Whitemoon Bar: Where sunset tops the menu

The sunset is one of those things in life that I love and thank God for. It is particularly lovely on sunny days than on overcast days, as there are no clouds to conceal the deep hues of yellow, orange, purple and pink that the sun paints on the sky as it prepares to go to bed on the horizon. It is indeed one of the Creator's greatest masterpieces, among His perfect works of art. The sunset is also one of the best things on the planet that we get to enjoy for free. Isn't that great? But alas! I can't always enjoy its sight because despite me being a Manila resident, I live and work far from Manila Bay, which is famous for its..yes, sunset. This is why whenever I go vacationing in my father's hometown in Quezon Province, I make it a point to go to the beach everyday, to witness and photograph the sunset.

My eternal love for sunset was what drew me toward Whitemoon Bar, which is unique for its location - on top of the Manila Ocean Park complex overlooking Manila Bay. The idea of being able to chillax - you know, drink and eat and enjoy the sea breeze and of course, watch the sun go down - attracted me so much that I was so excited for the experience. The opportunity finally came last Saturday. I wanted hubby to go with me but sadly, he had to work overtime. And since I had made prior reservation, I had to make a go, tagging along my daughters and the eldest's beau.  

Whitemoon Bar is not so aesthetically impressive..some facilities even look dilapidated. The food was good but not fantastic, even pricey in my opinion. However, it's the ambiance - the sunset and the sea that make the Whitemoon Bar experience unforgettable. We got to really chillax!  The servers (well, most of them) were also attentive and friendly - a plus point.

The main attraction here, the glorious Manila Bay sunset

The bar entrance.

Definitely not your ordinary living room Haha!.

The other side of the bar.

Whitemoon after sunset.

The bar.

The daughter and the beau.

What an experience indeed it was, eating and drinking with a perfect backdrop!.


Now on to the food. Whitemoon Bar's menu is quite extensive for an establishment that opens at 4 p.m. yet, which is good. They offer not just bar chow (pulutan) to go with the alcoholic drinks, they also have pasta and rice meals.  As I mentioned, however, prices are quite steep. Imagine, one bottled water costs P70! An order of pasta, on the other hand, costs over P300. The serving's generous, however, such that two girls with "normal" appetite can share an order.  So, pwede na rin (I'm appeased.)! Anyway, we had spaghetti, carbonara, mini tacos and baked tahong (mussels). We liked everything except for the spaghetti with meatballs. Truth be told, I can whip up a better-tasting spaghetti. Hehe!

Spaghetti with Meatballs, P320.

Carbonara, P320.

Beef Nachos, P280.

Baked Tahong (mussels), P280.

Mini Tacos, P300.

Mango Juice, P95.

San Miguel Pale Pilsen, P80.

San Mig Light, P80; Cerveza Negra, P95.

Caught in the crossfire

Of the food chain war, that is. These wars have been in our midst for quite some time - both perceived and palpable. Perhaps, it's the "war" (competition, of course, is the better word) between Jollibee and McDonald's that is the most obvious and perhaps the longest existing. And then, there's the rivalry between Dunkin Donuts and Mister Donut, Red Ribbon and Goldilocks and others. In very recent years, a new war of two food chains emerged -- between Mang Inasal and Chic-Boy -- with the bone of contention being barbecued chicken (plus pork, in the case of Chic-Boy). Mang Inasal started in Iloilo in 2003 and became wildly successful that by 2012, there had been almost 500 stores opened nationwide. It popularized (not started, take note) the "unlimited rice" concept, which probably catapulted it to the top spot in the list of the most popular restaurant chains in the Philippines, aside, of course, from its great-tasting Ilonggo-style chicken barbecue. Since Mang Inasal serves huge chicken portions, many people are not satisfied with just one cup of rice, thus unlimited rice appeals to a lot of consumers. Well, Filipinos are really a bunch of rice eaters, aren't we? Anyway, many people know, of course, that 70% of Mang Inasal was acquired by Jollibee Foods Corporation in 2010 for a whooping sum of P3 billion. 

On the other hand, Chic-Boy first opened its door to the public in 2010, but to date, it already has over 120 branches. I never realized there's been fierce competition between Mang Inasal and Chic-Boy until last year when I found myself reading a forum wherein fans of each of these two chains cast their vote as to which one served the best-tasting roasted chicken.To this day, however, though I've eaten at both Mang Inasal and Chic-Boy, I can't cast my vote because what I eat at Mang Inasal, I don't at Chic-Boy and vice versa, so there's no point of comparison. Though I'm figuratively caught in the crossfire, I don't know which camp to run to. I'm just quite happy that there are now more food chains offering food that is truly Filipino (at very affordable prices!) and that you can go to them when you get tired of hamburgers and pizza.

Recently, my youngest child and I were at Chic-Boy along Quezon Ave. in Quezon City and these were what we had:

Cebu Lechon Liempo, P125. Good!

Pork Barbecue, P45.

Spaghetti with iced tea, P57. My son says it's delicious.

Chic-Boy stands for Chicken at Baboy (pig or pork). Cute logo!

Ice cream, P30 per scoop.

Soup is complimentary.

