Buffets Below 500 Series Part 3: A “Ristorante Bigoli” Review

An Italian breakfast buffet…now that’s something new to my ears.

I was up unusually early last Sunday, partly because my best friend won’t let me oversleep peacefully, and was already up and groggy at 6am (WTF, right?!). Since we’re practically 10 minutes away from Eastwood, she was asking me to have a breakfast buffet at Somethin’ Fishy (it’s also below Php 500.00, around Php 199.00 if I’m not mistaken), and maybe also have a few bottles of beer. Now I’m not really in the mood for alcohol this early on a Sunday morning, so we looked around for other options and found Ristorante Bigoli at Eastwood Citywalk 1.

From its façade you can already tell that Ristorante Bigoli makes an effort to exude an Italian ambiance. Mini “bridges” reminiscent of Italian architecture will greet you at the entrance, and there’s another one strategically positioned on the second floor at the buffet area. The set-up is still fast-food style, although the accents of the place try to recreate an Italian (and also a bit hipster-ish) vibe.

For Php 199.00, you get to have an Italian breakfast buffet from 6am – 10am, from Mondays to Sundays. As expected, the drinks weren’t included, so I had to pay for an extra Php 60.00 for bottomless house iced tea and soda.

Now allow me to take you through what was laid before us that gloomy Sunday morning:

First in line is Rolled Pizza stuffed with Eggsand cheese.
I don’t if it’s just me but doesn’t that make this more of an omelette?

The Panini tasted good – with just the right amount of ham, tomatoes and cheese in every bite-sized sandwich. Right beside it is the pancake station where you can have your pancake freshly prepared upon ordering. I was wishing though that were other fancy ingredients that we could add to our cupcakes like fruits or whipped cream. It is a buffet after all.

Panini

Hot pancakes upon request.

Arroz ala Italiana

Italian Chicken. I liked the distinct taste of Rosemary and Thyme. Of all the food that was served, this was my favorite.

Italian Meatballs in Gravy

Italian Sausage

I know it says “Italian” in the name of the dish but upon closer inspection, it seems it’s not as authentic as it sounds. If I’m not mistaken, Italian sausages were supposed to be bigger, more spicy and more peppery. The one that we had at Bigoli tasted (and felt) more Hungarian than Italian.

There was Corned Beef Hash and some Chicken Tapa too! Okay so apparently, it’s not all Italian after all.

Choose between Alfredo and Bolognese sauces to flavor up your al dente pasta. The sauces could be sourer to appeal more to an Italian palate, although it still tastes decent enough to a regular customer.

Make your own Omelette at the omelette station!

What's on my plate (clockwise):
Frittata, Alfredo pasta, Tuscan Baked Beans with Egg, Arroz ala Italliana, and Corned Beef Hash

There’s a separate table dedicated to the desserts, which are basically just dessert pizzas, fresh fruits, and their so-called tiramisu, which I must say is probably been the biggest disappointment in their lineup. My friend and I were confused because the label clearly says tiramisu, but what was laid before us, as you can see in the pictures, was chocolate flavored oatmeal! It was nowhere near a tiramisu at all.

Do those look like Tiramisu to you?

An Italian buffet sounded very enticing, much more when it’s less than 500 pesos. However, our experience with Ristorante Bigoli was a case where we just got our money’s worth, nothing more. The quality of the food we had was worth Php 199.00, and that’s what we paid for so it’s probably my fault for raising my expectation a bit higher than I should.