Situated in the thriving surf town of San Juan, La Union Ol’ Pub opened its doors three months ago. We were graciously invited to taste their diverse menu on our last night in La Union. Ol’ Pub exudes a young and energetic theme that’s great when bonding with friends after a good day’s surfing. I love their big bikes displayed in the pub pumping that youthful vibe.
We were given a free hand on what to order on whatever was on the menu, must say that they are pretty confident with the quality of their food allowing us to do this.
Cocktails and Drinks
Ol Pub signature – dark run malibu pineapple juice dash of grenadine. This is perfect while having casual conversations with friends, has that kick but doesn’t knocks you down…. I love the how it just creeps in.
I also must mention that beers are priced perfectly. Just take a table and not worry about how your bill is going to be, I tell you, you’ll be surprised how cheap they are thinking that the place is nicely set up.
The Food
Tuna Kilawin – if you don’t like fish, order this! The dish will make you regret that you hate fish. Ol’ Pub just takes the Tuna to a whole new different dimension. The spiciness of the dish is just right as it elevates the experience but doesn’t takes over the whole dish. How spicy? just right nothing to be alarmed of.
Summer Salad – A medley of fresh greens fruits drizzled with their recipe of a special strawberry vinaigrette that will remind you of summer. The playful texture of the salad just climbs as the dash of nuts rolls into your mouth. This is a totally must order off of the menu! Our favorite!
Quarter Rosemary Chicken – Rosted to perfection the rice dish is served with whole spinach leaves. But I don’t eat rice, yeah I know I’m crazy, but you know what I really enjoyed this dish as I roll the chicken meat in the spinach that giving a refreshing experience to your mouth while the cucumber refreshes your tongue preparing you for your next bite of heaven.
Tapa – reminiscnt of the classic Filipino TapSiLog Ol’ Pub’s served with coleslaw to tame the spiciness. Some may say that this dish tastes ordinary but if you have a bit of a sensitive taste bud you’ll definitely savor on the subtle innovations they’ve made on the dish without deviating much from the Tapa that we’ve all grown to love.
Around San Juan, I can feel the community’s effort to promote and support each local business that there is in the town and Ol’ Pub is no exception. They try to source their ingredients locally and staff their pub with locals, yep even the chef is an ElYu local. Ol’ Pub is located near Circle Hostel in Urbiztondo, San Juan, La Union. Now we know what to eat before we party, we’ll have to stay beyond dinner time next time so we can experience their awesome party hours!
