Saturday, June 16, 2007

revisited/american: i still strongly recommend THE DINER again



THE DINER
No. 145, Rui-An St.
(02) 2700-1680

HOURS: 10AM-11PM
closed Mondays

website: thediner.com.tw

kid friendly?: I believe that they don't have any high chairs, but there is some room for strollers (when they are not packed) and booths along the side. There is a few Diner-like options on the kids menu (NT$100)

$
CASH ONLY

visit reveiwed: 6/5/2007
original visit reviewed: 12/17/2006

So their pastrami sandwich (NT$260) doesn't look like this- but their burgers and fries (NT$120-260) are pretty close to what you'd expect if you were in some burger joint in the states, with all the trimmings as options (NT$20-30)- swiss and mushrooms, cheddar and bacon, pickles/tomatoes/onions and self serve mustard and ketchup. The only thing I wish they had was Haas avocado slices as a add-on option.

It's also almost half the price as a burger you'd get at Chili's. You can also pair your burger with a icy cold milkshake (NT$120-160) or yogurt/fruit smoothie (NT$120).



This time around, I even discovered their off the menu dessert counter with temptations (NT$90+/slice) like key lime pie, cheesecake, carrot cake, pumpkin pie & non-desserty but equally delicious looking quiche!

The service can sometimes get a bit slow especially when they get packed and backed up, but that's why you self serve your coffee and water. We also had to wait about 15-20 minutes for a table for 3.



I got a carrot cake slice to go and it was tough to pick one! Tall, three layers and calling out my name the next day- the cake would be just what Bugs Bunny would order from his baker with lots of cinnamon and grated carrots, but the frosting was not cream cheesy at all. Instead it was a bland white frosting that committed a sin against the flavor of the carrot cake.




Still can't beat their American style breakfasts (NT$150-240)- this is especially evidenced by the sight of other customers busting out their cameras and artily taking pictures, perhaps for their food blogs, asking their friends to move all the background stuff out of the way and making them wait to eat their plates while they get just the right shot.



Okay yes, I'm guilty of it too! But then you wouldn't have all these nice pictures. :)

See what I said last time I went to the Diner.

OTHER LOCATION:

No.6, Lane 103, Dunhua S. Rd., Sec. 2
(02) 2754-1680

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

what are you doing to beat the 100+ humid heat?

joanh said...

hahah. staying inside the air conditioning and eating shaved ice!

Anonymous said...

that burger looks crazy yummy! Will give it a shot.

joanh said...

jeff: try their breakfast/brunch too!

Andy said...

Of the places I've tried from your recommendations, this place was the most exciting. The mashed potato side was pretty decent and really hit the spot, as I've lately been missing some good bad-for-you American food. What was a real treat was the fact that they had what seemed to be imported cans of Mountain Dew, my favorite soda of them all. I would never have imagined I could find it here, as I never came across it in nine months of studying in England, and I figured anything American you'd want you could probably find there. Unfortunately, their country-fried steak did not hit the comfort food spot, as the meat was more stringy than tender. However, I am looking forward to going back and trying either a burger or an omelette.

joanh said...

thanks Andy!

:)