Quezon City's Newest Hotspot: Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot Opens in Araneta Center

Nothing like a comforting hot pot and a sumptuous buffet, all in one place. Quezon City has a new foodie hotspot...

Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot, now open at Manhattan Parkview in Araneta Center, offers some of the freshest and most extensive buffet selection for a memorable hotpot dining experience. And it's no surprise, Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot is another concept from the group behind Vikings Luxury Buffet and NIU by Vikings, so you can expect the same level of quality and service here at its newest branch.

With the success of Four Seasons Hotpot City at Mall of Asia, it's great to see a second branch open in the north. Located at the ground floor of the new Manhattan Parkview, Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot combines everything you love about Four Seasons and Vikings, an impressive hotpot and buffet spread in one location. 

The friendly staff is always ready to assist, whether dining for two or a party of twenty, Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot can accommodate all your dining requirements. The new branch is spacious with a convenient layout for the buffet and hotpot spread that's easy to navigate.

The bright interiors add a comforting warmth, with a dominant white palette paired with light grey and earth tones. Visible signage identify each of the stations and different sections of the buffet spread surrounding the wide open dining area. But if you're looking for more privacy, Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot has private dining rooms. 

Inside the exclusive private rooms, one can find specially designed tables with individual pots for your own hotpot on a glass-topped burner with temperature settings at your fingertips, complete with ladles and tongs. Tabletop dining is leveled up at Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot.

For your hotpot, choose from a wide assortment of fresh greens and vegetables, plus an equally impressive variety of tofu and dumplings. The wide range of fresh ingredients all combine for a rich and flavorful hotpot. Hotpot is all about building layers of flavors, and Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot has everything you need.
   

Black tofu and cheese dumplings, there's always something new to try and discover at Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot. Including all kinds of colorful noodles, from soft and chewy Korean-style vermicelli noodles to the brightly colored Carrot Noodles (R)...

...to the flat Polanchay Noodles...

...and comforting Egg Noodles. Just like my first time at Four Seasons (for more on the first branch, Four Seasons Hotpot City at Mall of Asia, check out my previous post here), the spread alone at Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot is an experience in itself.

At the fresh Seafood Station, you'll find fresh fish, shrimps, crab claws, and clams (L) and even Mantis Shrimps (R) sorted in small trays and bowls, ready to be loaded in your tray. You'll probably need a second tray, even a third, for your first haul of fresh seafood. 

After loading up on fresh seafood, go for some assorted meats, including offals and assorted sausages (R) to complete your hotpot. Loading up on fresh and varied ingredients helps build layers of flavors on your hotpot, with each ingredient adding its own distinct flavor.

Your hotpot dining experience at Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot begins with the broth of your choice. At Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot, the selection of signature broth include Pork Soup, Chicken Soup, Chinese Herb, Fish Soup, Sinigang Soup, Sukiyaki, Sate, Haidilao Pickled Vegetable, Haidilao Mushroom Paste, and Haidilao Mala Paste. The Pork, Chicken and Fish Soups offer milder flavors that serve as an ideal base for your hotpot. The Chinese Herb and Sinigang Soup have a more pronounced flavor  profile, while the remaining soup stocks offer more intense notes.

Why not have some appetizers before your hotpot, like some freshly prepared sushi and sashimi at the Japanese Station. Just like Vikings Luxury Buffet and Four Seasons Hotpot City in Mall of Asia, you can find a wide assortment of sushi and sashimi in all kinds of colors, so pick up a tray and load up... 

...with fresh salmon and a variety of assorted sushi and rolls. You may have to restrain yourself at some point, with so much more to try and discover at the buffet spread. But then again, go ahead and go with the flow...

