Do Not Go to the Liquid Lunch Buffet at Manila Ocean Park

Photo credit: Metrodeal.com

Haha, clickbait!

The Metrodeal Promo

OK, OK, this isn’t entirely a clickbait because I didn’t really enjoy dining at The Liquid Pool and Lounge at Manila Ocean Park. The promo via Metrodeal already expired so I’m going to tell you that you’ve been saved from having a horrible experience at this restaurant. If ever the promo will be up for grabs again, this blog post would be a fair warning to those who plan to eat at the said diner.

The deal was valued at 500php but because of the 56% discount, my sister only paid 220php for each voucher. Good deal, eh? Haha, after experiencing it last week, I just thought that it was just fair for my sister that we use up the vouchers instead of not going at all and wasting a couple of thousand php.

She bought 10 because she intended to treat our balikabayan relatives last January. This idea was only on-a-whim so the initial plan never really happened. My sister just used up a few vouchers with her friends and after a few days, my family exhausted the remaining (though there were still a couple of vouchers left).

About the Liquid Lunch Buffet

Photo credit: lapiz-lazuli

The following excerpt was taken from the Metrodeal Liquid Lunch Buffet page:

Have a sumptuous four-course Filipino and Asian Fusion lunch buffet at Manila Ocean Park's Liquid Pool and Lounge, and enjoy a refreshing view of Liquid indoor pool and outdoor jacuzzi while dining with your loved ones. Crafted to scrumptious perfection by expertly trained chefs, the liquid lunch buffet is guaranteed to pamper your palate as your taste buds swim through the sea of gastronomical delight.

Photo credit: lapiz-lazuli

The Redemption Booth

My sister already ate with her friends a few days after tagging me along just last Saturday. She said that the line was really long and I was imagining around 50 people falling in line at the redemption booth. To my surprise, the queue looked like a slithering snake! I think more than 200 people were in the queue. It was a hot day; there were industrial fans bolted up on the sides of the area but it wasn’t enough.

I bought some refreshments so it helped us feeling a bit cool. After a while, my sister pointed that after we trade our vouchers for paper wristbands, we need to line up again, this time at the entrance of the restaurant. Here’s a video of the long line at the redemption booth and another long line at the entrance of the restaurant:

Video credit: lapiz-lazuli

I gave up that time. I said that we’d just have to come back earlier tomorrow. We just toured around the hallways inside the building and bought us finger food for lunch. There were many food stalls inside so there were lots to choose from.

The Waiting Area

Photo credit: lapiz-lazuli

Next morning my sister went earlier to redeem the vouchers for stubs (paper wristbands). After an hour, she texted us that she got the stubs but we still need to wait for our table. Another hour had passed and she texted that our reservation has already been called but we’re still on the road. When we arrived, the receptionist was calling out the 89th reservation. My sister was furious that time with us being late (we’re 71st), but the guy-in-charge was kind enough to let us proceed to our table.

Photo credit: lapiz-lazuli

The Food and Drinks

Photo credit: lapiz-lazuli

This is where the joke begins. For me, at least. The promo did say that it was a four-course meal, and yet I still find the selection absurd. I think I can remember the menu: plain rice, pansit, carbonara, pineapple-chicken (without the pineapple), breaded pork, menudo, carrot-corn-pea side dish, soup, nachos (for appetizer), pineapple, watermelon, pandan, and fruit salad.

Have I told you that the free beverage is only water? Yeah, if you want Coke or Juice, you can buy it at the lounge.

Photo credit: lapiz-lazuli

I didn’t eat soup, rice, pancit and the pineapple chicken without the pineapple. My carbonara serving was quite big—blame my inaccuracy--so I didn’t manage to finish up my plate. The food was only so-so, something you might get from a carinderia, but it was eat-all-you-can buffet. Nonetheless, I didn’t go for seconds, probably because of the small selection.

Photo credit: lapiz-lazuli

I liked the nachos because it was thin and crispy but the dip was cheaply made of only catsup and mayonnaise. The sister said the pineapple was sweet and easy to chew but I was full that time so I wasn’t able to taste the pineapple. The pandan, even though without coconut meat, was my favorite, even if it was virtually tasteless; what? I love kaong (sugar palm fruit) and gulaman (jelly)…

The Stingray Encounter

Photo credit: lapiz-lazuli

After resting our tummy, we went to the pool beside the restaurant to hold some stingrays. The voucher said sharks and stingrays, but there were no sharks on that pool, probably of some mishap? The last time I went to the oceanarium was years back and I think the sharks they were referring to was the white tip reef shark because there were only about 5 feet long. They’d fit in the pool beside the diner.

Anyway, I enjoyed holding the top surface of the stingrays. Park attendants lift the stingrays while on water so you could touch their surfaces. The rays were really calm and wouldn’t mind hands touching them. In my opinion, they were really big (for a stingray). They were also slimy. We were just careful to not mess with their tails because Steve Irwin quickly died in that fashion. Big rays have a blunt tail, but near their tails are a sharp protrusion.

Video credit: lapiz-lazuli

There were no lines at the stingray encounter but only one side of the pool is accessible for holding, so if you want to hold one, you need to squeeze your way in. Some people get easily bored so they quickly leave the area. You can swim with the fishes and stingrays, but there’s a separate charge for that. Children usually avail of this deal.

There was a sealion show when we went at the stingray pool. We got a little glimpse of the sealions doing all sorts of things (like clapping and ball balancing), so I think we really paid for more than we bargain for after all.

Photo credit: lapiz-lazuli

I was really happy going to Manila Ocean Park that day, even though I shelled out nothing. Wouldn’t mind eating at a so-so buffet restaurant for free.

Here's a little Querlo survey should you wish to visit Manila Ocean Park:

Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, photos and videos are not property of lapiz-lazuli. This writeup is original and written by lapiz-lazuli.