Butter Diner and Cubao Memories...

In this post please forgive me, because in recounting this experience, I am inevitably drawn into nostalgia over my memories of Cubao.

A lot of my fondest memories of childhood were Cubao memories with different people depending on who was sent by God to take me out at that time.

Tita Becka:

I used to get "borrowed" by my tita Becka (my mom's sister) back when she was single to go with her everywhere. In Cubao, I remember accompanying her all the time to Rustan's, Ali Mall (where I broke an item in one of the shops once resulting to my aunt's having an epoxy riddled figurine in her room for a centerpiece), COD (ooooh, how I loved the amazing Christmas show!) and the Uniwide Sales Bldg where I remember my tita lining up for "P.O.'s" (if I remember correctly) which I thought allowed her to buy stuff for free using a small piece of cardboard as long as she signed some stuff (which was my craziest notion as a child. Now of course I've realized that, that was the credit system of the pre-Visa era and she did eventually pay for all the stuff I got =p). Getting tired from all the shopping and walking in cramped Uniwide, we'd eat and rest on the 2nd floor food court where a band would be rock and rolling starting at around 12 noon.

Parents:

What parent in the 80's wouldn't take their chubby little baby boy to Fiesta carnival? I cannot count how many figurine soldiers I've shot down in the shooting range nor how many balloons I've hit with a dart but I do remember enjoying every minute of it in between bites of Fiesta Carnival's signature, artistically carved, hotdogs, drenched with catsup. I so loved riding the airplanes that went round and round and up and down which sadly, was near the only thing I wanted to stay away from in that place. The horror ride. Lastly, I remember gawking at the impressive and noisy roller coaster which my parents wouldn't let me ride.

Tita Liza and cousin JV: As a child my parents were very generous of me and pretty much lent me to all my relatives who couldn't resist my fat, chubby cheeks. Before they moved to the States for good, I was very close to my tita Liza's family due to the fact that I was the same age as their son JV who is my first cousin and my childhood buddy.

One day I was sulking alone at home resigned to another afternoon of soaking-in another dose of PPP (Piling, Piling Pelikula) as prescribed by my yaya when an urgent ringing of the doorbell came to save me. Seconds later tita Liza bustled in with JV and asked my yaya to get me dressed immediately. I could only smile. She just told me we were going somewhere and reached out to hand me a die-cast, pull-back airplane figurine. Woohoo! Talk about just getting started! To my continued delight, off to SM Cubao we went where of all wonderful things, I learned that JV and I were buying superhero costumes for a costume party we were going to attend (I bought myself a complete head to foot Batman costume!). It was freakin crazy!

Back to the food story.

One afternoon in present day Cubao, Liv and I thought of having a semi-light dinner at a nice little place along the sidewalks of what used to be Fiesta Carnival (now Shopwise) called Butter Diner.

Having no hanging signage (just a front signage that you really wouldn't notice unless you're right across the street) nor posters, nor flyer peppering activities (unlike most of the retaurants in that side of Cubao), Butter Diner, despite its accessible location, attracts relatively less attention. A fact that for me, adds a sort of charm to it.

Upon entry, a big wall with a huge comic strip featuring the Butter Diner story catches the eye. After the initial interest in the cartoon, I began to take in the other details at hand, and noticed the big wigs the waiters and waitresses are wearing (in the sprit of the period) and the neat vintage toasters decorating each booth. There are also the can't-do-without vintage posters which are a must for all diners.

After selecting a nice corner booth, Liv and I agonized through the menu as we had the toughest time choosing among all the great looking stuff (we wanted everything!) specially the roastbeef sandwich which we loved from a previous visit. Luckily, our sense of adventure won out and we ended up ordering food we've never tried before.

Are we glad we did.

White Cow- For P85? Hell yeah! Liv's milkshake of vanilla ice cream, milk and vanilla flavorings is perfectly thick it puts to shame all the dilluted wannabe milkshake jokes some restos come up with (feel the frustration in me).

Rootbeer Float (P85.00)- I'm so glad they gave me the rest of my rootbeer!=) It totally solves the dilemma of being left with the ice cream after a few gulps and not having enough rootbeer for the thirst. With the same yummy vanilla ice cream as Liv's white cow, it's as good as rootbeer floats can get.

"Everything On It" hotdog -I couldn't get enough of it. It's sooo good. From the sausage to the melted cheese to the delicious meat topping to the potato salad side dish. At P99, it's more than awesome.

Western Burger P160- The only thing I really want to say about this food is that IT'S NOT BIG ENOUGH!!!! Just look at those gratifying slices of bacon topping an honest to goodness burger patty smothered with spicy-sweet barbecued bean sauce that just made me want to spur up and gallop into the sunset.

We loved the Everything On It hotdog's side dish so much that we just had to order a whole serving of potato salad even if it wasn't on the menu. We got a heaping plate of potato salad on a bed of fresh lettuce. They just charged us P30 for it (what the heck?).

I would also like to mention their flavored butter which you can have with their pancakes, waffles or toasted bread in these flavors:

Overall, this is a great place to eat, where being adventurous is rewarded by consistently delightful food at very reasonable prices.