MOA Arena: Host of The First NBA Game in the Philippines

Because it's the NBA Playoffs season, I got inspired to share my first live NBA game experience. Well, it's not a regular season game, but for an avid basketball fan like me, a pre-season game is good enough. Good enough for me to shell out PHP 4,000 for a general admission ticket. After all, it was the first time an NBA game will be held here in the Philippines, and of course, I wanted to be a part of it. I bought three tickets: one for me, one for my father, and one for my nephew - three generation of basketball-lovers.

Ratings:
Place: 3/5, when this event happened in October 2013, the Mall of Asia arena was still fairly new, so the place felt bare, but I imagine this place would be world class and could host to more international events in the future
The Game: 4/5, it's my first NBA game (albeit preseason) so it had to be good for me. I wanted to see more of Dwight Howard though.
Price: 2/5, seats are very expensive - PHP 4,000 for a General Admission ticket
Food: 3/5, our tickets came with a free hotdog sandwich and a free NBA tumbler (which I thought would be filled with the free soda they would be giving us for the game). What we got were soda in a plastic bottle and popcorn - not what we expected.

The Game
The game itself is typical of what you may expect from a pre-season game. It was a fun exhibition game, with no real aggressiveness seen from the players. The superstars' exposure was just enough for the fans to see them dunk a few baskets, or do some fancy moves. Dwight Howard got into an early foul trouble, though, and I'm kind of disappointed at Paul George's performance that night since I was expecting his flashy, athletic plays but he played more of the long ball that night. The most exciting plays came from the Rockets squad, especially James Harden, Jeremy Lin, and Chandler Parsons. Dwight Howard and Roy Hibbert had been entangling themselves when playing defense against each other. David West was also superb. He was one of the bright spots for the Pacers that night along with Paul George.

It was not a bad experience for a first-timer. We really enjoyed the game, and the break-time entertainments were crazy! Boomer, the Pacers mascot, can really do amazing tricks like dunking off a trampoline, and Clutch, the Rockets', he's a funny one. My nephew loved him. We were also lucky enough to see NBA legends like Larry Bird, who's part of the Pacers management; his former teammate Kevin McHale, who's now a head coach for the Rockets; Robert Horry, Clyde Drexler, Jalen Rose, Ron Harper, and the former NBA Commissioner himself, David Stern. It was also a great time for me to practice shooting indoor sports with my camera using a zoom lens since we were seated way up in the General Admission area.

The Rockets won convincingly over the Pacers that night, but after the final buzzer sounded, the crowd didn't seem to want to go as most of us are still hoping to catch a final glimpse of our favorite NBA players. This is how crazy Filipinos are about basketball, so the NBA should visit this country more frequently in the future.

David West nailed this fadeaway jumper.

Dwight Howard being hounded inside.

George Hill protecting the ball against Jeremy Lin

The Arena

MOA Arena was still fairly new when this game took place in October of 2013, almost two years ago. The arena lobby felt bare, the floor, and the ceiling weren't completely furnished yet.

I was impressed with the inside of the arena. It felt like we were in the a home court of one of the NBA teams. There's a huge video screen in the center of the ceiling where you can see the box scores, live action and replays.

I truly believe the arena has a potential to be world class and could be a host to more international events in the future.

Then NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Tips for Wandering Peasants

• the PHP 4,000 General Admission ticket was too high, but if you're a big hoops fan like me, it was well worth it.
• with a General Admission ticket in this arena, bring a good DSLR camera with a zoom lens with you so you could capture the moment

Location
Mall of Asia Arena is at the corner of JW Diokno Blvd and Marina Way at the Mall of Asia Complex.

Useful Links and Info
website: http://mallofasia-arena.com/
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mallofasiaarena/
Phone: (02) 470-2222

READ MORE>>>

Hyatt Cafe at City of Dreams Manila: A Round the Clock Buffet

Along with the first sounds of their slot machines, City of Dreams Manila opened the doors of its buffet restaurant, the Hyatt Cafe, late last year. As with the other buffet-themed restaurants in Metro Manila, Hyatt Cafe offers a variety of food and delicacies from different parts of the world. One thing that makes this restaurant stand out though, is that it's open 24 hours. Well, almost, because as per the restaurant staff that chatted with us, the restaurant gets a one-hour break, which is before breakfast. If you're asking who would eat buffet at midnight, well, there is a casino here, so probably their main patrons during the witching hour are the players.

