David's Diner Revisited - 180 Degrees Turnaround?

Still remember my previous (not-so-positive) experience at David's Diner in Ipoh? Well, that was afterall, their 2nd or 3rd day in operation, and everything was in a mess, from the service, to the food, and the bane of all outlets serving lunch during peak hours; horrendous waiting time.

Obviously, the spirit of the Lunar New Year's still in the air ... somewhere. ..

Judging from one comment on that post, and other personal experiences at the place, surprisingly, they were good. No, good's a rather mild choice of word here, they're simply AWESOME, or FANTASTIC, or DELICIOUS. Or whatnot.

And that, certainly piqued my interest in the diner once again, plus the countless advertisements they've put up in the papers.

Mexican Tacos with Minced Chicken Filling (RM13.90)

So today, being rather indecisive about whereto for lunch, we hopped, skipped, and of course, drove to David's Diner over in Greentown, hoping to debunk the myth, or so they say.

A little before lunch hour, we arrived to a rather empty restaurant, with occupancy rate bordering on 10-20%. But of course, we were early, and the crowd swelled to a near-full house by the end of our meal. Which was a good sign, was it not?

Mexican Burritos (RM13.90)

Service was prompt, in a friendly-manner, and on-the-spot, with no minor mistakes or gripes, aside from the forgotten menus on the table AFTER our orders were taken. But that's nothing major, and kudos to the staff at David's Diner, for if you've read my previous post on this place, you would've been exposed to the helter-skelter extravaganza on that unfortunate luncheon hour.

Drinks were served almost immediately, though no sky juice/warm water/plain water was in sight. It'll do wonders had they served a glass of warm water while the patrons are pondering and browsing through the menu, given the sweltering heat outside. That's but a suggestion.

Sour Cream and Tomato Ketchup for the tortilla in the Burritos, the Tacos and the Quesadillas

Miraculously, me, Mr.Z and KYT ordered almost the same item. I chose the Roasted Chicken Quesadillas, while Mr. Z and KYT had the Burritos and Tacos, respectively. The plates of warm tortilla wrapped with fillings arrived uncannily resembled one another, with KYT's Tacos on the slightly colder and drier side. Mr. Z's chicken burrito had a layer of melted cheese no top, with salsa topping, and served on double plates, as the burrito was heated before served.

Both the Tacos and Burrito were served with Mexican rice, a mildly spicy/sweet side dish of rice, and some salad. The portion's definitely filling, albeit the smaller-than-expected visual appearance. So far, so good.

Roasted Chicken Quesadillas (RM11.90)

Opting for a lighter meal, after a rather heavy breakfast of Nam Chau Dry Curry Mee (ooohhh .... they're still the BEST, I tell ya!), I picked the Quesadillas set with 2 side dishes, bearing in mind a few pieces of starters can't be anymore filling than their burritos and such. Wrong.

4 BIG pieces of Quesadillas, using the same tortilla wrapping I presume but toasted, filled with tender roasted chicken meat, melted cheese, chopped onions and scallions, and served with sour cream and ketchup for additional flavour. I'm a sucker for anything with cheese and sour cream, and was mesmerized by the burst of flavours. Thumbs up, as I doubt one can find quesadillas as good as these in Ipoh.

Mac & Cheese

From the list of side dishes available (a staggering 20 or so choices!) I picked the Mexican rice (without knowing that KYT and MrZ's dishes had them as well) and Mac & Cheese. The macaroni with cheese was a little too much to stomach, too rich & creamy. On its own, it manages to hold its pride, but the pasta was a little soggy, not as al dente as expected.

David's All-American Cheese Burger (Chicken) RM8.90 (?)

TallGal picked the cheese burger, with chicken patty. Their burgers are still small, sadly. But, one major plus point is that, their patties are homemade, NOT those from the supermarket. Amnesiac me forgot about the buns though, as previously I abhorred their generic dry and tasteless buns from the freezer. TallGal, kindly advise here!

Italian Roasted Potatoes

With 2 side dishes of her choice, she had the roasted potatoes (smaller serving this time) and the fries. Nothing spectacular, but yet worked well. Stole a bite of the burger, and was glad the chicken was tender, warm, and served with melted cheddar.

So, on the whole, we were pleasantly surprised at the change in the service, the management, and the food. But do take my words lightly, as taste is a rather subjective preference. One man's meat may be another's poison, right?

Will we return again? Well, it was almost a resounding YES. =)