Blackbeard's Seafood Island: Sumptuous Seafood Feast for the Entire Family

Back in my high school years, when I would spend my summer vacation over at my uncle's place in Muntinlupa, he and my aunt would occasionally take me to her parent's house in Ayala Alabang and just before going home, we would drop by Alabang Town Center (ATC) to see and get something either for ourselves or for their house. It's been ages since the last time I went to ATC. So when I was given the chance to check the place out, with my blogger friends this time, I didn't hesitate to go. But other than the sights and the shops, our mission was centered solely on food. We were there to sample the offerings of Blackbeard's Seafood Island, another awesome restaurant under the Red Crab Group.



For this food trip, I had quite high expectations as I have tried eating at other Red Crab restaurants before (John Bamboo and The Flying Pig). As it turned out, my expectations were met and our Sunday lunch was a gastronomic success.

The dishes on our table:

Pinoy Nachos, P165


Steamed Lapu-Lapu, starts at P999


Sampler de Grande, P685


Tali Beach, P1150 (5 to 6 persons)


Prawns in Chili and Garlic, P425


Let's do the Liempo, P185


Crispy Sisig con Bagnet, 195


Pakbet de Vigan with Bagnet, P240


Pork BBQ (5 pcs.), P220


Ensalatang Urdaneta, P175

Among the dishes served to us which were mostly Pinoy favorites, the stand-outs for me were the Halaan Soup (the perfect way to warm my body and whet my appetite!), the Garlic and Cheese Overload Oysters (ate more than my share of this seafood that was oozing with cheesy goodness!), the Crispy Diniguan (loved the crispy chicken intestines and the tantalizingly sour sauce!) and the Tuna and Crabmeat Sisig (rich in yummy seafood meat and had just the right kick from the chilies!). I must have liked the food so much because I was already asking for rice even if we we we're still into appetizers! Funny but true. Haha. When the entrees came, I had to limit my rice intake or run the risk of getting bloated with all the food in front of me. Hay, I could only eat so much food.

San Mig Clams, 145


Garlic & Cheese Overload Oysters, P295

Crispy Dinuguan Classic, P290


Tuna and Crabmeat Sisig, P250

Our desserts had a Pinoy touch. It's called 2nd Floor and consisted of suman (glutinous rice cake), ripe mango slices, banana turon and palitao with a glass of vanilla ice cream in the middle. This came in a big platter and was perfect for sharing.


2nd Floor, P320

Blackbeard's Seafood Island is the place to go for families (or group of friends) who would like to celebrate milestones over a seafood feast. Their food come in big servings that partaking of them is a no-brainer. They even offer boodle combos (prices start at P675 for a group of 3-4 persons) that are sure to unleash the "happy eater" in you. If you're fond of seafood and some grilled meats, the restaurant has a lot of dishes to choose from depending on your budget and of course, appetite.



To wash down all the seafood goodness, I suggest getting the perfect drink. Mine was a tall glass of fresh guyabano juice. I love, love, love guyabano! It's not just thirst-quenching but also packed with nutrients (some are known to have cancer-fighting properties). It was too sweet for my liking, though. (I think it'd be great if the staff at the bar would go easy with their sugar/syrup.) They also serve cocktails and other alcoholic beverages because they also double as a bar at night.





While the ambience at Blackbeard's Seafood Island is cozy and laidback with a tropical beach mood, the service was warm, fast and friendly.



The man behind the restaurant's extensive seafood menu, on the other hand, is John Paul Sentero. We met him during our sumptuous lunch and he was kind enough to answer our food-related questions and take his photo with us.



Our group was among the first diners to arrive in the restaurant and I was surprised to see that after we have settled on our table, people started coming in to eat. With the many restaurants that dot the second level of ATC, I think Blackbeard's Seafood Island stands out because of one thing: their delightful seafood feast that's perfect for the entire family. Seriously, I can't wait to go back.



To check out the complete menu of Blackbeard's Seafood Island, click here.

If Alabang is far from your place, you'll be happy to know that Blackbeard's Seafood Island also has branches in TriNoma, Market! Market!, Cubao (Shopwise), Eastwood City and Greenbelt 3.

To know about the other restaurants under the Red Crab group, visit the official Red Crab website.

Blackbeard's Seafood Island
2nd Level, Corte de Palmas
Alabang Town Center
Alabang, Muntinlupa City


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Ocean's Surf Buffet at Marriot Hotel: A Seafood Feast for All

I'm not one to eat at cafes inside hotels on a regular basis but whenever I do, I make sure it's gonna be something worth remembering and raving about to friends. Aside from the beautiful and well-designed interiors, what attract me to posh hotels are their buffets. I'm frugal, you know. Buffets allow people like me to enjoy as much dishes as I want without the guilt. But unlike the rich, I eat at buffets only during special occasions (like when Edwin and I had a satisfying Century Park Hotel dinner buffet on our 5th anniversary) and when getting invites from friends. The latter was the case last Friday when Marriott Hotel Manila invited food bloggers to sample their Ocean Surf's Seafood Buffet at their in-house restaurant, Marriott Cafe. It was a night of pure gastronomic pleasure and good company. The food alone made me glad I came.