Soy sauce, vinegar, barbecue oil (left-right).

The little boy just loves ice cream.

Meanwhile, my family and I have eaten at Mang Inasal on several occasions since 2010, the last being on New Year's Day 2013. On those times, these were some of what we've tried in their menu:

Pecho with rice, P99. Our all-time favorite!

Pancit Bihon, P49. Quite good, too!

Dinuguan at Puto, P49. I love this as well.

Pork Sisig, P99. I haven't tried this but my son loves it.

Halo-Halo, P49. The ice cream is forlorn-looking but this halo-halo is quite good.

Mang Inasal used to have Calamansi Juice on their menu but it has been scrapped.

Mang Inasal has a simpler logo.

Soy sauce, chicken oil and vinegar. I love Mang Inasal's chicken oil. I pour a lot of it on my rice. :-)

Inside Mang Inasal along Tandang Sora Ave. in Quezon City.

Mang Inasal and Chic-Boy: Which one's for you? Both have branches scattered all over 
Metro Manila and in some areas, they're right beside each other.:-) 

Deliciosa comida!

Dulcinea has been around since 1963 but it was my first time eating there three weeks ago or in early January. Since Trinoma Mall opened in 2007, I rarely go to SM North Edsa anymore (to avoid the huge crowd) but I'm glad I did that Saturday afternoon, tagging along my daughter, because I got to see restaurants that are not found in Trinoma. One of such is Dulcinea, a restaurant known for serving Spanish cuisine like Paella Valenciana, Lengua Estofada and Pollo Rollo. Dulcinea, however, is more synonymous with Churros con Chocolate. A churro, according to Wikipedia, is a fried-dough pastry dipped in hot chocolate and usually eaten for breakfast. It can be considered as the Spanish doughnut. Churros we were not drawn toward on that occasion, however, as my daughter and I had other things in mind (and they're not Spanish. haha!), even for dessert. I had set my eyes on the Fish Fillet Sandwich, while the daughter could not be swayed from having Pesto Linguine. And how we both enjoyed our meal! The pasta, sandwich and fries all tasted great and were extremely satisfying. We ended our meal with a slice of Sans Rival which was delicious as well, although the coffee which I paired it with was not really awesome. I hope to be back soon to Dulcinea for lunch to try their paella. :-)

Fish Fillet Sandwich with Fries, P99.

Pesto Linguine, P190.

Sanz Rival, P62.

House Blend Coffee, P60.

Iced Tea, P50.

Other Dulcinea branches are at SM Megamall, Mall of Asia, Greenbelt 1, Glorietta 4, Greenhills Shopping Center, Robinsons Galleria, Tomas Morato, Ali Mall, Eastwood, Power Plant Mall and SM City Fairview. 

Food for warmth

Pretty cold these days, the nights especially, huh? Even at noontime Monday last week, Pam, my co-worker-friend, and I were still feeling a little cold, what more with an overcast sky. Thus, at the nearby Panciteria Lido restaurant (near our office, that is), it didn't take us long to decide to have something to warm our tummies for lunch. Wanton Mami for me, Beef Brisket Wanton Mami for Pam. As side dish, I went for Bola-Bola Siopao while Pam had Chicken Feet. My soup was mildly seasoned (there's no overwhelming flavor, which was good to me) , comforting and filling. The siopao, however, wasn't much to my liking. I sampled Pam's beef wanton mami and chicken feet and liked them as well. Overall, it was a nice second time for me at Panciteria Lido. A third time is in the offing, for sure, as there's so many other things I'm looking forward to trying here.

Wanton Mami, Solo, P80.

Chicken Feet, P75.

Beef Brisket Wanton Mami, Solo, P85.

Bola-Bola Siopao, P65.

Chili sauce and toasted garlic to make my day. :-)

Inside Panciteria Lido

Bigger, better burgers indeed!

Though I love sandwiches, I'm not really a burger person and I could go for months, even a year without a hamburger. So when we were about to eat at Big Better Burgers, I wasn't excited nor eager, I felt I just wanted to try something new. In fact, when I was actually at its branch at the Robinsons Magnolia mall, I didn't go for a burger but a fish fillet sandwich. My two kids, however, ordered burgers - my daughter a sandwich (with fries and drink) while my little boy chose to have burger steak with rice. The two allowed me to have a taste of their burgers and was I impressed! They do make very good burgers at Big Better Burgers! The patties were big and thick, juicy and flavorful! What's more, they're not fried but grilled, thus are healthier - a bonus! My fish fillet sandwich was not to be left behind, though. The fillet was crusty and crunchy on the outside but tender inside. Yummy! Even the fries here were delicious. Though they came in thick slices, they were no way soggy. They tasted great, too. I'm convinced they were the best fried potatoes I've had in my four decades (Well, a little over. Hehe.). I was definitely sold about the food at Big Better Burgers. And good eats deserve a repeat, don't they?

Bistro Rice, P115.

Fish Fillet Sandwich, P130.

It's as delicious as it looks.

BBB Value Meal with fries and iced tea, P140.

Skin on fries, P60.

Big Better Burgers has around 11 branches around Metro Manila. Go find one near you and have a good burger today. :-)