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Saturday, March 14, 2015

101 THINGS TO DO AT SM BY THE BAY!

SM by the Bay

        Ever since I could remember, SM has been the go-to mall of everyone. And this has not changed. In fact, there’s practically an SM Mall in all major cities of the Philippines now. SM Mall of Asia in Pasay being the 3rd biggest of all the SM Supermalls. So big that I have never had the chance to really explore the whole mall. But the humongous size of this mall isn’t the only thing that makes this mall unique. Go towards the back end of the MOA complex and you will see a long entertainment complex for the whole family! Rides, events places, and tons of restaurants with the Manila Bay as your natural background!




SM by the Bay Directory

        My family and I checked out SM by the Bay last weekend. It was only at this time that I realized how long and big the area is! 1.5KM to be exact, that’s just filled with a lot of restaurants and fun activities for the whole family. I was pretty excited to park and start exploring the place. But we were starving. Good thing our first stop was Buffet 101. Perfect!

Buffet 101


Buffet 101 SM by the Bay

        Buffet 101 is located at the far left side of SM by the Bay..
 (left side if you’re facing Manila Bay). 



Buffet 101 international cuisine

Outside they have a huge comfortable waiting area. 
Not just chairs, but actual couches are
situated there while people wait for their groups to be called. 


Buffet 101 Pasay

Upon entering, you will already notice the classy interiors. There is a crystal chandelier gloriously hanging in the middle of the actual buffet area which really gives the place a luxurious feel.


Buffet 101 Pasay

There’s a lot of seating area. 
Not sure exactly how much their capacity is but it really is huge.


Buffet 101 Pasay

Without further delay, we started attacking the buffet!

sushi station

Rina enjoyed their collection of sushi

buffet

Lots of dishes from different cuisines lined the aisles of the buffet

tempura

        The tempura station was like the Lochness Monster. People swear to you that it exists, but you never seem to see if with your own two eyes. That’s how fast it runs out because it’s a crowd favorite. 

the last tempura

That’s why when I was able to get my hands on a piece, 
I just had to savor the moment!
And I have to admit, it was pretty good!


pork siomai

From their dimsum corner, Rina enjoyed their pork siomai


wine station

Buffet 101 has a wine section too! 
I don’t drink wine but it’s something not usual for
buffets so I just wanted to share.


dessert station

The dessert area is one of the biggest areas I think. 
They have lots of variants of smallcakes, cookies, fruits, ice cream, yogurt...

chocolate fountain

Chocolate fondue, halo halo station, and more.

father and daughter eating candy

Oh, and they have a candy buffet as well which Rain ransacked,
 but shared with me!
Awwww! 

Rides



        With a full stomach, we decided walk around SM by the Bay in an attempt to burn off what we ate. The place has fun rides almost on every corner of the bay. Like the famous MOA Eye which is one of the biggest ferris wheel in the Philippines. This would be perfect to ride during the late afternoon to get a spectacular view of the Manila Bay sunset. 


drop tower

        One of the thrilling rides there was the Drop Tower. Like the MOA Eye, you will get a spectacular view of the sunset when you’re at the top. But I guess you will forget all about the sunset once the ride drops you down so fast without warning! 


Barnstormer

There are a lot of kiddie rides too! Like the Barnstormer which Rina rode with Rain. She seemed to enjoy it. And the ride duration was just right.
A video posted by RichieZ (@pickiesteater) on

Holi Festival 2015

Holi Festival 2015

        It was also during this day that we experienced the colorful festivities (literally) of the HOLI Festival. Now on its 3rd year, the HOLI Fesival 2015 was organized by the Asia Society Philippines together with the Embassy of India, Federation of Indian Chambers and Commerce, SingIndia, and Indian Ladies Club. The HOLI Festival is a popular celebration in India which is celebrated every March. It’s their way of welcoming the beautiful colors of Spring, which to them, is a season of hope and joy. 


gulal wipers

As soon as you enter, they welcome you with a friendly wipe / smudge of "gulal"..  (colored powder) in your face or body. 


Holi Festival 2015

No one escaped their colorful hands! Even my sister in law and father in law were game!

Holi Festival 2015

Next is you line up to get your own supply of gulal for the party


Holi Festival 2015

The program hasn’t even started yet but people on the stage and by the stage area werealready having a blast learning some Bollywood dance moves
A video posted by RichieZ (@pickiesteater) on


Holi Festival 2015

And the fun thing about it is that you could see that everyone was really having a blast, dancing along! No kill-joys allowed!
A video posted by Rina Zamora 🌈 (@rinasrainbow) on

children making Rangoli

On the side, there was an area where kids could try making Rangoli. Rangoli is a folk artwhere you can create patterns on the floor 
with colored rice, sand, flour or flower petals. 


toddler making Rangoli

While Rain didn’t really follow the pattern, she did have fun playing with the 
colorful materials!

yoga

        Young kids can learn yoga through the creative storytelling session by the teachers of Kids Yoga Philippines (by Urban Ashram Manila) also has an area where kids can uniquely learn yoga by way of a creative story-telling. 


Indian food fair

And of course, any sort of party wouldn’t be complete without food!
 The whole left side of the activity area was lined up with delicious Indian food!


books on India

There were also booths that sold books on India.


Indian Clothes

And also a booth selling colorful Indian clothes.


gulal in the air

        Everyone threw gulal up in the air three times during the program. This symbolizes unity and friendship. It’s a fantastic sight! Something you don’t see everyday

        This was our first HOLI Festival and we feel it won’t be our last. And the same feeling goes to our whole family day experience at SM by the Bay. It’s an ideal place to spend a family day where there’s a little of something for everyone!

        To learn more or get updates, like SM by the BAY on Facebook here, and for updates on Buffet 101's promotions, like them on Facebook here!

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