Dinemore’s never struck me as an exceptional place. I’ve always enjoyed the food and found it tasty, but it’s not the kind of place I’d actively choose to go to – it was more of an oh it’s just round the corner or grab a quick bite sort of place.
It’s been around since 1998, and I’ve still only ever tried three things on the menu: the chicken sub, the beef sub and the club sandwich. Has anyone else ventured any further? What else do they even do? Had a glance at the menu, but forgot. Nothing notable I don’t think (menus in places like these are redundant anyway – you always know what you want and you always stick to it).
Anyway, I went there yesterday and stuck with the standard order: chicken submarine for Rs. 350.
I don’t think the food’s changed one bit over all these years. The sub’s still heavy, really heavy, on the mayo, and served as always with a little heap of soggy fries squashed at the bottom of the brown paper bag. Personally, I’m not a fan of mayo, but I think I’m in a minority on that. Apparently people like a lotta lotta mayo on their foods. Indi told me this while squirting a good quarter of a squeezy bottle of Hellman’s into his mouth. And Pizza Hut’s recently introduced a mayo topping for their pizzas – so he’s probably right about the sizeable mayo market.
The point?
If you love mayo, which apparently most of you do, you’ll probably enjoy Dinemore’s submarines. And even if you’re not a particular fan of the creamy condiment, you might be willing to make the occasional exception. The chicken is tasty – I think it’s sautéed with pepper, onions and capsicum – and there’s a good bread to filling ratio. Too much bread can be the downfall of a sub.
As for the soggy chips, well, I’ve always had a strangely soft spot for them. They’re limp and crumpled and squashed beneath the sub, but it feels like Dinemore’s giving you a little something for free – a little surprise at the bottom of your bag. And they’re okay fries. They’re not the greatest, but they’re not offensive either. Just seems like a friendly gesture.
Dinemore could never have matched The Sandwich Factory in its heyday, but at Rs. 320 for what’s really a rather hefty, filling sandwich, it’s pretty good. Not delicious, but tasty, and not too expensive, so cool.
