happyfoodies.com – Philippines Food Blog

Baked Potato Lasagna, P90

We’re a rice-eating nation and even with the globalization of the Filipino taste buds, rice remains to be our main source of carbs.  But every once in a while, one just wants a break — maybe a pasta dish here or a sandwich there.  With the birth of The Spud Diner, you can add potato dishes to your list of options.  It used to be that potatoes are relegated to side dish status on the dinner table (mashed with gravy on top or sliced into strips, deep-fried and served as French fries).  Maybe, that’s because most of the potatoes that are served here are imported from the U.S. of A and saying “I’m a meat-and-potatoes person” sounds very colonial and un-Pinoy.  But Spud Diner, an offshoot of the flavored fries institution called Potato Corner, rises up to the challenge of giving potatoes its rightful place on the table by providing this staple with some surprising twists.

The Spud Diner Italian Job, P85

Lagal[og] said: One attribute of potatoes that serves a delicious purpose in the Chorizo Potato Chowder is the volume it adds to the soup stock without necessarily adding a lot of fat compared to using heavy cream.   Served piping hot, this would be a nice treat come the rainy days.  What followed was the Italian Job (nice moniker!), which featured layers of potato wedges interspersed with a rich tomato sauce plus cheese.

Tuna Sisig

Ironwulf said: It was a pleasant surprise to see baked potato chip slices layered with melted cheese and grilled meat on their Baked Potato Lasagna. It not only looks good but the mixture of flavors and textures works really well. It was like eating a very tasty lasagna with the chewy goodness of the potato. Another dish that I liked was the Tuna Sisig. I never thought that this would work but it did have that Sisig essence with every layer of potato chips and spicy tuna flakes. Very flavorful and one of my favorites (it isn’t in the menu yet though so I guess we got lucky to have been given a taste).

Potato and Sausage Surprise, P165

Lagal[og] said: The Potato and Sausage Surprise was very good (I guess any meat and potato combination will do the trick anyway).  The sausage was spicy and the potato slices provide a foil to the spiciness. I just found the potato slices a bit too numerous but overall, the taste is good.  This will make a heavy lunch sans any serving of rice.

Ice Cream Temptation, P50

Ironwulf said: I remember the times when I used to scoop ice cream with my French fries. It was delicious. Spud’s Ice Cream Temptation let me relive those fun moments by serving chocolate- covered fries topped with Vanilla ice cream.  The churros-like flavor works well for a refreshing and rather unique chocolatey dessert.

The Spud Diner
The Columns, Sen. Gil Puyat Ave. cor. Ayala, Makati City
www.potatocorner.com