The awesome grind: Whitemoon Bar

Saturday, January 11, 2014

My Top 3 posts for 2013: Whitemoon Bar, Aling Banang's, Amber

This is my first post for 2014 so however late, let me greet you a Happy New Year. I wish you blessed days and months ahead, with your needs and heart's desires granted by our awesome God. Well, my 2013 was a good one, especially when it comes to this foodie diary. After a year and a half since its inception, The Awesome Grind had over 20,000 visitors at the year's end. I know it was no big feat but it made me very happy, to think that I almost gave up blogging at the start, sad that nobody seemed to read my posts apart from my husband. So to everyone who visits my blog, thank you so much! Mwaah! Truth to tell, I really don't consider myself a true-blue blogger. To me, I'm just a hobbyist. Though I'm a writer and editor by profession, I'm a mere amateur when it comes to photography. Also, I'm no geek and so I've no idea how to "beautify" this blog. Given these reasons, I know I can't be lined up among the "legal" bloggers, and I certainly am just happy there are people like you who read my posts in this blog of sort. Hey, before I move you to tears, let me share with you the Top 3 posts in The Awesome Grind last year, based on the number of hits or visits.
Here they are:

3. Amber on a Black Saturday (March 31, 2013)

I had two posts about Amber last year and the first one made it to No. 3. My first visit to Amber was on Good Friday. Lucky for me (and family), their Tomas Morato branch was open. Since then, I'd visited Amber two more times till the year's end, both occasions at their T.M. Kalaw branch. My family loves Amber because of the superb Pinoy food that they serve, at pocket-friendly prices to boot. No wonder this resto is a popular Google search, and the reason it's one of my most-visited posts. Amber is famous for its delicious Pancit Malabon and Pichi-Pichi plus a lot more of our favorite Filipino dishes.

2. Aling Banang's: Over eight decades of glorious carinderia food (July 3, 2013)

Aling Banang's is a carinderia that started inside the San Juan Public Market in the 1930s. After some 80 years, it now has some 14 branches around Metro Manila, though their FB page says only 11 are authentic. It was my husband, who grew up in san Juan, who first brought me to Aling Banang's, boasting about how good their ice cream halo-halo was. You see, this refreshing and sweet dessert at Aling Banang's is unique because it has no ice - only homemade ice cream. Well, they also serve regular halo-halo with ice but it was the ice cream halo-halo that made Aling Banang's famous. Last year, one branch of this carinderia opened just a stone's throw away from our office in Quezon City. Needless to say, I'm always there. Haha! Their pancit bihon is too die for, with the crunchy-skinned lechon kawali on top. For just P45 per serving (which is huge, I never finish it in one sitting), it is such a joy! There was a period before the year ended that I ate pancit bihon at Aling Banang's everyday. Haha! But before I discovered their pancit, I ate lechon kawali with fried rice at every visit. Check out Aling Banang's for some down-to-earth yumminess.

1. Whitemoon Bar: Where sunset tops the menu (February 12, 2013)

We (my two daughters and the eldest's beau) were at Whitemoon Bar February last year. What a bliss to be at this place at the Manila Ocean Park in time for sunset. For lovers of the sea and dusk like me, this bar is pure bliss! You get to eat, drink and just chillax while enjoying nature. No better way to unwind and shake off all the stress at work. We enjoyed their baked mussels, nachos, tacos and carbonara. The spaghetti with meatballs was not so good, though. Prices are steep but the cool ambiance makes up for it.
This 2014, I look forward to more foodie discoveries to share with you, guys. Hope you visit my blog in the weeks ahead. Together, let's enjoy good food and just have a good time.
God bless!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

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!