Free and/or discounted meals can buy happiness, at least for adventurous foodies. And that’s exactly how we became happy diners at Carol’s Texan 5. Back story: Recently, Zomato rewarded me with a PHp 500 meal voucher at Carol’s Texan 5 for winning their Write for a Bite Contest. I used the GC for an early dinner with my boyfriend last fortnight.
Somehow, we have not been keeping up with scenes in San Juan area. This gives us a valid excuse for not hearing about this restaurant at all. Having the address written on the voucher, we navigated through iPhone Maps application and finally reached Carol’s Texan Five after several U-turns. 😛 The off-the-grid location makes it feel like a real find, and I think the level of food being served would cost double if this spot were located in Greenhills Shopping Center or anywhere nearer.
Review of Carol’s Texan 5 (San Juan, Quezon City)
Ambiance: ★★★★☆
Texas is often associated with the image of the cowboy. Thus Carol’s Texan 5 is decorated aptly with cowboy stuff and colorful Western art. I like the bright ambiance here which makes the place ideal for group celebrations, dates and even client meetings.
I thought there’s supposed to be a band performing at night because of the area that looked like where a drum set is placed. Later we learned that the perimeter is only for taking pictures and looking at your reflection in the mirror as you wear cowboy hats and pretend you can speak Italian.
Service: ★★★☆☆
We were the only customers at that time, yet service was not prompt and a bit below par. There was only one staff behind the counter and it was she who took our orders, served the food, and prepared the bill.
When asked, she said that peak hours are staggering every day, so she couldn’t be sure when more customers would arrive. That’s doubtful. I mean of course she should know! This explains why I gave few stars for service in this establishment. I wondered how many waiters normally work in busier hours and if they are able to handle customers well.
Food: ★★★★☆
It’s an incontrovertible fact that fried foods pair fantastically with other fried foods. 😯 Taking that to proper consideration, we had three dishes which are marked with the “best-seller” sign on the menu: Five Star Fish and Fries (PHp 255), Dynamite Wings (6 pieces for PHp 175) and Calamares (PHp 125) — all fried! 😛
The Five Star Fish and Fries is a dish that is more popularly known as “fish and chips.” So make no mistake about thinking this is one that features “star fish” as the main ingredient. Texan 5’s fish and chips were not as greasy as other restaurants serve. In fairness, this dish was a tasty break from the norm. The garlic mayonnaise was a great dipping sauce for potato chips as well as the fish fillet. It’s one of those splurge-worthy comfort food that never goes out of style.
The dynamite wings didn’t taste hot or spicy as we expected; These were regular breaded fried chicken without the frills of any other noteworthy flavor. Potato wedges (French fries) were okay.
Lastly, the calamares (fried squid rings and coated tentacles) that came with sour cream was appetizing as it was visually appealing. In sum, good food: check!
Price for Value: ★★★★☆
Whether you’re six or 60, there’s little denying that comfort food forms a culinary genre that’s near and dear to most of our hearts. Food in this house are, at large, comfort food. While there’s grease and much oil because of the deep fry cooking and thus the 99.5% chance that it could be terrible for your health, it feels so good going down — and don’t you deserve to feel good now and then?
Carol’s Texan 5 serves good food with affordable and reasonable prices and generous portions. It’s where you can eat your meal anytime during operating hours (see below) without feeling guilty of overspending.
Operating hours:
Sundays to Thursdays: 12nn to 10pm
Fridays and Saturdays: 12nn to 12mn
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
i think the dynamite wings are awesome to try. will visit the restaurant soon!
Uhm-hmm. Also try their other meaty dishes if you are up to decent food with great prices. 🙂
Good to hear that they serve good food but they do have to improve their service though. Dynamite wings can’t be called dynamite if it’s not spicy. There has to be a kick of spiciness or something. 😀
Yup, the dynamite wings tasted like regular fried chicken cooked at home. But Carol’s version has a tiny kick to it that made the taste seemed more palatable.
At least something is noteworthy from the menu that you ordered. It doesn’t seems good to hear Five Star Fish and Fries, I know what they’re implying about adding a Five star , how much more a kiddo will hear it, if you know what I mean.
Haha yes, maybe that’s for kids. Then again, any dish that’s named “Five Star” has to really be “five star” and any restaurant that names their dish as such takes on a more challenging feat to please customers and not disappoint them with like two-star or three-star-tasting dish.
“Five star fish and fries” and “Dynamite wings” really seem like misnomers. And it’s like they didn’t seem too special. Hopefully they improve the service so they’d get more customers.
I think naming their dishes like that is part of their attempt to pique curiosity of customers and their hope that this will lead patrons to order the food. Hmm yeah they weren’t that special but they are good. Yup, they should look at all complaints about service as an opportunity to improve.
As I look at the foods from the picture, they seem to be of inferior. This is to supplement on what you’ve honestly said as what I noticed it. Then I got confused when you said Texan in motif but Italian in language. How does Italian and Texan related in this situation? I am just curious, anyway.
These photos were only taken using my iPhone cam (with flash) and they might not do justice to the mediocre presentation of Carol’s dishes, but they were alright and tasty so I thought I had to share it with you guys anyway. Wahaha for your second inquiry, that was just an expression! I mean there’s a song titled “Down Together” and one of its popular lines say “We could both wear cowboy hats and pretend that we could speak Italian.” 😛
I was just at Jose Abad Santos yesterday and I saw Carol’s. I remembered coming there a few years back with my hubby and two kids. We played cowboys with the camera. Let me just say, we loved their steaks.
And oh, now I would want to register to Zomato already.
Registering at Zomato is quite easy. Just visit their website and you know how to sign up (you can also link your account to your Facebook profile for easier access). 🙂
Re: Carol’s, the staff told us that this restaurant has been put down for quite a while and recently just re-started its operations.
Are those Japanese lanterns hanging from the ceiling? I thought they are Texan? Uhm. Contradicting lang. The fish chips looks delish and yes it doesn’t look greasy but the wedges are ordinary.
I don’t know why there are like Japanese or traditional Asian lanterns there. Sure, they don’t look Texan but they made the ambiance cozier. 😀 Maybe it’s part of making the interior design quite unique.
I know the person who owns this restaurant. I shall inform her of the poor service
Great. Thanks for the “messaging” service, haha. :p
Was just here last Thursday! We were the only customers dining at that time too.. Ordered their wings and ribs! Same sentiments.. Wings aren’t too spicy. Although, ribs were huge and pretty okay. 🙂
Yeah the “dynamite chicken wings” were not spicy at all. I’m not sure if it’s really near what they should really taste like. If you’re looking for the spice, I suggest you request for condiments like hot sauce or chili sauce. 😀
Too bad I’m far from the place. I love fried food though I know they are not healthy. Oh fish and chips! That’s my favorite picka picka food 😀 Their prices for each serving is affordable, would definitely love to visit their place when I happen to pass by anywhere near it 🙂
I enjoy eating these food once in a while. They are not gourmet food but they are hearty, filling and delicious!
Ugh! You just made me crave for sinful fried comfort foods.. And I just had some earlier today! Haha.. Anyway, Carol’s Texan 5 seems like something the boyf and I would enjoy. I just hope service won’t be too slow by then, especially if the place isn’t even packed.
Scrimp on meals or treat yourself to a nice dinner on Carol’s? Be prepared for both scenarios. Whatever experience or cuisine you’re craving, they have a rather interesting splurge or save option. Think of them as two sides of the same coin.