Complete your hotpot dining experience at Four Seasons with the perfect dipping sauce. At the sauce station, you'll find everything you need to make your own sauce. You'll also find a guide in creating the sauce, and here's a quick recipe for the Four Seasons Mix: 2-3 tbsp sate sauce, 1 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp black vinegar, 1 tsp fresh minced garlic, 1 tsp fried garlic, shabu-shabu sauce (to taste), soy sauce (to taste), fresh wansuy leaves, and chili peppers. Mix all the ingredients together and you're ready for your hotpot, Four Seasons style.

I start with a tray of fresh greens, vegetables, enoki mushrooms, tofu and an assortment of dumplings and balls, including some seafood sausages.

Start with loading the assorted balls and dumplings to your hotpot, one piece at a time, and allow to simmer. The bubbly broth, set on high, should cook the dumplings in five minutes or less. Then load the fresh greens and vegetables. The base stock is then infused with flavors.

For the second round, I go for some seafood, egg noodles and more fresh vegetables. And for the third round, trays of thinly sliced pork, lamb, and beef to complete my hotpot. The trays of pork, lamb, and beef add that final layer of flavor. Your soup stock is now ready...

As you open the lid, the fresh and fragrant aroma rises from your hotpot, with all the ingredients transformed with bright and vivid colors. The seafood, vegetables and dumplings are ready. Slowly pick up the assorted ingredients and dip in the special sauce. Perfect.

The assorted cuts of meat infuses its rich flavors to the broth for the second round, adding its own layer of flavorful notes. Within minutes, the assorted meats are cooked, ready for the special dipping sauce.

Once your hotpot goes through a variety of ingredients, the rich layers of flavors are already infused, and your broth is ready for some noodles. The fresh ingredients provide pure and clean flavors, and that's key in creating your hotpot. After a few bowls, repeat the process and go for another round. Or you can indulge in the buffet spread...

At the Grill Station,  you can also find fresh seafood and skewered meats, all ready for grilling. Simply pick up a plate and choose your items and hand it to the station chefs who will gladly grill it for you. Your plate of grilled seafood and meat is then served to your table, fresh from the hot grill.

At the Carving Station, get your fill of the sumptuous Roast Chuck Eye Roll (L) and Roast Turkey (R), along with other savory meats like Roast Lamb, Roast Beef, and Stuffed Lechon. It's a touch of Vikings Luxury Buffet at Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot...

You can also find fresh oysters on the half shell at the buffet spread, pick a few oysters and have it baked with cheese by the station chefs. The wide variety of flavors and dishes at Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot is a visual feast for both the eyes and palate, and it would probably take several more visits to try everything on the impressive spread. The never-empty displays at the buffet spread allow you to enjoy the selection at your own pace, with no need to rush.

Cap your feast with some sweet treats from the Dessert Station with its equally impressive selection of elegant pastries. That evening, local desserts were also freshly prepared by the station chefs, great when paired with a freshly brewed cup of coffee at the beverage station.

Freshly prepared Puto Bumbong and Bibingka add a festive local flavor to your sumptuous feast at Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot.

You can also swirl your own fresh Yogurt at the Dessert Station and sprinkle it with your favorite toppings.

Then, there's the classic Taho, velvety smooth silken tofu with tapioca pearls draped in a sweet syrup for another perfect ending to your feast at Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot. The wide variety of fresh ingredients for your hotpot and the equally extensive buffet selection combine for a gastronomic one-two punch at Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot, and these guys know how to do buffets. And the best part? You can enjoy all these for only P 688 for weekday lunches and P 888 for weekday dinners, weekends, and holidays, for the freshest and widest buffet and hotpot selections this side of the metro. Open every day for lunch at 11am to 2:30pm, and for dinner from 5:30pm to 10pm, Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot is definitely among QC's newest and hottest dining destinations.

Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot is located at the Ground Floor, Manhattan Parkview, General Roxas Avenue, Araneta Center, Quezon City or call 932-7777 and 939-7777 for more information. You can also visit their site at http://www.fourseasonshotpot.com.ph/ for more details and updates.

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