MANILA -- Dusit Thani Manila’s all-day dining restaurant The Pantry celebrates its ninth anniversary by crossing over favorites from the hotel’s celebrated Thai and Japanese restaurants into its weekend buffet.

The hotel has had something like this years ago. At that time, guests can hop from restaurant to restaurant with stations all throughout the hotel. This new iteration dubbed, "Buffet Fusion: A Culinary Crossover," is more practical and less tiring as stations feature select entrees from UMU and Benjarong have been transported to The Pantry.

From UMU, the first stop is at the sake station where sake is available hot or cold to loosen up the taste buds. Jeeves de Veyra 

The sushi and sashimi station has expanded with more selections from California maki to UMU's own Filipino maki. 

The central hot station was transformed into Japanese food booths. 

It's tempting to load up on yakitori, tempura, donburi, and sukiyaki but do leave space for the other entrees on the spread. 

For Benjarong, The Pantry converted the outside seating area into a night market straight out of the streets of Bangkok complete with hanging street lights and vendors' carts. 

Seen here is Dusit Thani’s new general manager Shubham Chandra enjoying a plate of Pad Kra Pow. 

A highlight of the street food area is one of Chef Ja’s specialties, the Khad Moo Palo or pork braised with a thick sweet sauce and Thai spices best with a LOT of rice, fresh chilies and herbs. 

Other specialties in the night market area are Thai style steamed chicken, kra pow, and finger food like fish balls, turmeric fried chicken, and sun-dried pork. Curries and other Thai entrees can be found inside at the hot stations. 

Milk tea addicts rejoice! Stop by the drinks station for bottomless thai milk tea. Boba optional but ask for it from the wait staff if you want it. 

Finish the meal off with their version of Sticky Mango Rice, Khanom Tako and Thai Halo Halo with water chestnuts and cendol. 

These are not included in the buffet but they do have curry mixes from Dusit Gourmet to bring curries to your home kitchen. 

While I wished that they had a noodle station for pad Thai, pad see ew or variations of boat noodles, there was already way too much choice in this spread! It was difficult to try everything in the crossover sections and leave room for their Indian, Italian and carving station offers.

Their signature Lechon and slow-roasted Aberdeen Angus Beef Shoulder with Yorkshire Pudding are must-tries. With wine, cocktails, sodas, and non-alcoholic drinks included, this culinary of The Pantry is worth crossing over Metro Manila traffic for an evening of great food.

"Buffet Fusion: A Culinary Crossover" is now a permanent addition to the Friday and Saturday dinner buffet of The Pantry, Dusit Thani Manila and is priced at P2,500++. For reservations, please contact Restaurant Reservations at 7238-8888.

For BPI cardholders, they are running a 50% off promo (minimum of two persons and maximum of four persons) for the whole of October.