The Vikings Invade Cebu as Vikings Luxury Buffet Opens at SM City Cebu
Vikings Luxury Buffet continues its expansion towards the South as it conquers the hearts and tummies of Cebuanos with the opening of Vikings Cebu. The 9th branch of the most popular and widely-loved buffet restaurant from Metro Manila now makes its charge to the bustling city of Cebu as it held the grand opening of Vikings Cebu last May 10, 2016. I was incidentally in Cebu just two weeks ago for a summer vacation so it was destiny for me to take a look and visit the newest branch of my favorite luxury buffet restaurant.
Just like I did during my Davao vacation when I went straight to Vikings SM Lanang Premiere for lunch right after arriving at the airport, my first activity in Cebu was also to have dinner at Vikings. I am proud to say that The Hungry Kat is probably the only guest right now to have visited all 9 Vikings outlet across the country including the branches in Davao, Bacolod, BF Paranaque and now Vikings Cebu. How is that for loyalty?
All Vikings Luxury Buffet branches have their own unique elegant themes and designs. Vikings Cebu is located at the second floor of SM Cebu North Wing and it features a chic and modern look, with clean white colors and splashes of glass and crystal fixtures.
The restaurant can seat a total of 384 diners with its 11 buffet stations serving a wide variety of international cuisines ranging from Japanese, Korean, Chinese, American and other notable dishes. Vikings is the largest buffet restaurant in the country and no one ever goes home hungry when they visit this place.
Private VIP function rooms are also available which can hold around 20 guests for those more intimate gatherings.
I was really hungry from my trip so the first station that I attacked was the Chinese station to get my favorite Hakao and dimsum. Roasted duck, Sweet and Sour Pork, Pata Tim and other delicious Chinese dishes are also on display here.
The Japanese station was next on my list for a few slices of salmon and tuna sashimi. They also have several kinds of sushi and rolls plus freshly cooked Tempura which is always a busy station filled with excited guests.
Over at the Grilling Station, you can get as much seafood as you want on your plate and have it freshly grilled and delivered straight to your table. Shrimp, mussels, shells, salmon, tuna and other notable seafood selections are here as well as beef and pork skewers which you can also request.
Since we are here in the South, Vikings Cebu features several dishes that are more popular with the Muslim community like the Beef Rendang and the Mussaman Curry Chicken which are more common in Malaysia or Indonesia.
One station I found which I do not see in the Metro Manila branches is the Greek Station which offers a variety of Mediterranean dishes like the Saganaki and the Moussaka which is a baked eggplant with ground beef. It’s truly an international lineup here at Vikings Cebu.
But the most important station that distinguishes Vikings Cebu from the rest is definitely the one that showcases Cebu’s most popular food item, the Lechon. My entire Cebu trip was highlighted by a lechon-hopping itinerary where I continuously feasted on lechon for lunch and dinner and this was the beginning of that sumptuous journey.
Cebu’s Lechon is really much better that the one’s we have in Manila. The skin is crispier and has that loud cracking sound with every bite. The flesh is also tastier, such that they do not need to offer the usual lechon sauce we always eat our lechons with. What they use is soy sauce and that’s it. I really gained a lot of weight form my Cebu trip and I blame it all on the Lechon.
Another familiar item that we always have right after big celebrations is the Lechon Paksiw. Vikings Cebu cleverly named this as The Day After Christmas and we all know that left-over lechon is still as good when prepared this way.
If it’s beef that you are craving for, then head over to the Carving Station where you can have endless servings of Beef Entrecote Steak that you can have grilled according to your preferred level of doneness. I always have mine cooked medium to preserve its tenderness.
Vikings Cebu also has the Garlic and Rosemary Studded Leg of Lamb and the US Roasted Beef Ribs at the Carving Station and hungry carnivores will definitely find what they want here.
The man in charge of Vikings Luxury Buffet’s smorgasbord is Executive Chef Anton Abad who made sure that everything was running smoothly during their first week of operations. I first met Chef Anton in Manila but now he is based in Davao where he oversees the Vikings branches in the South. I was already happy eating my way through the buffet selection at Vikings Cebu but he offered to show me a few other dishes that will be showcased at the restaurant in the future.
He did not have a name for this appetizer yet but it was really good. This crunchy chicken roll is topped with beans and tomatoes and doused in peri peri and corn garlic sauce.
Next was this beautifully-plated Seafood Cocktail on the Rocks with a combination of crab, mussels and shrimp served with lemon and a slightly sweet sauce.
I was surprised with the Fire and Ice which has fresh salmon on top of a mango sorbet with crab strips. Chef Anton told me to eat it all in one bite to get the complete “fire and ice” experience so I did. The very cold mango sorbet was highlighted even more by the spicy ingredient on the salmon. I’m not so fond of spicy food but thankfully it was just a small amount or else I would have been breathing fire from my nose.
Lastly, they also brought out the Tenderloin Steak with Truffle Oil and Hummus served on this huge rock plate. The very tender beef was just so delicious and the hummus in truffle oil gives it an added flavor that I had not seen elsewhere. Chef Anton loves to experiement with his dishes so I was delighted to be one of his guinea pigs that night.
After all those treats, there is still always room for dessert. Vikings Cebu also has a wide selection of cakes, pastries, ice cream, yogurt, crepes, donuts and just about anything else you can think of. You even have overflowing beverages including sodas, juices, fresh shakes, draft beer and even Japanese sake which are all included in the buffet price as well.
Cebuanos really have all the reason to cheer with the opening of Vikings Cebu. There is really no other buffet restaurant in the country that can rival the quality and selection of Vikings Luxury Buffet. They also have an opening promo where Instagram Followers of Vikings can get a 25% discount on their bill from May 27 to June 9. So hurry and head over to Vikings Cebu because it is finally your turn to #EatLikeAViking!
VIKINGS CEBU
2/F SM City Cebu North Wing, North Reclamation Area, Cebu City
