If there's one particular establishment that has always caught my eye at the Ortigas Home Depot, it's The Bread Bag. We were in the area one sunny morning searching for the elusive perfect toilet bowl when we decided to grab a late breakfast there.

Since it was our first time at The Bread Bag, we spent quite a bit of time scanning the sprawling menu posted behind the counter. The server behind the counter noticed our dilemma and immediately offered us a free taste of their Regular Pandesal (P6) and Hot Chocolate. I noticed that they stress a lot on the fact that they serve the original Casa Marcos pugon-baked pandesal. Casa Marcos is an old restaurant which closed down back in the year 2000. I remember eating there during a couple of occasions when I was younger.

Since I was having trouble making up my mind I welcomed the free stuff and settled for an order of Kesong Puti with Pesto (P77) while hubby decided to avail of the breakfast special - Mushroom Omelette Pandesal with a free cup of Hot Chocolate (P88).

Hot Chocolate and Kesong Puti with PestoOur pandesal dishes were served with fried kamote (sweet potato) chips on the side. My order came with a small bowl of pesto. I liked my meal. Although my sandwich was nothing mindblowingly special, it was satisfying. The pesto went well with the kesong puti, tomatoes, lettuce, and freshly toasted pandesal. I'm always iffy about pesto because some pesto just taste weird. The good news is, The Bread Bag's pesto is actually pretty good -- so much so that I ended up dipping my kamote chips in it. The Hot Chocolate was rich and light at the same time. It glides down smooth so you don't need to wash your throat with gulps of water ever so often. I was told it is made from native tablea that they get straight from Davao. My only complaint is that the kamote chips weren't as crispy as I would've liked. I imagine they'd taste a whole lot better freshly cooked.

Although it's pretty much a self-service establishment, everything is within easy reach and convenient. We had a lovely breakfast at The Bread Bag, made more so by the fact that the staff are just so friendly and accommodating.

The standard of measurement when it comes to hotel buffets should be Circles in Makati Shangri-la Hotel. Circles boasts of being the first to offer an open kitchen buffet with at least seven food stations. The food is cooked fresh right in front of you, and the ingredients are carefully selected to bring out the best in culinary taste.

Upon entering the well-lit coffee shop, you are greeted by courteous slim-figured receptionists and ushered into the circle-themed restaurant. On each table are orange-colored tablemats and coasters that are circle-shaped, and circle accents are placed on water glasses, bowls, and salt and pepper shakers.

The appetizers rouse the senses with leafy green salads, cold salads, fresh smoked salmon dipped with delicious dill sauce, and creamy cheeses. Soups are full of flavor, maintained at warm temperature, and, if cream-based, are not diluted from a Campbell can. A dinner soup that was a big hit a few months back is their version of the clam chowder complete with the bread bowl.

The Japanese food station has a wide array of sushi choices, including the usual California maki and tuna sushi. The sushi ingredients are very fresh and very delectable. This station also offers cold soba noodles that you eat with soy sauce and radish for a truly delicious experience.

The Middle Eastern food station includes different vegetable and chicken curry dishes, different breads or roti variations, and the occasional but delicious shawarma in pita pockets prepared before your eyes. Considering that the head chef of Circles specializes in Middle Eastern fare, the type of food found in this buffet station is guaranteed to be very authentic and very rich in taste.

The food station for the Chinese cuisine carries roast duck, roast pork and white chicken portions that are quite tasty. Dimsum dishes consisting of siopao, siomai, beef spareribs, dumplings, and other dimsum choices appear good and passable in taste. Their version of the buchi is delicious, though. Chinese dishes in the main area are worth trying, specially the sweet and sour pork. A recent addition which should not be ignored is the batchoy section that features pork broth with chicken strips, lechon kawali strips, chicharon pieces, and special noodles.

International cuisine station offers succulent fish dishes, vegetables, meats and seafood variations that are very satisfying to the discriminating tongue. Fresh seafoods, such as crabs, prawns, and lobsters are available, not overcooked, and presented beautifully as a form of diminishing decoration near the entrance to the restaurant.

The food in the grilling station should be a must for every plate. A highlight is the generous slab of tender prime rib that is sliced for each guest, and grilled to perfection by the very talented sous chefs. Lamb portions are likewise delicious. Sometimes, ham is being offered, which you can dip in sweet apple glaze sauce. Sausages are very good, not too fatty, and sliced in huge portions. Sidings of potatoes or mustard compliment any of the grilled items.

Pizzas and pastas are likewise available and are similarly very memorable. Pasta dishes are cooked after you decide your choice of pasta noodle, sauce, and garnishings. Pizza slices are cocktail-sized but generously flavored.

For the dessert, Circles is famous for its chocolate fountain with melted dark chocolate that flows, not trickles, down to the base. Marshmallows, fruit chunks, cookies, or bread must be bathed in this luscious chocolate dessert. If still craving for more sweets, creamy tarts and cakes are also available, freshly baked and not over-sweetened. Baklava, native delicacies, ice cream, and a wonderful crème brulee are also featured favorites of the dessert station. Fresh fruits in season are likewise on display and are found around the restaurant for the enjoyment of any patron.

The lay-out of the restaurant is spacious, pleasant, and two-leveled. People on wheelchairs must mention their preferred seating upon reservation so as to be accommodated properly. Servers are friendly but too trendy-looking, with hair styled in spikes and light brown highlights.

Circles is a great place to go to if you want food to be guaranteed fresh, delicious, and not overcooked. Because it provides an excellent and classy buffet experience that is certain to be delicious and exhilarating to the taste buds, Circles is always a better choice than Spiral, which might offer more food variety but severely lacks in taste, especially the Japanese food station.

Buffet price per head in Circles is also surprisingly very reasonable compared to other hotel buffets, being cheaper than Spiral of Sofitel, Nielsen’s of Peninsula, and Paseo Uno of Mandarin.