SEVEN restaurants at Eastwood City are bidding to take the buffet experience one step higher by serving a wide range of dishes a la carte.

Dubbed as "Amazing A la Carte," the ongoing food festival (P499 per person) combines the best of a la carte dining with the extensive (and nearly limitless) range of dishes offered in a buffet.

Put another way, the promo is buffet dining minus the long wait, haste and waste. It runs from Monday-Sunday until Dec. 18.

"Unlike in a regular buffet restaurant, diners don't have to line up since waiters are there to take their orders," says Rommel Orbigo, Megaworld's AVP for marketing and communications.

"Not only are they popular with Eastwood regulars, these restaurants are quite varied, offering a wide range of dishes to give people more options."

Megaworld is the company behind Eastwood and other leading real estate developments in the country such as McKinley Hill at The Fort. It's also into condominium development and mall operations.

Participating restaurants such as Shanghai Bistro, Ebisu, Agave, Heaven 'n' Eggs, Serye, Somethin' Fishy and Seafood Island have each prepared a special buffet menu taken from their main offerings.

To give diners enough room to try other dishes, portions are smaller compared to regular orders. But diners can order their favorite dish again and again.

Shanghai Bistro has its mouthwatering pork belly. Ebisu has various yakiniku specialties diners get to cook themselves.

The Mexican feast offered by Agave consists of, among others, tortillas, quesadillas, hard and soft tacos.

Those wanting comfort food can try Serye's pancit luglog, fresh lumpiang ubod, dinuguan and puto, binagoongan and lechon kawali.

Leave room for such favorite desserts as bibingka, suman sa latik and halo-halo. (Serye is a sister restaurant of Aristocrat.)

Heaven 'n' Eggs has sumptuous American specialties, from best-selling Manila spareribs to pork chop and eggs. And, don't forget to check the sinful list of pancakes and waffles.

Seafood lovers can choose between Seafood Island or Somethin' Fishy. True to its tradition of specializing in buffet dining, the latter has prepared a feast of marine bounty, from tuna belly to sizzling boneless bangus.

Meat lovers need not despair, as the restaurant, which is a proud member of the Kamayan group, also offers such fiesta staples as bulalo steak, caldereta and kare-kare.