Mooon Cafe Dumaguete: A Mexican Dining Experience

Last week, we had dinner at Mooon Cafe to celebrate someone's birthday. Mooon Cafe Dumaguete is located at the Al Fresco area of Robinson's Place Dumaguete. When we got to the place, it was crowded already since I believe that it was also the graduation day of a big university in the city, so we were given seats at the non-aircon area. Forgive me for the pictures since I only had the camera's flash to depend on.

"Mooon Cafe is a Mexican inspired eating place much loved by the Dumagueteños. The menu is typically internal cuisine, but with more focus on Mexican fare and interior is reminiscent of a Mexican cantina."

For starters, we had Nacho de Salsa priced at Php 75. Crispy corn tortilla served with salsa rojo, salsa fresca, and sour cream. I find the tortilla a bit oily, but once I topped it with the salsas and sour cream, I totally forgot how oily it was. This is indeed a good starter!

We also had Quesadilla Veracruz priced at Php 149. Toasted whole flour tortilla stuffed with sauteed shrimps, onions and cheese. Topped with salsa fresca and sour cream. This one is really good also. I love shrimps and it's the first time I tasted quesadilla stuffed with shrimps! Nom!

We also ordered Garlicky Mushroom priced at Php 79. Button mushrooms sauteed with chopped garlic. This one is also very tasty. 

Of course, how can we miss the oh-so cholesterolific Bulaklak na Chicharon priced at Php 125. This isn't a Mexican dish, obviously, but I love how Mooon Cafe tries to infuse Filipino dishes with their Mexican-inspired restaurant. Mooon Cafe's Bulaklak na Chicharon is definitely the best appetizer before proceeding with your main course, but this could also be a good beer match! *wink*

But amongst all the appetizers we had, the best one for me is the Crispy Chili Squid Head priced at Php 135. Crispy fried squid head glazed with sweet chili sauce. This one is really kick-ass, I tell you! I'm a big lover of squids, specially sizzling squid, and I love how this dish had it's own twist. I also love how tasty their sweet chili sauce is. I could honestly pair this with garlic rice and I'm sold! Nom!

Chorizo na Bungkag. I don't think this one's in their menu, but when you visit Mooon Cafe, don't miss out on ordering this one. It's basically like your typical chorizo but minus the skin that puts everything together, and this is really delicious! I can imagine myself having this for breakfast; mixed with my rice plus sunny side-up egg. 

We also had Gambas ala Luna priced at Php159. Sauteed shrimps in butter and garlic with paprika, cayenne, bread crumbs. If only this dish were a bit more spicy, then it could already pass as the best gambas I've ever tasted here in Dumaguete City.

For the pasta, we tried Mooon Cafe's Pasta Carbonara priced at Php 149. Creamy white sauce with bacon and mushrooms topped with cheese. I love carbonara and this one did not disappoint at all.

Another pasta that we ordered was the Pasta ala Gambas priced at Php 149. Shrimps sauteed in butter, garlic, cayenne and paprika. This is also very tasty and delicious! Imagine your gambas mixed with al dente pasta! Just perfect. 

For the main dish, we had Chicken Mozarella Melt priced at Php 159. Fried chicken fillet sprinkled with mozarella cheese, sauteed chopped tomatoes, served with rice. This dish was a-ok. It also came with a dip. 

Mexican Baby Back Ribs priced at Php 189. Grilled pork ribs marinated in herbs. This came with buttered vegetables (not seen), plain rice and barbecue sauce. I believe this dish is Mooon Cafe's best-seller, and I attest, their Baby Back Ribs is really the bomb! Don't be fooled by the picture, the ribs are really big! 

Mooon Steak priced at Php 159. Sizzling pork steak topped with gravy sauce, served with garlic rice and buttered vegetables. For over a hundred bucks, you can never go wrong with Mooon Cafe's Mooon Streak. The meat is really tender and the whole dish is really tasty! And not to mention how big the steak is! It's really, really big. See how it went beyond the sizzling plate? Oh yeah. :)

In my own opinion, you really get the value of your money at Mooon Cafe. You only not experience good food, but a relaxing ambiance too. If you wish to visit Mooon Cafe Dumaguete at the Al Fresco area of Robinson's Place Dumaguete, you may want to go their earlier or have reservations since there is always a long queue of customers. This place is always jam-packed! 

Mooon Cafe-Dumaguete
Al Fresco Area, Robinson's Place Dumaguete
Dumaguet City