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Quality over quantity at Marco Polo Ortigas with The Crafted Table

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Jeeves De Veyra

MANILA — Marco Polo Ortigas celebrates the appointment of the new executive chef Alex Ensor with The Crafted Table at its all-day dining outlet, Cucina.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769503278781Chef Alex Ensor 3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Marco Polo Ortigas&#x27; new executive chef Alex Ensor. Jeeves de Veyra"/>Marco Polo Ortigas&#x27; new executive chef Alex Ensor. Jeeves de Veyra</div>Ensor gamely jokes that there was a time when he wanted to be the “wildest chef out there.” But 30 years of cooking and leading kitchens across his home country, New Zealand, and out to Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East has made him adopt a refreshing “quality over quantity” mindset.He has already made his mark, streamlining the hotel’s in-room dining and a la carte menus. Instead of having an overstuffed menu with entrees that are rarely ordered, Ensor keeps the dishes that he believes guests would genuinely love based on his three decades of hotel experience.The Crafted Table at Cucina is the embodiment of Ensor’s “less is more” philosophy.This “semi-buffet” offer is only available for lunch and dinner from Monday to Wednesday. Cucina opens the near side of the buffet spread where guests can keep coming back for bread, appetizers, salad, and desserts.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769503336540Salmon and Terrine.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Salmon and Terrine. Jeeves de Veyra</div>The appetizers are premium dishes with Ensor emphasizing that they are mindful of different dietary preferences. He points to his cured salmon and the vegetable terrine as examples.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769503397478DESSERTS 3.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Desserts are individually prepared. Jeeves de Veyra</div>The desserts aren’t generic either. These aren’t cakes on trays then sliced out into individual pieces. Rather these desserts are individually prepared that are a feast for the eyes as well as the sweet tooth.Guests who come to The Crafted Table have one serving of the mains which are full portions from Cucina’s a la carte menu. It is a varied selection of Asian and Continental entrees with a spread of meats, seafood, and pasta. These would typically be priced higher without the unlimited extras.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769503497638MAINS - SALMON.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Salmon. Jeeves de Veyra</div>Ensor’s global culinary sensibilities are tasted in these select entrees. There’s his salmon in a creamy classic white wine velouté with asparagus, courgettes, potatoes.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769503524321MAINS - CHICKEN.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Fried chicken. Jeeves de Veyra</div>There’s his fried chicken on a bed of Spanish chorizo, that when taken together, is a meaty spiced bite.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176956973443772a6d017-dd93-4c23-ba40-c341922af745.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Pork. Jeeves de Veyra</div>Then there’s his take on pork and applesauce, this one reimagined as a big slab or Iberico pork topped with apple slaw on a bed of pumpkin puree.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769503571880STEAK.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>Steak. Jeeves de Veyra</div>For guests who’d want something more indulgent, there is a steak upgrade available with either a grilled 350-gram Australian ribeye steak au poivre or a grilled 200-gram US tenderloin with a side of fries and chimichurri or peppercorn sauce.Overall, this semi-buffet is a sensible offer for diners who’d think that a buffet may be too much. Chef Ensor delivers what he promises where the crafted table doesn’t have to be large, it just has to be great as a showcase of quality, freshness, and cooking techniques.Cucina’s Crafted Table semi-buffet is available for lunch and dinner from Monday to Wednesday and priced at P1,888 per person with an additional P1,088 for the steak upgrade.

New executive chef Alex Ensor brings a “quality over quantity” philosophy to Marco Polo Ortigas with The Crafted Table, a semi-buffet dining experience that pairs generous à la carte mains with carefully curated starters and desserts.

New executive chef Alex Ensor brings a “quality over quantity” philosophy to Marco Polo Ortigas with The Crafted Table, a semi-buffet dining experience that pairs generous à la carte mains with carefully curated starters and desserts.

Pasig eats: Quality over quantity at Marco Polo Ortigas with The Crafted Table

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Pasig eats: Quality over quantity at Marco Polo Ortigas with The Crafted Table

Jeeves De Veyra

Published January 27, 2026 05:40 PM PHT

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Updated January 28, 2026 11:09 AM PHT

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Marco Polo Ortigas

Cucina

The Crafted Table

buffet

Pasig eats

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