Lassa Asyano

There’s a new restaurant in town! It opened less than a month ago, and occupies the spot where Ranchero’s Grill used to be. The newest addition to Davao’s restaurant scene is Lassa Asyano Buffet Restaurant.

As their name suggests, Lassa Asyano offers daily buffet spreads of Asian delicacies: Filipino, Japanese, Thai, and possibly others. For ₱390 per person, you get an eat-all-you-can deal with crab, shrimp, roast beef, Japanese appetizers, kare-kare, and more. I got a chance to speak briefly with the owner, and she said that they would be changing their menu every month. With so much food choices, that’s not a bad thing at all!

Every Friday and Saturday, they also have Lechon, but you’ll have to add ₱95 per person if you want to have it as part of the buffet.

I went to Lassa Asyano last Friday with my brother, Jake, his girlfriend and friends from Manila. As usual, the Manileños were overwhelmed by how cheap dining out is in Davao, and how the good the food can be.

We feasted on a lot of crab, which they prepare two ways: the usual steamed, and spicy in curry. And it was spicy indeed. Not too much, I assure you, but if you’re not one for chili crab, then go for the steamed ones. What I didn’t like, though, was that the crab they served were so small…

I also liked their Kare-Kare. It has everything I want in this dish: the skin, tripes, and the vegetables. Plus, the type of bagoong they use is the sweetish kind — not too sweet, just right. On the other hand, the sauce was way too smooth for me. I like kare-kare that’s chunky and a bit gritty from the peanuts. (I think they make their kare-kare sauce out of peanut butter…?)

The roast beef, which they made a show of preparing like we were in a five-star hotel, didn’t live up to my expectation. It was tough and not marinated enough, and the gravy left much to be desired. But don’t fret: there are quite a number of dishes to choose from the buffet spread. If you love beef, check out their Bakareta (beef caldereta).

Other items on the eat-all-you-can menu: Tempura (rather Filipinized in preparation, I’m afraid), Grilled Tuna Belly, Lechon Kawali, Pork Adobo, and more! They also have a selection of appetizers (maki, sushi, latô) and desserts. Speaking of which, my friends say their Maja Blanca is special. What I had was their Buko Pandan Salad, and it was perfect for washing down the meal.

The place is really big. They even have function rooms in a separate building. The décor is Filipino, with bamboo accents all over the place. The service was pretty good when we were there — I sure hope they maintain that.

I was not overwhelmingly impressed by Lassa Asyano’s food, but I did enjoy our dining experience, thanks to the kare-kare and chili crab. It’s worth going back to for more (and hopefully better) culinary discoveries.