New Mooon in Guadalupe

There’s an old Duran Duran song that goes “I light my torch and wave it for the new moon on Monday” that comes into mind. In this case though, it’s not a new moon that’s worth waving the torch for; It’s the “new”, revitalized Mooon Café, yep, spelled with three O’s. It’s still found in the same place, somewhere along the side streets of Guadalupe, the Mooon Café that everybody knows, only bigger and much better this time. Now under the management of Pages Holdings, Mooon Café has been given new life, a new beginning, and at the risk of sounding incongruous, a new dawn.

According to Charlie Pages, businessman, all-around good guy and proprietor of Mooon Café, though Mooon Café serves mostly Mexican specialties, he hesitates to label it a “Mexican restaurant”. Rather, “Mexican-inspired” is how he likes to describe this eating-place much loved by Cebuano foodies. “We don’t serve purely Mexican food here,” Charlie says, “Our menu is typically international cuisine, but with more focus on Mexican fare, and our interiors are reminiscent of a Mexican cantina.” If the interiors aren’t enough to let you know that you’re eating at a Mexican-themed restaurant, the names of the dining rooms should give you an idea where Charlie’s coming from: Tijuana, Vera Cruz, Acapulco, Guadalupe and Guadalajara. If that ain’t Mexican, homes, then what is?

With the restaurant’s two floors divided into several dining areas, diners have a choice on where to have their meals or drinks: the main dining room, the smoking area, the patio or one of the smaller dining rooms on the second floor. Incidentally, this is also where the bar is, so expect to see more serious drinking going on here.

Obviously, a restaurant isn’t about interiors, it’s about food, and Mooon Café has certainly earned a reputation for serving great food. Diners can start off with the Gambas a la Luna, Mooon Café’s version of the popular Spanish appetizer. Not so mild that you have to mix a few more drops of hot sauce and possibly ruin the flavor, not so spicy as to be uneatable, this dish has just the right amount of spiciness to whet your appetite and leave you looking forward to the next course.

How about lumpia or ngohiong, Mexican-style? Flautas, usually made with a cheese filling, is given a new twist at Mooon Café, with the addition of chicken slivers inside the flour wrapper. Lumpia and cheese sticks lovers will definitely have something to smile about with this dish.

Those looking for something to safe to order can never go wrong with a pizza. In Mooon Café’s case, however, customers should be extra-cautious when ordering the Pizza Diablo. Yes, it’s round like a pizza, it does look like a pizza, but it’s pizza, the Mooon Café way. Loaded with Jalapeno peppers, it’s a sure-fire way to experience heartburn if you’re not used to spicy food, though it’s definitely worth a taste.

For the main course, the ever-popular Mooon Steak is highly recommended. The favorite of countless Mooon Café patrons, the Mooon Steak remains as affordable, as tasty and as satisfying as ever. If there’s something that will keep you coming back to Mooon Café, this has got to be it.

Eating all that spicy food is bound to get anybody thirsty, and what better way than to wash it down with a glass or two, no, wait, make that a whole pitcher of Mooon Café’s fantastic Sun Cooler. A soothing blend of citrus fruits and watermelon, it provides a perfect cap to a Mooon Café meal.

With their good food and ambience, it’s no wonder Mooon Café has found itself being mentioned in an international guidebook. Even without that, the myriad customers who come back again and again for the food, the drinks, the friendly atmosphere is more than enough reason for Mooon Café to be considered an icon of Cebu’s dining scene.