Corniche - Diamond Hotel

Vania Chandra

5.0

At first I was really disappointed with this place, but I came back because we had dinner reservation. So my expectation was pretty low. But at the same time I wasnt really impressed by the place. We sat on the table the three of us, we were situated on the far back. So we were basically away from the kids who were running around and adults who were a bit frantic on getting the best cut meat. The waiter was very courteous and attentive. Did I forget to mention that this was a fine dining experience. They started us out with Abalone soup which was somewhat okay. I didnt get to see or crunch on the abalone but the flavor was there and it certainly warmed me up. Then they served us some cold cut meats. There was sweet pork, jellyfish, chicken, lechon kawali and the star of the plate for me was the duck. It was succulent, juicy and meaty. There was no bones so that was really a treat. After that it certainly got a lot better. They served us crabs on rice noodles, I am not a fan of eating crabs outside my home because of the fact these types of seafood are better enjoyed, eaten in the privacy of your own home with family or somewhere middle class or rustic not in a fancy hotel. But it was really nice, the rice noodles absorbed the taste of the crab and they cut up the crab for easy picking. Then they put out scallops, I have had scallops so many times that I already know if they were cook properly. They were, you could still taste the ocean. It was a clean taste of brine and mussel. It literally fell apart in my mouth. As it easily flow through the back of my mouth it left a clean taste. It was perfect. They also served some seafood and noodles but the three main dish was the highlight of the entire evening. Then if you have read my previous review of their coffee shop... lol they serve us some complimentary brewed coffee. I was so full. Thank you.

Natalia C. Paulus

3.0

Actual rating: 2.9I wasn’t impressed by their selections. They have some Filipino dishes (kare-kare, bulalo, etc.), Chinese dishes (suckling pig, hakao, siomai, salted fish and chicken fried rice), Indian dishes, Japanese dishes (maki, sashimi, tempura), cheeses (gouda, enmental, goat, blue), and desserts (macarons, ice cream, Filipino desserts).Wide selection, but only the following are notable:Kare-kare was good, it wasn’t fatty. It has oxtail meat and ox tripe. Suckling pig was bad, looks great but balat wasn’t crispy. Marinate was lacking. Hakao was mushy, along with siomai, though they tasted okay.I munched on their cheeses, especially the goat and port salute. Yummy ‘yun!The tempura, they had small prawns and squid. They were tasty and really crunchy. Good ones, actually.For the desserts, the ginataang halo-halo was good. Very unique taste, against the other ones. Pecan ice cream was also good.I’ve also tried their other dishes, I didn’t enjoy most of them. Although I have to say, the sashimi was fresh.It was an okay experience, but won’t really go back.