Dining at Thunderbird

Dining:

Right at the hotel’s building is Olives. It is where the guests avail of their breakfast buffet and so did we. I am such a night owl that I only catch breakfast whenever I am on vacation (sometimes, not even). I love breakfast food though. Something as common as cereals and sunny side-up eggs make me happy already. The breakfast at Olives has enough choices for everyone.

They offer hot congee with various toppings and an array of hot Filipino Breakfast favourites such as vigan longganisa and tocino. There was bacon and some other hot food to warm your stomachs first thing in the morning. There was an omelette station which I love because I get to pick what goes with my eggs. Good enough choices of bread such as croissant, muffins, raisin, wheat and white breads are available. There were also different kinds of cereals. Hungry still? Fret not, a few cheeses are available (I liked the one with some herbs in it but I don’t have an idea what cheese it was), a salad bar, tropical fruits and juices. (Okay I got hungry all of a sudden, excuse the blurry photos, I didn’t have my flash with me then and it was too early, my brain was not working yet).

One afternoon, we were treated for some slices of pizzas from their wood-fired stone oven. Thunderbird had us taste the Pizza Ilokano (Php 400) which had vigan longganisa, tocino, tuna together with the usual tomato, mozzarella and onions. The pizza itself being thin crust was really good. I found the flavour to be on the sweet side but it sure was a different take on the food. This is good to order to get a taste of the local food.

Pizza Quattro Stagioni (Php 470) had olives, artichoke hearts, parma ham, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. I have to admit, it looked really good. Olives are my favourites (oh, it reminded me of España again) so anything with it I’ll enjoy. I wish they threw in some capers as well for a kick-ass taste.

Vegas Café is located at the same building as the Fiesta Casino. The restaurant offers all sorts of dishes mainly Asian but there are some food off the grill as well. Casino players usually are the ones who eat here (understandably, of course).

I had the following:

Surf and Turf (Php 500) – mine composed of two prawns and a tenderloin steak (if I’m not mistaken). You can opt to have rice, baked potato or mashed potato as your side dish. I got the mashed potato which tasted good and a perfect neutralizer for when I was having too much bursts of flavours. The prawns were delicious, they were grilled. Judging by the way I easily removed the skin (okay, it was pre-sliced, but still), the shrimps were pretty fresh. The steak I had was cooked medium. It was tender enough but I would have preferred it to be less vein-y. The flavour was a little on the salty side when eating the meat alone but you can put in some gravy to even the taste a bit. I almost forgot, this meal gives you access to the salad bar where you may get some soup, and of course salads as well.

Complimentary bread – soft and warm rolls were served just after they had got our orders. Sorry, they were too good, I didn’t even pause and take a photo before I ate them.

Four Seasons (Php 250) – juices were made fresh, I particularly loved this one because it is seldom that I get to drink fresh orange juice and this was a nice surprise when I had my first sip. I find the price a little steep though but just for the mix of sweetness and a hint of natural sourness, this juice will make it hard for you not to order it.

The bar is called Santorini. I wasn’t able to try ordering from there though but this is the place to get your alcohol fix. It has a very relaxing ambiance and almost an extension of the lobby.

I hope they build a restaurant that offers Mediterranean dishes or Greek food (ala Cyma / Sophia’s) exclusively. That would definitely complete the (well at least for me) the guests’ Mediterranean vacation. I’m crossing my fingers for the future.

There are just too many things to tell. Before I go, here’s a group photo of the bloggers / media plus Nica (left side, farthest from the camera).

I’m thanking these folks along with the management of Thunderbird Resorts for an awesome vacation experience. To book, please call (63-72) 8887777 in La Union or (63-2) 8865555 Makati Office.