You don’t need to be a veteran treasure-seeker to find one of the gems hidden in Antipolo. True, the trail may be hard to find and a map may fail you with its little ways, but finding the elusive Crescent Moon Café is something you should cross off your list when you visit one of the metro’s nearest escape.
Crescent Moon Cafe is home to a humble restaurant and pottery studio owned by Lanelle Abueva-Fernando, niece of the National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva and daughter of former University of the Philippines president Jose Abueva. It sits on a 5,000 square meter property covered by lush greens and blossoms, and is embraced by the melody of running water and chirping birds.
“People visit us because they get to enjoy a relaxed ambiance without sacrificing the flavor of one’s own kitchen” Lanelle said. “Our food is basically lutong-bahay. Our in-house cook has been serving dishes cooked home-style.”
That is why it came as no surprise to find out that the café doesn’t have a menu. After following the pangs of your hungry stomach, one is spared from the difficulty of having to choose from dfferent entrées. “Some of our visitors don’t like it that we can’t give them a menu” the owner said. It was puzzling too because one would wonder how the café lasted for more than a decade without having a staple offering, then Lanelle explained: “We never freeze and reheat the food we serve our guests.” All questions are then considered moot.
For our visit we were served a complete set menu, as received by other fellow guests who visited the café that day. For only Php 350 on Mondays to Saturdays and Php 450 on Sundays, it consisted of an appetizer that can be both a delight and a fright depending on who’s the judge. A little later, a warm serving of soup, three main dishes, a hefty serving of rice, and a dessert which embodied Antipolo’s best – a serving of Antipolo-grown ripe mango and Crescent Moon house suntan – followed.
Because Crescent Moon is considerably among Antipolo’s dining hideouts, Lanelle shared a secret which first-timers are sure to not notice. “Since most of our guests call before-hand, we have a technique when dealing with walk-ins. Every time we see guests arriving, we do a head count then we serve our staple appetizer. It usually takes 20-30 minutes to eat the fresh Alagaw lumpia, just enough time for Rose, the cafe’s all-around cook,to prepare the different viands to be served for the day”, the owner shared.
The appetizer is nothing but a freshly-picked Alagaw leaf provided by the garden’s own Alagaw tree, rolled into a lumpia. Although most dishes that come from Rose’s kitchen are Lanelle’s late husband’s own renditions of Asian recipes, the cafe’s crowd-favorite is more popularly known as Mieung Kium, a Thai appetizer pronounced as my com.
“Our appetizer is available all year-round. Somehow, it is also our main attraction” the owner said. They serve the heart-shaped leaf with sweet peanut sauce, dried coconut, onions, ginger basil leaves, green mangoes (or kamias during the summer season) and dried shrimp (or whichever is available).
What followed the intriguing dish are a series of familiar flavors—and by familiar I invoke the magic of comfort food. We were served pumpkin soup which was bold and creamy because of the rich texture of gata. It was a bit difficult to finish because it was an overwhelming entree. It was followed by a sequence of clam similar to what is served at home—a plateful of chopsuey, fish fillet with garlic mayo sauce and chicken curry Rose’s specialty according to Lanelle.
The set menu of the day was indeed reflective of the Asian-Brsion promise of the Crescent Moon Cafe especially the chicken curry. It had the right amount of spice to be called Thai and it was hard to resist after the first endearing bite.
Indeed, endearing best describes the Crescent Moon experience. From its colorful cotton drapes to its hand-crafted sea-inspired chimes, the Crescent Moon Cafe remains the least grandiose despite its steady following.
The moon’s kitchen is open everyday for lunch and merienda –that’s around 12-3 in the afternoon. Interested “moonwalkers” are encouraged to schedule a trip to The Crescent Moon Cafe, Ascencion Road Barangay Dalig Antipolo City, at Tel: 6305854.
Incoming search terms:
- crescent moon cafe
- crescent moon antipolo
- crescent moon cafe menu
- bahay at style
- moon cafe davao
- menu card of moon café in the phillipines
- lutong bahay menu for the week
- Cresent moon Cafe coffee shop Davao
- crescent restaurant antipolo
- crescent moon philippines
Related posts:
Tags: chirping birds, crescent moon cafe, hungry stomach, lush greens, ripe mango