Lina’s Alfresco Dining–A Beautiful Place

Note: Restaurant is already closed.

Last October 28, it was hubby’s 40th birthday. After a very heavy lunch courtesy of Ading’s Pala-pala, we decided to take advantage of the birthday offer at Vikings Luxury Buffet where the birthday boy gets to eat for free as long as he comes in with a paying companion. But since Vikings only opened three days before and we did not have prior reservations, we were not able to go in because there were so many people lining up trying to get in.

So we thought long and hard on where we will proceed for his birthday dinner and our long-deserved date night. We settled on Lina’s Alfredo Dining at 1st-Lacson Street, Bacolod City because we haven’t been there evah.

When we entered their big gate, we felt like we were transported to an exotic magical place in another country. To say that the place was beautiful is actually an understatement. It’s “magical”, to say the least, or at least for me. haha The only thing that broke my reverie was the friendly waiter talking to me in Ilonggo and guiding us to our table.

We settled at the farthest end of the place where hubby and I can chat and observe the things around us. But before getting comfortable, we got to the hardest part first–choosing what to have for dinner. Hubby and I wanted to try as many dishes as we can so that we can feature them. But since there’s only the two of us, we can only order so much food. After much discussion with the waiter, we decided on Bagoong Fried Chicken, Thai Style Pork Ribs, and Po Piah Tod (Thai spring rolls with glass noodles).

As we waited for our order, we continued to appreciate the surroundings. Since it was late October, the air was cool and the restaurant was generally dimly lit–a perfect set up for a nice and quiet date. The place was breathtaking. It is also a place to go if you want to go out and be incognito, because there are many rather “dark” areas, like in the case of our old “friend” who was dining with his wife and father in law in the table next to ours and who ignored us the whole time until they left, pretending not to see us. Told hubby to let it go, they probably went there just so they can eat in peace. Eventually, I went around to take pictures. Everything is so lovely. Even their lavatory is well appointed. I just wondered though how it is dining here during hot and humid nights and those times when there is strong rain. I don’t know how they handled it because we went there on a fine and cool evening.

Sigrid Says: Hands down, Lina’s Alfresco Dining is the most beautiful restaurant that I have dined in here in Bacolod City. The only disappointment we had that evening was the food. Nothing exceptional. I liked the Bagoong Fried Chicken, which was tender chicken nuggets with batter that’s flavored with bagoong (shrimp paste). The Po Piah Tod tasted good on its own but was nothing extraordinary. And since we already ordered the fried chicken with bagoong, the fried spring rolls became redundant. I really thought it was fresh rolls. My mistake, but then, it was not also indicated on the menu and the waiter did not inform us either. The biggest disappointment was the ribs–too fatty and not much flavor, and expensive, too. All in all the food was rather expensive but not quite to our liking. I would rather have appreciated it more if they specialized on authentic Thai cuisine alone and served them with more flavor. With their decor and ambiance, you would easily associate them with Thai food. Took too long for me to write this as honestly, I don’t like writing negative reviews.

Anyway, to save the day, I would like to commend their staff. Such friendly and accommodating servers, even those who are not waiting at our table. They were trained to serve “Bacolodnons”. haha But seriously, they have well-trained personnel.

Lina’s Alfresco Dining is located at the 1st-Lacson Streets, Bacolod City, with Tel. No. (034) 213 4453. They are open daily for lunch and dinner, from 11am to 2pm, and 6pm to 12midnight (for those who want to stay for drinks). They accept credit card payments.