Food Exchange is the all-day dining buffet and a la carte menu restaurant of the newly opened Novotel Manila Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City. With a total capacity of 208 guests, Food Exchange serves international dishes prepared at the live cooking stations by the hotel's international team of chefs.
Consistent with Novotel's new branding, the interior of the restaurant is bright and vibrant with colors and patterns which gives a rather youthful energy that suits the contemporary taste of today's tech-savvy business traveling and no-fuss leisure loving millennials.
Every time we try a new buffet, I usually start with the Japanese station. Here at Food Exchange, they serve sushi, maki and sashimi in different varieties, and they are prepared live in front of the guests.
Here is my Japanese plate with four types of sashimi (tuna, salmon, octopus and mackerel) as well as an assortment of sushi and maki.
Next to the Japanese station is the Appetizer station which features a variety of cold dishes including salads and chilled seafood. Here, you can choose from an assortment of ready-made salads or create your own from a selection of vegetables and dressings.
Chilled shellfish such as shrimps, clams and crabs are perfect for grilling or made into a seafood-based soup. There's also a section featuring Middle Eastern appetizers such as pita served with hummus, baba ghanoush and moutabal.
Freshly cooked pizza is also served at the buffet. They have at least two pizza variants to choose from. There's also a pasta station where you can have your pasta dish customized. Below is the Vegetarian Pizza served at the pizza station while next to it is my plate of freshly cooked Penne alla Putanesca served on our table.
The Mains include Western, Indian, Filipino and Asian dishes while the carving station features various steaks and roasted meat including lechon. Novotel being a global brand that caters to various nationalities, dishes containing pork are properly labeled to warn cultures and religions that prohibit consumption of pork.
Some of the dishes we tried were (clockwise from top left) Ballotine of Chicken with Spinach, Sundried Tomatoes & Ricotta Cheese, Pork & Chorizo Goulash, Lechon, and Steak.
Here is our plate of Greek Salad and a medium-rare steak, a beautiful contrast of colors and a tasteful contradiction of vegetables and meat.
Food Exchange has a station dedicated to Indian cuisine. There's a variety of Tandoori such as roasted chicken, fish, lamb and vegetables, which you can pair with Papadum, Chapati and Biryani.
Here is my Indian plate consisting of fish, chicken and lamb Tandoori, a bowl of Butter Chicken, Chapati and Chicken Biryani. Chef Rajan adjusted the level of spiciness of his dishes so that Filipinos can enjoy them, but if you prefer the authentic spicy Indian version of the dishes, they can prepare a separate serving of the dish adjusted to your liking.
Finally, the Dessert Station is filled with French goodies such as cakes and pastries created by no other than French Pastry Chef Didier Derouet.
Here's what we had for dessert. We tried various cakes and pastries, the what we loved the most were the Praline Opera Cake, the triangular slice of almond sponge cake soaked in coffee, with bits of French praline, layered with chocolate and topped with chocolate glaze. It wasn't too sweet and you could really taste the coffee.
RATES
| Schedule | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | Holiday Eve | Holiday |
| Breakfast | P888 | P888 | P888 | P888 | P888 | P888 | P888 | - - - | P888 |
| Lunch | P1,288 | P1,288 | P1,288 | P1,288 | P1,288 | P1,288 | P1,588 | - - - | P1,588 |
| Dinner | P1,388 | P1,388 | P1,388 | P1,388 | P1,588 | P1,588 | P1,388 | P1,588 | P1,388 |
Rates are nett per person. Sunday & Holiday brunch are at P1,588 nett which includes free flowing sparkling wine and cocktails. Children 12 years old and below eat for FREE, while children with ages 13-17 get to eat at half the price. Reserve a table now by calling (02) 990-7888.
Food Exchange
Novotel Manila Araneta Center
General Aguinaldo Avenue, Araneta Center, Quezon City
Telephone: +63 (02) 990-7888
Email: H7090@accor.com
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