Mooon
Mooon has reopened under new management (Pages Holdings). i was excited to once again dine in one of Cebu's local hangout where great food and drinks used to be served.
They did a great job on the interior, faux paint finishes, plants, decor, lighting. A warm wholesome ambience. Tables are set with flatware and a goblet which is pleasing, quite welcoming and professional looking.
The staff was very warm and accommodating, quick and always smiling. Although the newer ones weren't too familiar with the menu, they still did quite well.
Their menu now carries the Thirsty line of fruit shakes and juices which is a refreshing addition. They also had new items on the menu but I opted for the usual items.
Moving on, we had sizzling pork steak, quesadillas, pork chop and gambas.
Sizzling Pork Steak: (about P170+) the meat came out tender, but lacked flavor. their gravy tastes like watered down soy sauce with corn starch.. what gives? People think they can get away with a lot of watery, bland gravy-like sauce... Their margarine garlic rice helps with the lack of flavor for you rice eaters.
Pork Chop: (about P150+) the meat again is tender, but still lacks flavor. The barbecue sauce is uninteresting, and again, the margarine garlic rice will help, if not, make it monotonous as with the previous dish.
Gambas: (about 70+) Shrimps with sautéed onions and tomatoes, and I didn't bother finding out what else they put in it cause I taste watery tomatoes.. It clearly lacked spices, and the best you can do is season it with salt and pepper..
Quesadillas: Specs of cheese between flour tortillas came with fresh salsa. This was satisfactory, but I think they can do better than this using typical Mexican spices to "Mexicanize" it.
Drinks:
Fresh Apple-Carrot juice (you can't go wrong with fresh fruit juice)
Secret, a concoction of orange juice and grenadine syrup, is still delicious
Iced tea: Make sure to mention that you want the blended iced tea. Apparently, they serve it iced, not blended, and an option for single or bottomless servings
-- Better gravy. Very essential.
-- Salsa Fresca: the original salsa fresca was the closest thing to the authentic taste of mexican food. Why change the recipe? Now it tastes like just plain sour tomato and onion salsa.
The new management has done a great job on revitalizing the restaurant, with more air-conditioned seating, warm interiors, great staff and service. They could have revivify the menu taking the Mooon classics to a new level, and creating new signature dishes.
Mooon started serving mexican dishes several years back with a few bar stools along the road at very reasonable prices. They have not come this far if not for good food and value. In their latter years under the previous management, their food has gone from great to just good and good to just okay. This is a common comment among patrons noticing the diminishing quantity, the quality and flavor and the increase in prices. It ended up being a place where you can alternatively hang out, but not a place to go to and park on the side streets not caring to wait in line for a great fare.
I hope something is done with their food while they have just recently opened. I always encourage home grown cebuano ideas to prosper, but this can only be done keeping in mind the combination of quality, quantity and reasonable prices. Prices even don't become an issue when the flavor of the dish simply overwhelms the senses.
There are many good restaurants, but great ones are always a result of passion.
Food: 2
Service: 3.5
Ambience: 4
Value: 1
( a P175 sizzling pork chop should be much better than a P100 delicious sizzling pork chop ^ from my previous reviews^ )
06-03-2008, 04:38 PM
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