The Spud Diner by Potato Corner: More Than Just Fries?

Alvie and I found ourselves lost in Makati one day and the Potato Corner logo caught our eye as it usually does. As we walked closer, we realized this was no ordinary french fry stall, it was a full-blown diner? Let's do this!

A fun-looking little place.

They had an impressively large selection of potato-inspired food. We already have a few ingredient-centered places like Kanin Club for rice and heaven knows we have enough "garlic" places, so it's nice to see one that represents one of our favourite starchy staples. It was sad though, that most of their menu was out of stock. Are we the unluckiest customers or has this place seen bad days? My first handful of choices were out the window, but I settled for this number:

Fried Hash Rice with Chicken Steak, P95.00

Crunchy potato bits on garlic rice with juicy chicken fillet and mushroom gravy. Allow me to dispute the poster first.
1.) It's a crunchy potato bit*, not nearly as good as it looked on the poster.
2.) Garlic rice didn't really have garlic. More like slightly-fried plain rice.
3.) The chicken wasn't juicy. It tasted like the quick frozen breaded chicken you can get from any supermarket's freezer.
4.) The tomatoes pulled a disappearing act. :(
The gravy tasted weird too (simultaneously bland and salty), and had a weird color. Gray gravy is a catchy name, but not a delicious idea. It was still definitely edible, but for 95 pesos, I'd much prefer getting a more decent meal from KFC.

Mega Fries (Barbecue), P95.00 and Beef and Cheese Baked Potato, P55.00

The baked potato wasn't bad. Apart from the size and the toppings, Wendy's baked potato is only slightly better than this. Wendy's toppings are much better, though.

I am glad we stuck to at least one reliable item that day. The fries were great, as usual. The only thing that would ever stop me from ordering fries from Potato Corner at every opportunity is remembering how unhealthy fries are. It was flavorful, crisp, and addictive. This sadly does not translate to good food at the Spud Diner.

The place was not only lacking in stock, it was ill-maintained. There was a cockroach uncomfortably infringing on our personal space and we didn't take our eyes off it during the last few minutes of our meal. At least it was a teenager roach. I also saw many of his friends of different ages on the counter, and was waiting for Alvie to freak out from their number, but she didn't really notice them, so too bad. :)

Are we late to the party? Is the Spud Diner at its dying days? It had a great concept, so that's too bad. They even had a don't-touch-the-metal-bars-with-your-metal-stick game (what the hell is that called?).

For killing time (or roaches? haha) while waiting for your order.

Verdict:
Fried Hash Rice with Chicken Steak: Bad
Beef and Cheese Baked Potato: Okay
Mega Fries (Barbecue): Great

More than just fries? Yes, but not much more. I wish I had known this place we were lost in was actually The Columns! Earle's was right around the corner! Well, at least we enjoyed trying this place at least once, despite our cucaracha compadres making us question the cleanliness of the meal we just had. I'm afraid the future is bleak for this place, unless things change. Or who knows? Maybe their french fry sales will keep them afloat.

Love The Spud Diner? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



Potato Corner The Spud Diner
G/F The Columns
Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue cor. Ayala Avenue, Makati City
(02) 909-5313

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