The dining hall is quite large, and it is right beside the casino. The restaurant staff: the cooks and waiters are very professional, and they really seem happy to serve. 

Ratings:

Food: 5/5, the best buffet I ever experienced., prices are just about the same as the other buffet restaurants in the Metro, and they're open 24 hours!

Place: 5/5, main dining hall is large, nice restrooms, comfy seating. The casino, and the lights gave us the feeling like we were not in Manila, so it's good :)

Service: 5/5, excellent, professional service at Hyatt Cafe.

The Food

To be honest, the food here is the best I ever tasted in buffet-style restaurants. There's not one I ate that I didn't like.

Their steak was my favorite, though. The meat is really fresh and juicy, and the steak sauce is just perfect. 

When you have a big juicy steak in front of you, bite the hell out of it!

The first plate that I got, though was from the Asian section which consists of a crab and corn soup, fried rice, spicy tofu and squid. On my way to our table, I also grabbed a couple of sushi.

There were a lot of food that I got before going to dessert, but I won't list them all here...so you wouldn't have to judge me. :p

Their dessert section is very good, too. There are sugar-free sweets to the health-conscious. There are chocolate fondue fountains, the white one is milk, I believe. They also have a variety of pastries, ice cream, and of course the Filipino favorite, halo-halo.

For my sweet tooth.

Complimentary birthday cake. Now you know I just got invited for a birthday dinner here. :p

In their fruits section, what I enjoyed most was the kiwi. They are very fresh and still unpeeled. You can ask for the staff to peel it for you. It was so soft and sweet!

After the dessert, we were so full, and to help digest the food we just ingested, we needed some hot beverages. No problemo because coffee and tea are also available. You just have to ask the waiters to get you one. For me, I got the usual coffee with cream, and chamomile tea for others.

The Place 

 The main dining hall is quite large, and just next to it is the casino. The way the food sections are arranged is similar to the other hotel buffets around the Metro.

There is a touch of elegance on the table setting. Their round tables are classy, and the seating is comfortable.

candle setting for a relaxing mood

You can see what's going on in the casino from here.

To help grind the food down, we walked around the place to check it out. Aside from the casino, there are more restaurants and shops on the other levels. There's also Dreamplay by Dreamworks, a kids attraction in which the children can play and learn. And of course, a casino won't be complete without nightclubs. There are a couple of them here at City of Dreams. One is Pangaea Ultra Lounge and the other one is Chaos Nightclub, which is located at the egg-shaped structure you can see below.

The place is, of course, like those of the casinos we can see in Macau or even Las Vegas. We were dazzled by the lights on the egg structure that you would see when you enter the area. It felt like we were not in Manila. 

Siren's Waterfall upon the main entrance.

Tips for Wandering Peasants:

• If I weren't invited to a birthday dinner here, I would try this restaurant out by getting the midnight buffet - it's just 788 Php!
• Or, get the breakfast buffet for 1,088 Php. It's better to eat big meals in the mornings, anyways because you will still have the whole day to burn those calories.
• Get a little bit of everything. Just a little bit so you can enjoy the many dishes they have to offer
• Eat slowly and cherish every bite. Pace yourselves so you can enjoy all the food!

Location:

City of Dreams Manila is located in Paranaque City. Coming from Mall of Asia, take Macapagal Boulevard then turn left at Aseana Avenue.

Buffet Schedule and Prices (as of April, 2015)

Breakfast (Daily): 1,088 Php

6:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Lunch:
Monday-Wednesday: 1,188 Php
11:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Thursday-Sunday: 1,288 Php

Dinner:
Monday-Wednesday: 1,688 Php
5:30 PM - 11:00 PM
 Thrusday-Sunday: 1,888 Php
5:30 PM - 11:00 PN

Midnight buffet: 788 Php
11:30 PM - 4:30 AM

Useful Links and Info

website: http://cityofdreamsmanila.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining/the-cafe.html

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HYATTCityOfDreamsManila

more reviews from Tripadvisor:

http://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/ShowUserReviews-g312693-d7616024-r252224151-Hyatt_City_of_Dreams-Paranaque_Metro_Manila_Luzon.html

READ MORE>>>