Art Circle cafe is one of the more well-known establishments in the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City. It is part of a network of commercial art galleries that provide a platform for up-and-coming artists to showcase their works. This particular branch I believe is the only one that serves food and drinks.
Eating out in the UP Diliman area is a bit of a hit or miss. There are definitely a lot of options, especially in nearby Maginhawa Street, but the experience tends to be uneven. So, is Art Circle Cafe a hit or a miss?
The interiors, at least, are a big hit. There aren't a lot of venues in Metro Manila where you can dine while surrounded with what seemed to me were outstanding works of art. I'm not an artist, art critic, or even an art enthusiast, but I think it's safe to say that the works featured in the gallery, at least at the time we were there, would look appealing for most people.
We ordered chicken fillet pesto (P295), creamy carbonara (P325), and chicken quesadilla (P265). We also ordered cream of mushroom soup (P125), and a glass of lemonade (P130) for the kiddo. Our orders arrived after about 20 minutes. The wait didn't seem that long because we spent the time admiring the art.
The kid seemed to enjoy the pasta, though. The serving size was generous, so I decided to try it out myself. Well, it was ok. Quite unremarkable, but at least it wasn't as disastrous as the chicken. Same could be said with the mushroom soup.
The last time we were here some years ago, we ordered chicken quesadilla, which I remember was pretty good. I mean, it's quesadilla, hard to mess up right? I'm happy to report that yes, they didn't mess it up during this visit.
Based on our orders, I think that if you found yourself at this restaurant, the quesadilla is one of your safe bets. But for us, we probably won't be coming back here anytime soon, except if a friend or relative invites us, or maybe if we were in the market for some new art pieces for the apartment.
