There is a hidden gem of a restaurant which can be found within the rolling hills of Antipolo called Crescent Moon Cafe and is truly a delightful eating place to go for a day trip from Manila.
It is secluded from the city’s pollution, situated in a beautiful garden with lots of shaded trees plus the calming view of a koi pond.
It is definitely the perfect place for any food explorer and nature lover out there. Generally speaking, there is no predetermined menu. Instead, the list of food options of the day depend on the available fresh ingredients.
When my friends and I went there, we were first treated with pumpkin soup. It was different because its ingredients include some coconut meat and coconut water. It was a surprise delight.
A more interesting food starter came after the soup: the spring roll.
Apparently, Crescent Moon Cafe is known for its signature appetizer “Alagao wraps”. I enjoyed doing my own wraps. I filled my alagao leaf with everything on the table: small pieces of ingredients, such as garlic, ginger, lime, roasted coconut shaving, roasted peanuts and dried small shrimps. I rolled all the ingredients inside the leaf and topped everything off with a special syrupy sauce made of palm sugar cooked with lemongrass, ginger and fish sauce. I can call the experience a “wrap, roll, top and revel in” kind of thing.
More food on the next page!
