We all agree. We were starving.
My wife and I accompanied our only daughter to her college entrance exam. It took longer than expected, although she emerged from the room smiling — a good sign.
What’s bad is that our tummies let out a collective growl.
“Let’s go eat,” I said to my wife. She didn’t have to say it twice before we were heading to the Food Club, an all-you-can-eat buffet in Fisher Mall, Quezon City. This is my second time at the Food Club.
I didn’t want to review it after only one visit. So now, I put up my food critique hat.
A familiar face in the neighborhood
Food Club, with “your lifestyle buffet” as its tagline, has quietly become one of Quezon City’s go-to dining secrets located on the second floor of Fisher Mall along Quezon Avenue. The regulars already know about this secret location.
This is not a hotel buffet trying to be something it isn’t. It’s a neighborhood institution that decided the rest of us deserved the full spread — without the five-star intimidation or the five-star bill.
If you’re still on the fence about going, let me settle it for you: go if you have P988 ready. That’s the price per person.
Atmosphere and service
The moment you step in, the space opens up. You’d forget you’re inside a mall. It’s big, with a high ceiling. The lighting is warm, just the right level of brightness.
The noise level really depends on who sits near your table. Some groups are celebrating family occasions. There were company groups, and some couples were just enjoying their date.
Overall, the place was lively enough, but not too festive that you couldn’t hear your family across the table.
In this buffet, seating is plentiful, and the chairs are comfortable, which matters more than people admit when you’re going back for your fourth plate.
The décor is clean and unpretentious — market-style stations laid out in an orderly flow that makes the whole experience feel intuitive.
The staff is attentive without being intrusive. Plates are cleared quickly. Drinks are refilled without you having to hunt someone down. On both my visits, the team kept the buffet replenishments steady — no long gaps, no empty trays left sitting.
Practical note: it’s family-friendly, clearly. Bring the kids, bring the grandparents. Reservations can be made through their website, which I recommend on weekends.
Food — The Star
Starters and drinks
Start with the fresh salad bar and don’t skip it, even if you’re tempted to head straight for the mains. The selections are crisp, and the dressings are properly made — not the watery, overly sweet kind you find at lesser buffets.
The soup station is a quiet standout. You have three options: laksa, miso, and pumpkin soup. Veggies, seasonings, and garnish are on the side for your own spin on the soup.
On my second visit, the cream-based option was rich and consistent. Someone in the kitchen is paying attention to temperature and seasoning, two things that buffets routinely get wrong.
Drinks are self-service and straightforward. You select from soft drinks, juices, coffee, and even beer. Nothing flashy, but they do the job.
Mains and sides
Here is where Food Club earns its reputation.
The roasted meats are the centerpiece, and they deserve to be. The roast beef, tender and tasty, is worth easily two rounds. The pork, whether carved or slow-cooked, in the form of crispy pata, lechon kawali, and lechon, comes out tender, with a proper crust and real depth of flavor.
On my second visit, I confirmed what I suspected on my first: this is consistent. Not a lucky day. Not a good batch. Consistent.
My other favorite is the Japanese section. All the sushi I tasted passed with flying colors. The rice yields with just the right give — tender but structured, each grain distinct yet bound together. The soy sauce adds a salty edge. The wasabi arrives with a boom through the sinuses and fades cleanly.
What I keep returning to is the salmon sashimi. The flavor builds quietly. First, a gentle brininess. Then the buttery soft fat, almost sweet, coats the palate but never overwhelms. The salmon melts in your mouth, helped along by the wasabi and soy sauce. Just hand over your plate to the sushi chef and request a serving or two.
The shrimp is another solid option. You have the unassuming steamed dish, which surprises you with its sweet tastiness. You peel one open, and the shell gives easily.
The flesh underneath is firm and plump — a clean snap when you bite through. They also have shrimp in sweet and sour sauce, but my bet is on the simple steamed shrimp. No hiding the flavors, yumminess all around.
Don’t miss the bamboo steamers. Stacked three high, they trail wisps of fragrant steam that disappear into the air above the table. Under the lid is one of the best siomai in town — satisfyingly plump, open-topped bundles of seasoned pork and shrimp.
I don’t think I have the space to describe the dumplings, steamed pork ribs, bok choy, bao buns, and more. Just prep a dot of toyo, a dash of calamansi, a dab of chili oil, and you’re in dimsum heaven.
The Filipino favorites — rice dishes, viands in familiar sauces — are well-executed and feel genuine. The lechon is inviting, crackling at the first touch of the carving knife, the meat underneath fragrant with lemongrass and garlic.
The lechon kawali holds its own, each slab of pork belly fried to a golden, blistered crunch that shatters on the bite and gives way to yielding, fatty meat underneath.
The crispy pata is next, tender enough to fall off the bone with the gentlest persuasion. The menudo, bound in a sauce that tastes like it has been building flavor since morning; the beef kaldereta, the meat fork-tender, the sauce carrying a slow heat from the chilies and richness from the liver spread.
I stopped counting after 40 dishes. There were definitely more. This is a kind of buffet that’s best enjoyed straight from the serving plate with a fork in one hand and a conversation in the other.
Can’t miss item: The roast beef and shrimp. Go back for it twice. You’re allowed.
Value and final verdict
At its price point of P988 — well below hotel competitors — Food Club delivers value. They also have promo rates for seniors and PWDs at P700, and student rates at P741.
Be sure to check out their website and Facebook page to find out exactly how much it will cost you. You are not paying for atmosphere and getting food as an afterthought. You are getting real food, real volume, and a real dining experience.
This is the right table for families celebrating a milestone, for friends who want variety without argument, for the post-exam lunch you desperately need. It is not the place for a quiet business dinner. But then, it was never trying to be.
Rating: 4 out of 5. Skip the dessert rut, but absolutely come for the roasted meats, sashimi, and shrimp — and come hungry.
Practical info
- Address: 2/F Fisher Mall, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City
- Phone: 0917-700-3510 / 0917-700-3485
- Email: [email protected]
- Reservations: foodclub.ph/reservations
