Diner's Venue: Yuppie's Haven

January 25, 2014 - I used to pass by Jacinto Street when I was in high school on my way home. But now, things have changed when I went to college and of course, my route is now different and since I'm a bit of a navigator, I can always find a way to be at home that is faster and easier.

Last January 25, the bloggers were invited to try their best dishes and the new ones at Diner's Venue. They said that their space was a billiard place before being converted into a restaurant. Diner's Venue opened last July 2013 and their target customers are primarily students and yuppies who want to have a great lunch and dinner. This was a good day for me to try their meals and of course, give our unbiased reviews. :)

Diner's Venue

When I arrived at Unionbank, I walked across the street and asked the tricycle driver on where is the Diner's Venue but when I saw the tarpaulin, I went to the restaurant immediately just to prevent embarrassment. To be honest, it's hard to notice the restaurant right away and have to look at the tarpaulin just to know that they're already in the resto. I hope next time, they have the name and please, remove the tarpaulins. :)

Inside Diner's Venue

One thing that I've noticed inside the resto is the floor. It's so white that it didn't corporate with the tables and chairs. I hope that they can change the flooring and maybe they can include the walls also. The seating capacity is still small and soon, they'll add more upstairs and make it into lounge area whenever there are discussions or group study or just chillin' out.

Menu

Their menu consists of rice meals, pasta and sandwiches. For this event, they introduced to us their house specialties and new meals. But they'll change their menu as soon as possible to include their new meals and a possibilty of new prices for their meals.

Paco Salad

To start the taste test, we had our appetizers first. The Paco salad is purely a vegetable salad that consists of lettuce, sliced tomatoes, onions and salted egg with red onion vinaigrette. Price: 99 Pesos.

First bite of this salad and it went ballistic in my mouth! It was like fireworks! It was really delicious that all of us in the table reacted the same way. If they can just put a right amount of red onion vinaigrette in the salad, this dish would be perfect! :D

Salcicce Pasta

The next one were the pastas and I looooove pastas! First up was the Salcicce. It consists of spaghetti pasta, tomato sauce, dived tomatoes, olive oil, mushroom, Italian sausage and basil. This is one of their expensive pastas in their menu due to the ingredients that have been used in this pasta dish. This pasta is also one of their specialties and a hit for students and yuppies. Price: 129 Pesos.

When it comes to taste, it didn't justify that much. It might be because of the Paco Salad that I ate earlier. I really don't know the real taste of a Salcicce so maybe next time when I have time, I'll order their Salcicce Pasta.

Creamy Carbonara

The next pasta I've tried was their Creamy Carbonara. It consists of fettuccine pasta with cream, olive oil, bacon strips, mushroom and Parmesan cheese. I personally love to eat carbonara as it has a unique taste that other might not like but in my case, I love it! Price: 129 Pesos.

When I looked at the carbonara, it wasn't as creamy as I've expected. When I tasted the pasta, it's nothing but ordinary. The price really didn't justify the taste. I hope they can improve the flavor and the creaminess of the carbonara.  I would love to try this pasta again for sometime if time permits me to do so.

Bicol Express

After the pastas, we also tried their rice meals which are a lot cheaper than the pastas. This is their Bicol Express and I confess that I love spicy foods! My biggest challenge till today is to eat Bicol Express and so far, none reached my standards according to spiciness but flavor-wise, they passed. In this taste test, this was again an opportunity for me to try their version. Price: 79 Pesos.

When it comes to spiciness, it was not as spicy as I've expected. I even call their spiciness level as "friendly" version of Bicol Express. But the flavor, it was delicious! The pork was tender and the sauce was a yum! I'm expecting more spice in their Bicol Express next time. 

Cobbler Fish Fillet

This is their Cobbler Fish Fillet. It comes from pangasius which is now popularly called "Cream Dory". With this fish fillet, I had high expectations because it's a bit tricky to cook this kind of fish. Price: 167 Pesos.

The fish didn't disappoint me as it was cooked perfectly. Gotta love the color and the taste itself. It was soft and full of flavors maybe because of the sauce that were poured over the cobbler fish fillet.. Overall, a great dish for you to try. 

Chicken Teriyaki

If there's one dish I would love to eat till I'm full is the Chicken Teriyaki. Why? Who's not to love its sweet sauce coated in the chicken? In this version, I knew right ahead that it's gonna be really sweet but definitely delightful and with that fried rice, a perfect combo! But I hope they'll improve the food presentation to make the dish more enticing to eat. Price: 78 Pesos.

The dish again, didn't disappoint me as it was sweet but with the help of the chicken, somehow, it controlled the sweetness of the dish and the Japanese fried rice was surprisingly delicious! If you love chicken with sweet sauce on top, I recommend this dish. 

Pork Chop

For those who love pork, this Pork Chop is perfect for everyone's appetite. It is sliced into strips for the diners to easily eat them. But a Pork Chop would not be complete without a gravy on its side which it gives additional flavor to the dish. Price: 69 Pesos.

