inasal – Jellybeans in the City

Garden Dining while at home

With this seemingly endless loop of heightened and then loosened quarantine restrictions, many among the restaurant and hospitality have had to rethink the way they do business.

One of these is Manila Ocean Park’s White Moon Bar.

In operations for the past ten years, White Moon Bar has provided its clientele with an outstanding menu of gourmet dishes and spirits to be enjoyed while watching the Manila Bay sunset or under the starlit night sky.

In May of this year, it pivoted its operations to cater to patrons who have been looking forward to dining out since the quarantines started by opening its outdoor restaurant, Garden Dining. It took advantage of Manila Ocean Park’s sprawling grounds where diners can enjoy the delicious creations of Chef Ranuka Hettiarachchi in comfort while observing safety and physical distancing protocols.

Once again, Garden Dining by White Moon Bar has adapted to the current re-tightening of quarantine restrictions in the metro by offering a diverse menu of delicious and nourishing, yet very affordable, dishes curated by its renowned chef and making these available online. These delectable dishes are available for delivery, pickup and takeout so that diners may enjoy them in the safety and comfort of their own home.

With this, Garden Dining by White Moon Bar has expanded its market to include not just diners who miss going to restaurants, but also busy working professionals and families with little time to cook.

These include tasty and comforting dishes such as:

Bulalo Steak (Php450). Batangas beef shank braised in roasted garlic sauce along with sweet corn, Baguio beans, cabbage and pechay, served with Java Rice.

Spicy Korean-Style Pork Belly (Php290). Tender slices of pork belly glazed with a spicy Korean chili sauce served with fried potato wedges, mixed salad and spicy mayo dip.

Chicken Inasal (Php220). Chicken thigh fillet marinated in lemongrass then grilled and served with fried potato wedges, mixed salad and toyo calamansi dip.

Hot & Spicy Chicken Wings (Php200). Crispy and deep-fried chicken wings glazed in sriracha and chili oil and served with pechay and Java Rice.

Kimchi Fried Rice (Php230). Kimchi and steamed rice stir-fried in a wok along with sliced pork, spring onions, fried egg, toasted sesame and fried seaweed.

Leche Flan (Php180). The Pinoy version of the classic baked egg custard with caramel.

If the thought of these dishes are making your mouth water, you might want to order a Mukbang Set that includes all of these at only Php1,099!

Check out more Mukbang sets and ala carte dishes that you can savor at home with your family!

Garden Dining by White Moon Bar is open daily from 11am to 9pm. You may course your orders online or call +63 917 8753292 for delivery in areas within Manila and Pasay with payments via credit card accepted. Orders may also be coursed through the Manila Ocean Park takeout counter, with payments via cash and credit card accepted.

Disclosure: Food samples were provided to facilitate the dining experience for this feature article.

Classic Negrense cuisine at JT’s Manukan Grille, Tomas Morato

One particularly rainy day, a coworker was craving for barbecue for lunch. Well, for me, barbecue as the main highlight of the lunch meal would be too basic (Yes, sometimes, I’m a diva like that!)

After much debate, our group decided to have lunch at the nearby JT’s Manukan Grille to get the best of both worlds. She can have the pork barbecue she has been craving for while I get to experience authentic Bacolod chicken inasal.

The restaurant was started by award-winning character actor Joel Torre (hence the name “JT”) and his wife, Cristy. From its humble beginnings as a takeout counter, the brand has grown to eighteen outlets all over the metro.

The restaurant operates on four principles: masarap (delicious), mura (affordable), malinis (clean) and masaya (happy). All of these principles came into play during our meal.

Located at the corner of Sgt. Esguerra Avenue and Scout Borromeo Street, the restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating areas. It is marked by decor that denote its Negrense origins such as the Masskara masks painted on the walls and its association with the actor such as movie posters and that fun wall mural that offers a fresh take on The Last Supper that adorn many Filipino dining rooms.

Chicken inasal is made of chicken pieces marinated in a mixture of calamansi, pepper, coconut vinegar and annatto then grilled over hot coals while being basted with the marinade.

Our orders included Paa (chicken leg and thigh – Php120), Pecho (chicken breast and wing – Php135) and Pork Barbecue (Php35 per stick), which we enjoyed together with lots of chicken oil, the soy sauce with calamansi and chili pepper dipping sauce, flavorful garlic rice and bowl of hot broth.

I also got myself an Allmytea Iced Tea (Php50 for single serve | Php70 bottomless) which is a good partner for the inasal.

See? Sometimes, we can have the best of both worlds!

This JT’s Manukan Grille branch is located at Scout Borromeo corner Scout Ybardolosa Street, South Triangle, Quezon City, open daily from 11am to 12 midnight. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 2 9288085.

Other branches in Metro Manila are located in:

Quezon City: Valencia, Banawe, Libis, Eton Centris, Novaliches, Project 8, Ever Gotesco Commonwealth, Blue Ridge
Makati City: Bel Air, Makati Central Square
BGC: Justice Drive, Sapphire Residence Tower
Pasig: Ortigas Home Depot
Manila: Ermita
Paranaque: Victory Food Market

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

The appeal of Bacolod Chicken Parilla

It is rare for a group of ten coworkers to instantly agree on where to have lunch but mention Bacolod Chicken Parilla and you will find us simultaneously leaving our desks to go to what seems to be our favorite chicken inasal place.

The chicken inasal, a Bacolod specialty dish, is a type of roasted chicken which is marinated in lime juice, pepper, annato (called achuete in the Philippines) and vinegar, grilled over hot coals while being further basted with the marinade. It is often served with garlic fried rice and a dipping sauce called sinamak (which is made of palm vinegar infused with garlic, chili peppers and ginger. The most common serving variations of inasal are the paa (leg and thigh), pecho (breast and wing) and pakpak (three pieces of wings).

My personal preference when it comes to chicken inasal is the paa because, while the pecho is usually meatier, the paa is more flavorful and juicier. I also want lots of chicken oil (usually made from rendered chicken fat infused with garlic and annato seeds) to drizzle over my chicken and garlic rice, making my meal so much more sinful but tastier as well.

The offerings here are also quite affordable, contributing to the almost universal appeal among my officemates. Menu prices for the items we usually order are:

Pecho at Php90
Paa at Php90
Pakpak at Php85
Garlic Rice at Php25

This branch of Bacolod Chicken Parilla is located at the corner of Scout Gandia and Scout Reyes Streets, Bgy. Paligsahan, Quezon City.

Check out my reviews of other Filipino restaurants:

Want to learn more about Filipino cuisine? Check out these books on Amazon.com!

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