Late April, I had to attend a yearly convention of Philippine dentists at SMX Convention Center near SM Mall of Asia. It was the first time that our convention will be held at that venue since it was always at the PICC. I can imagine most dentists being giddy and excited about the change since most of us are sick of the lack of parking, not-that-nice learning environment of the function rooms and the lack of decent caterers and nearby restaurants at the former venue. I remember my cousin (who's also a dentist) Nemo always gets minor food poisoning from the venue's caterer yet she gets to eat there each year since she'd rather have those diarrhea episodes than brave the scorching heat walking to Tropical Hut or any nearby food joint just to have lunch. Good thing I haven't been a victim of that caterer since I always hang out with my nongni (godfather) who fortunately drives us all the way to Harbor Square for lunch.
This year, I planned the days when I would attend the convention (since it was a week-long event) and I picked those which my hubby, the Congressman, have hearings scheduled in Pasay area. Good thing, the Congressman decided for us to have breakfast somewhere in the area then drive me all the way to the venue so there'd be no more hassle for me. (Boy, he does love me still! Gush!)
The Congressman seemed to be in a good mood on our drive to MOA until we were trying to find an open restaurant at 7AM so we can have breakfast. Things were about to go sour until I saw the Grams Diner lit sign and a couple of diners in the outdoor seating area. Now, I'm sure that they serve breakfast there since I use to frequent the Rockwell branch during our dental study sessions. The Congressman seems a little bit skeptical as I led him to the spot but he knows that I am like a sniffing dog on prowl when it comes to food joints.
Anyway, inside Grams Diner, one might have a flashback with those Archie Digests teens would wound up reading back in the 80's and 90's. This is something the characters in that comic book would walk into--all that's missing is Betty and Veronica sharing a malt soda with Archie.
Grams Diner MOA
Graffiti while you eat
It's not as 70-ish as the Butter Diner (near Shopwise) but still it appears to be within the "diner" theme. It has a "graffiti section" on one of its walls where you can write whatever you want, sans obscenities and foul words, save those for the toilet cubicle doors where they belong.
The bar
It would have been much better if they played something from the diner era instead of those Micheal Bubble songs. Posters of Hollywood stars in the 70's adorn the restaurant walls, most of them I don't recognize, tee-hee.
They have a relatively wide variety of food items on their menu. On Day 1, I ordered the Homemade Meatloaf (PHP 135, comes with veggies and rice) and Dalanghita juice (PHP 55, single serve) while the Congressman opted for a true blue breakfast: Pancake Breakfast (PHP 145) and a cup of piping Hot Chocolate (PHP 55).
Day 1 choice: Burger steak, errr, Meatloaf and Dalanghita Juice
Day 1: Congressman's ultimate breakfast
I hate to start the review part with a negative thing but it's really unavoidable. I opted for the homemade meatloaf thinking that it would be something that Mom would prepare and bake at home. It would be such a yummy treat for someone who's exposure to meatloaf would be the one that came out from a can. Alas, I asked the waitress if they got my order wrong as my dish looks like something other than the meatloaf I expected, but I was told that it was indeed the meatloaf dish. Duh. I expected a cut loaf, not a patty! And the taste: reminds me of that favorite Jollibee dish of mine except that I know I'm not in Jollibee and I am about to pay way more than what a burger steak is worth. The Dalanghita juice is so-so, I guess I was really disappointed with the burger-slash-meatloaf that I suddenly became at a loss for words.
The Congressman's order looked more enticing (See how easily I recover at the sight of food?): the Pancake Breakfast consists of a dozen Silver Dollar Pancakes (mini-pancakes, as big as our local 10-Peso coin), 2 slabs of bacon and egg cooked either sunny-side up or scrambled. It was way better than my choice, although my hubby thought that the pancake easily breaks apart. One wouldn't mind since they're small but if the same occurs on their average-sized pancakes, then that's a different story. Taking a bite from his plate, I describe it as mini flat muffins as it tastes more cake-like rather that the pancake taste we're used to. I absolutely love their Hot Chocolate--not too rich, not too bland-- just right. Now that's one food item that lives up to Grams Diner's slogan: feel good comfort food.
(To be continued, Day 2 on Grams Diner)
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