During our weekend stay at the Taal Vista Hotel, we were able to sample its trio of in-house restaurants. We were all in full eating gears, and Cafe Veranda took the brunt of our attack head on and held its ground quite impressively.

Cafe Veranda specializes in buffet dining. Its wide dining area is furnished with roomy booths and long tables. The decor is bright and mostly pastel blues and beige. It was somehow both festive and intimate. There are also several tables outdoors, with a sweeping view of the famed Taal Lake.

The cafe serves a wide and varied menu that changes from breakfast to lunch then to dinner. For the breakfast number, there were lots of freshly baked bread, longganisa, danggit, salads, and the cafe's famous champorado. Of course, there's also a pancake and omelette station, plus fried rice and other Pinoy breakfast staples such as tocino and tapa. They are also very generous with the bacon.

The lunch setup takes it up a notch with a pasta and noodle station, and a grilling area. There's also an ice cream bar, and a DIY halo-halo station plus a spread of traditional kakanin. Come dinner, the lechon is brought out (sometimes, bagnet or crispy pata) along with a DIY taco station.

We all enjoyed the daily feasts, and I especially loved that the salad station was always present in all three buffet offerings. I gots to have me some greens, ya know.



Oh, here are the buffet hours and rates: Breakfast: 6:00AM to 11:00; Php950; Lunch: Php1,100 (+Php250 on weekends); Dinner: (Fridays and Saturdays only) Php1,350.

As with all buffets, you gotta get your own food at Cafe Veranda , but the little things like water refill and coffee/tea requests come quickly. The food in the buffet also gets replenished in an instant. And oh, even non-hotel guests are welcome to dine here as well as at any of Taal Vista's restaurants.

The rates might be on the pricey spectrum, but the quantity and the quality more than justify it. The scenic dining experience – you get a front seat to the Taal Lake – is the proverbial cherry on top.

Parking: Lot

Modes of Payment: Cash, Credit Cards

Wi-Fi: Yes