Mongolian Ribs

If there's one dish that they're proud to present is their Mongolian Ribs and you know why. 200 grams of meat, coated with special sauce that makes the dish more appealing. To add colors to the dish, vegetable side dish were added. Perfect for meat lovers! Price: 159 Pesos.

The meat was soft which is a plus points for me but what I want for this kind of dish is the sauce as it is the one who gives delicious taste to the meat. Even though it was just a taste test, I hope they have at least, a little bowl of sauce for us to dip in. Nonetheless, if I'll order this dish, I will be expecting a sauce on the side. 

Poached Bangus in Curry Broth

If there's one dish that has the right amount of spiciness was the Poached Bangus in Curry Broth. Underneath this dish is a Japanese rice that can satisfy your appetite. Since it's bathed in Curry Broth, it gives an orange color to the dish. Price: 89 Pesos.

What to love this dish are the flavors as it was like playing with my mouth and the amount of spiciness was just right and tolerable. I find this more spicy than their Bicol Express. This has got to be in my books for me to remember what to eat at Diner's Venue.

Sisig

Diner's Venue also serve Sisig to my delight! I love sisig because of its flavor and yes, it's spicy! On this one, it was not served on the hot plate but it doesn't matter anyway. When I tasted the sisig, it was not hot as I've expected, and I had to chew it like a gum but the flavors were there.

Burger Steak

Go beef? Why not! Burger Steak meal is like eating a deconstructed burger bathed with gravy sauce on the plate topped with sliced mushrooms. But when they presented this meal to us, it was a bit dry but they explained to us that it was cooked earlier. I again hope that they could brush the steak with oil for a better presentation. For those who love burgers but wants to eat it with rice, this meal is a great choice for you to try on. Price: 115 Pesos.

Chef's Burger

If they have rice meals, of course, it wouldn't be complete without the indulging snacks that can make your tummy happy! First up, they served us with Chef's burger. It's filled with sliced tomatoes and onions, lettuce and a beef patty. The taste was satisfying to my palate and it's one tasty burger! The patty is big! Price: 160 Pesos.

Pesto With Chicken

I admit, I'm a fan of Pesto Pasta and I always make sure to try every restaurant that serves pasta with pesto sauce. But what I fear most is the aftertaste which it may turn out like a medicine. But good thing that so far, it was like more than I've expected. I haven't tried their version of Pesto Pasta but judging from the plate, it looks appetizing! It consists of Fettuccine pasta, olive oil, chicken strips, basil and Parmesan cheese on top. Price: 110 Pesos.  

Sandwiches

To complete your snacks, these sandwiches are something worth to try on. So far, I've tried their Tuna and Egg Sandwich and these two sandwiches have distinct tastes that I like. But to choose between the two, I would go with the Tuna Sandwich because obviously, I love tuna but the difference with the other tuna sandwiches is the spiciness! I've never expected a spicy tuna sandwich but I loved it! Together with the fries, it completes your snack! Price: 40 Pesos. 67 Pesos with Fries and Iced Tea.

Cheese Sticks

I thought these cheese sticks were sold at snack bars but actually, they're also serving it here! What makes these cheese sticks stand out is the appearance. Unlike other cheese sticks I've seen, this one is coated with bread crumbs which gave more crunch (and I actually love the sound of it!) to these cheese sticks. It comes with ketchup for additional flavor. First bite of the cheese sticks and you'll notice how big the slice inside! This is what I call cheese sticks! Price: 60 Pesos.

Diner's Venue just doesn't serve lunch, snacks and dinner, they are now also serving breakfast for those who had no time to eat their breakfast at home. This is convenient since most of the students and yuppies who are in a hurry have no time to eat and had to rush at school or work. Here are their breakfast meals that you might enjoy when you visit Diner's Venue. By the way, it's served with a cup of rice and fried egg on the side. It's ranged from 40 to 60 Pesos.

Hotdogs with a cup of rice and fried egg

Meat Loaf with a cup of rice and fried egg

Sausage with a cup of rice and fried egg

Corned Beef with a cup of rice and fried egg

Chorizo with a cup of rice and fried egg

Longganisa with a cup of rice and fried egg

Luncheon Meat with a cup of rice and fried egg

The bloggers with the owners of Diner's Venue

The event was a success as we're able to try their signature dishes and new meals that soon be patronized by the customers. I was satisfied with their food although price adjustment will do to accommodate students. Although, there are still more room for improvements. I hope they'll soar high and keep this business running. 

Thanks Naprey for inviting the bloggers and to the owners who cooked us sumptuous food for us to munch on and answering some of our questions! Thanks to Patrick who accommodated us throughout the event and yes, answering our questions too! Again, thank you all! :)

Adieu! Thanks for reading! 

If you want to know more about Diner's Venue, just click the link below:
- Diner's Venue on Facebook