Marriott Hotel is one among the three posh hotels housed at the Resorts World Complex in Pasay City. It's the world-class entertainment complex fronting the NAIA 3. It was my first time to visit the place and I must say, it's really vast and beautiful.

PRESS RELEASE
Dive into an entire buffet spread of ocean treasures prepared just the way you like it as Marriott Café brings Ocean’s Surf. Combining the finest of seafood and meat choices, it will surely stimulate another exciting weekend of gastronomic dinner with the whole family for only Php1750nett.

The Menu:
Seafood appetizer Buffet
Lavish arrangement of fresh rock lobsters, oysters, clams, shrimps
Seafood salads and appetizer

Japanese Section
Selection of fresh sushi and sashimi
Nori and California rolls
With condiments and sides

American salad bar with crispy greens and condiments

Food Variety at the Hot line

Steamed or grilled
Wide spread of seafood in any shape
Prepared blanched in delicious shell fish broth or grilled with various dips and sauces

Carving station
Juicy roasts from beef and lamb
Fresh from Rotisserie
Catch of the day

Soup counter
Lobster bisque with red crabmeat

Pasta al gusto
An all-time favorite, create your own dish
Stuffed ravioli with shrimps
Homemade Tortellini with Tune mousse

Chinese barbecue and dim sum
Watch the talented Dim Sum Chef and try his freshly prepared dim sum
BBQ pork and marinated chicken and Beijing style duck
Live shrimps cooked a la minute

Assorted bread’s and crusty rolls

Fruit arrangement with whole and sliced fruits

Decadent dessert arrangement
Italian ice cream bar
The chocolate fondue
“Dip It”, pineapple and other fruity things covered in premium chocolate

Ocean’s Surf will be available every Friday and Saturday dinner at PHP 1,750nett for adults and PHP 875nett for children. Children below 12 get in for half the price while children below 6 get in for free!

Marriott Cafe is ideally located at the lobby of Marriott Hotel Manila. Open daily from 6:30am to 11:00pm it offers a sumptuous local and international breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner buffet and irresistible a la carte menu. For more information and reservations, please call (632)988-9999, find us on face book or visit www.marriott.com/mnlap.

Here are some of the highlights of the Ocean Surf's Seafood buffet at Marriott Cafe:







I couldn't believe I ate a lot that night. As in I made it to Round 7. Haha. But then, isn't that what buffets want us to do? Indulge in food and so indulge I did.


I started off my dinner with this bowl of steaming hot chicken noodle soup whose ingredients I personally chose. I got it from the Chinese food station. I liked how the bitter-sweet taste of the roasted onions complemented the flavors of the togue, century egg, shrimps, chicken, beef and garlic. The soup was delicious, too.


Next was this serving of ravioli in pesto sauce. It was a bit on the salty side and it must have been because of the pesto sauce. But the ravioli in itself was good, with just the right cream and gooeyness from the ravioli.


I'm not a big fan of seafood but I just have to try 'em all. They are the highlight of the night, after all. So I got this plate and filled it with a little bit of everything. I had the kitchen staff heat it and when it was done, I ate with gusto. Everything was fresh, juicy and sweet. Just the way I liked my seafood to be.


For my fourth plate, ehem, I got some pizza, steak, fish finger, baked mussels and buttered veggies. The thin crust seafood pizza was satisfyingly good. I had to fight myself against getting another slice. The steak, on the other hand, was tender and juicy. The special dip for the fish finger (which happened to be from a huge lapu-lapu as you can see on one of the photos above) was addicting.


This was to appease a part of my stomach that longed to eat Japanese and Chinese food. Just your regular tempura and maki; the siomais were flavorful. I like all siomais because I'm a siomai lover. Haha.


This is my personal dessert platter. But I shared some with Superfriend Nice lest I'd get diabetes. The cheesecake was superb, not too sweet and with just the right amount of cream cheese. The carrot cake was good, too. I liked that it was nutty and gooey. While my other blogger friends had fun dipping their fruits in the chocolate fountain, I preferred mine as is.


I capped off my meal that night with three delicious scoops of Italian gelato in three different flavors namely Palawan Walnut Honey, Maracaibo Chocolate and Mixed Berries. I especially like the chocolate one, the Mascar- thing, because of its rich native chocolate flavor. It's like they sourced it straight from the Aztecs of South America. Yum.


Special mention to the blue lemonade we had for drinks. It was unique and refreshing. When availing of this buffet, you should order it to better appreciate all the glorious food you're about to feast on.


our group

We went on a Friday and as expected, people started coming in later that night. The diners are a mixed crowd composed of couples, barkadas, families and some foreigners who looked like hotel guests to me.




The verdict? A big thumb's up! The seafood buffet at Marriott Cafe was indeed a feast to the senses. The wide selection of food (aside from seafood) makes it worth the seemingly high price tag. As they say, quantity meets quality. 

Special thanks to Marriot Hotel Manila, Marriott Cafe, Savannah Santiago and my blogger friend  Alex Dizon for this awesome blogger treat. :)

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