Albeit a day late, I was still able to celebrate my 34th birthday with my family. I decided to treat them to lunch at NIU by Vikings. I have been meaning to bring my family to NIU for ages, and it finally happened after all my birthday plans failed. Hihi. The restaurant is located at SM Aura Premier in BGC, Taguig.
If you’re an avid reader of this blog, then you’re probably aware that we are a family of foodies. Yeah, that includes my two-year-old daughter, Zayne. We go on spontaneous lunch and dinner dates. But more often than not, we go to buffet restaurants to celebrate important occasions. I remember going to NIU years ago as they treated some of the bloggers as part of the Blogapalooza event. But at that time, they only sampled some dishes and the servings were limited. I already knew at that time that they serve good food, but I didn’t realize how massive their food choices are! Rates are on the steep side especially during weekends (PHP1,438 + 5% service charge), but I was able to avail of their birthday promo. Ako ang nanlibre so medyo masakit sa bulsa, pero ang saya saya ng digestive system ko after! HAHAHA!!!
I stopped blogging about buffet restaurants and the buffet breakfast when we go on staycations because I don’t want to disturb other diners. But because we arrived around 11 AM at NIU, I was able to snap a few photos. I only used my chipipay camera phone so I was a bit worried that my photos would be very bad given the dim lighting, but I was so surprised with how the pictures turned out! I guess the people at NIU took their time to make their setup Instagramable. (Pero sorry, ampanget pa rin ng mga pictures ko. Harharhar!)
I wasn’t able to take photos of the entire buffet spread because I only snapped the photos as I was getting food. And because of the very wide array of choices, I wasn’t able to try everything despite staying at NIU until around 1 PM. Hihi! Grabe, ang daming food! Everything looks and tastes really good! I already lost count of how many times we said, “Ang sarap” while we were having lunch!
Do not miss the carving station if you want to make the most out of your NIU experience! I saw the group of diners seated next to us eat nothing but steaks! I think we ate a ton of beef and lamb!
I always have my steaks cooked well-done. Sorry, steak lovers. I know it’s a mortal sin to eat steak that way, but I’m grossed out with seeing hints of blood in my meat. This is why it’s always a delight for me to eat steaks that are still tender even if cooked well-done! Sa beef and ribs pa lang, sulit na e. Sobrang sarap din ng mga sauces!
Fiesta feelz with NIU’s Binusog na Lechon. Ow-em-geeh! Ayan lang ang nasabi ko!
If you’re like my younger brother and sister-in-law who are big Japanese food lovers, then you’ll definitely love the spread at NIU. Their rice rolls and sashimi are awesome!Ang dami kong nakain na sashimi!Huhuhu!
Not many of you know that my father is half-Chinese. This is why I always make it a point to check out the Chinese station of every buffet restaurant I’ve been to. Madalas nga tambay lang ako sa Chinese at Japanese stations sa mga buffets. Nyaha!
We got to try some of their dumplings. I got Zayne a bowl of mami, and she finished it! Side story: The staff member who led us to our seats emphasized that Zayne gets to eat for free. I chuckled. I was like, “You have no idea what my two-year-old daughter is capable of!” Wahaha!!!
NIU also has separate stations for pizza and pasta. I only got to try pesto for Zayne. (Nag-mami na, nag pesto pa siya! Hihi!) It was okay until I reached the bottom of the bowl where all the oil settled in. The pesto I cook at home is on the “drier” side that’s why NIU’s version wasn’t exactly a hit for my taste buds.
Our family loves shabu shabu! I’m glad that NIU has a DIY shabu shabu station. Diners have the option to choose whatever from the spread, and they’ll cook it for you. We consumed two pots that day! Because of the different choices of meat, vegetables, soups and condiments, your options are limitless! I fell ill days before my 34th birthday. I was still recuperating when we went to NIU, and I really have a feeling that their shabu shabu helped me feel better! Hihi.
NIU even offers dishes that Filipinos do not usually get to eat on a daily basis. Take this turkey as an example. Hindi naman Thanksgiving pero may turkey sila. Harharhar! I remember trying to cook the turkey I bought from S&R. Hindi na ako umulit. It turned out to be bland and really dry. Bakit ang turkey ng NIU, masarap? Hihihi!
I somehow felt that eating at NIU is like “travelling” to other countries without the need of a passport and a visa. Instead, you’re required an empty tummy and receptive taste buds!
NIU has a long strip of choices dedicated for desserts! I think NIU has the best and most number of dessert choices among all the buffet restaurants that I’ve tried. They have ice cream, gelato, yogurt, cakes, pastries, cookies, kakanin and a lot more! I wasn’t able to take photos of everything because Zayne was already past her nap time by the time we were having desserts. Everything I tried (and I did try a LOT) was sooooooo yummmeeeh!!!
I was already so full, but my tummy made some room for desserts. I tried to have a little bit of everything. Surprisingly, the yummiest and the one thing that I remembered the most among all the sweet treats I had was the chocolate chip cookies! IKR?! I could not even believe it. Wala nga akong picture e. Hihi! I usually skip cookies in the desserts spread, but I wanted something sweet to pair with my cup of coffee. It turned out to be a perfect choice!
I was given a birthday cake. I remember the staff member who assisted us asked me to spell out my name. I spelled it out, and I saw her emphasize the letter T on her paper. Ayun, naiwan yata ‘yung T sa papel ni Ate. Hihi. Sanay naman na ako! :p
Too full to even bother getting a decent family picture -_-
NIU by Vikings
Level 6 SM Aura Premier
Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig City
* All photos were taken with an Asus Zenfone Selfie
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