines. So whether it was at the beginning of our trip or at the end, we knew we had dine at this restaurant!
For anyone who is familiar with travelling in and around Metro Manila/Manila, Philippines (or walked outside of NAIA for more than a minute, in fact), there is a "learned" degree of patience when it comes to sitting in traffic. However, due to the location (in Pasay) of the restaurant, it is relatively close to the airport. Not only that, but Pasay, itself, somehow manages to escape this cardinal traffic condition that affects the majority of the metropolis. Therefore, your pre-meal anxiety sitting in traffic is less severe, if you so choose to select Spiral for your dining experience in Manila.
The restaurant is located within the premise of the Sofitel Hotel/Resort grounds, which is in itself another marvel. To get to the restaurant, you simply enter through the main entrance of the hotel, and more or less walk straight until you are met with a rather grand spiral staircase (there are escalators available to access the various floors of the hotel to include the restaurant if you are unable to traverse the stairs) and an "overhead" view of the dining area. At the time we went, they had just setup their Christmas tree in preparation for the festivities to come in December around which the staircase wrapped perfectly. Needless to say, the "feng shui" was very pleasing to the eye.
The staff were most friendly and accommodating to our needs. We were greeted with respect and kindness (despite we were way under dressed compared to some of the other patrons who were adorned with Santa Clara style and Barong attire). We were promptly seated and began our hassle free dining experience.
In terms of buffet, I believe Spiral represents the pinnacle of what you can achieve in terms of style of dining. Along with the virtues of quality and delivering food with minimal waste, Spiral has perfected not only the "buffet" experience, but dining in general.
The varieties and offerings of food mainly derive from and focus on Asian cuisines (Filipino, Chinese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, etc.), however, the patron will also find Italian and French tastings, an acclimatized cheese and charcuterie room, salad bar, and bakery and confectionery station. Oh, and not to mention that each of these stations are complimented with a staff of cuisine specialist whom stand ready to tailor some of the tastings to your personal preference. Simply stating, the buffet delivers the awe and grandeur when it comes to visual appeal, whilst offering a surprisingly inviting feel to the patrons.
Toward the end of our dining experience, a group of select staff sealed the deal on our complete and overwhelming liking of Spiral. It was my daughter's birthday, and the staff at Spiral served her a personalized cake topped with a candle, and personalized message. Not only that, but Rey C., Pia, Francois, Derlin, and Anne-Sophie delivered an American Idol's worthy rendition of the Happy Birthday song for my daughter and family. Thank you to Rey C, Pia, Francois, Derlin, and Anne-Sophie for making this one of the best dining experiences for my family! (They took a picture of my family, and presented it in a personalized birthday card upon which they each signed! Awesome!).
This is a definite must visit for anyone going to the Philippines! We are most definitely stopping here again on our next Philippines trip! (ref. review on TA) read more