(Photos by Hazhazie: http://hazhazie.multiply.com)
Since our Christmas dinner at home turned to be one dull night with lotsa food on our table. My mom and I decided to make our New Year celebration up a notch. Spend it OUTSIDE instead!
Since I am one of the dumbest people I know, my job to make a reservation (at a decent restaurant in MOA on New Year ’s Eve) was an epic fail. Searching online and calling them wasn’t really appetizing for me. I decided to just push my luck and just go to MOA without reservations and hoping people wouldn’t have the same plan that night.
Of course, the night didn’t turned out the way I imagined it (haha!).
The strip behind MOA was packed and only people with reservations were able to get in. So I grabbed my mom, yaya, good friend “Mic” and my gf “Haz” far back to San Miguel Bay area to push my luck even further. People were swarming all over the place for the GMA countdown and fireworks display. But luckily, most of them were just planning to watch (with their picnic baskets on hand). I was smiling at the sight of restaurants and their vacant tables.
Choice was between “inuman” or “dampa”. Since we were more of an eater than a drinker, we chose to go for the “paluto” restaurant called “Aling Tonya’s”. We were greeted with a warm smile and greetings with their waiter/waitress (I really don’t know how to call the dude hehe). S/he took us to our table and accompanied me to the “dampa” or wet market to but the good stuff!
At first, s/he was so patiently accommodating my every whim, but by the time I was done, s/he stormed out of the “dampa” and left me there paying up. But since I promised myself that I wouldn’t get mad on this special day. I let it pass.
I went back to my seat with Haz and Mic. I checked the order slip but wasn’t really sure of what was scribbled on it. I called for a waiter, but only got attended to after like a decade of raised arms and flickered lighter. When finally we caught someone’s attention, this dude simply said he was only a “food server” and not a waiter.
WOW…. Imagine that. But I took a deep breath and tried to ask the “food server” to probably call a freakin’ waiter. But fortunately for him, he noticed my irritation and had the initiative to call someone.
Now with the attention of a waiter, who was nothing but patient, I was able to order drinks and clarified the scribbled order slip that was so hard to decode.
Whew! At least food was on its way… NOT! Food came after ten year, starting with “inihaw na liempo” then crab then baked mussels… HEY WHERE’S OUR SOUP???!!!
Sinigang na Baboy came last, after we were done with our rice. NICE ONE!!!
But another weird and unfavorable experience was while we were enjoying our steamed crab; one waiter came up and asked if he could get one of our crabs since they mistakenly put another customer’s crab on our plate. Imagine this, we were eating with our hands that time, munching and grasping the crabs here and there… and this waiter took one of it and served it to ANOTHER CUSTOMER!!!
Yes, this is a true story and sad enough to be REAL! This is totally not OKAY and super UNHYGIENIC for a restaurant.
ALING TONYA’S at SAM MIGUEL BAY…. YOU ARE AN EPIC FAIL with HYGIENE ISSUES and CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To make our stay even more unforgettable, we were almost forced out of the restaurant when our bill came up. When they asked before if we wanted anything else, they haven’t even clarified that it will be our last order. I didn’t really want to get chaotic and insanely mad… but they are pushing every button I got….
We have nothing else to do but to wrap things up and just go somewhere else till 12 midnight for the fireworks… and the next stop? STARBUCKS….
Of course, we weren’t the only one craving for coffee on New Year’s Eve. I immediately fell in line that was long enough to beat the Great Wall of China. But I went in anyway… It was 11pm when we got there….
Twenty minutes… thirty minutes… forty minutes… fifty five minutes… By the time I reached the counter… it was midnight!
Yes, you make take a look at the very first customer of Starbucks San Miguel Bay for 2011!!! I greeted the barista and just enjoyed hearing the fireworks outside… I quickly ordered everything I needed and ran outside to be with my family (and friend).
Well… yes, the night started so uninvitingly ‘coz of ALING TONYA’s… and despite welcoming the year in line at Starbucks… I would say I had a happy 2011 start… Fireworks pretty much made everything worth it… with my family with me… holding my gf’s hand and enjoying the sight with a good friend…
YES… 2011 started out JUST GREAT!!! But I hope the year wouldn’t be filled with bad service and long lines… haha or else… I’LL EXPLODE!
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