WHISTLESTOP : The Grand Central Station for Good Food is open 24/7 once again!!!

Back in the day,
if you wanted a hot meal
after a night of cold beers,

there were only three real options:
Burger Machine for, well, burgers,

Goodah! for all kinds of mami & silog,
and for everything else, WhistleStop!!

It really was the only place in town where
one could find a full restaurant menu at 3a.m.

I used to haunt the Whistlestops in Jupiter St.,
Libis, and Shangri La Plaza, but because the owners
had migrated, all the restaurants closed down by 2005.

Flash Forward Four Years,
and the 24/7 restaurant that
had the best Hainanese Chicken
in MetroManila is back in business!


And I'm so loving the new interiors: baggage racks
and safety straps overhead, evoking the bygone age
of elegant train travel and the luxuries of first class;

very retro, & very reflective of the classic comfort food
that I enjoyed with friends, family, & furious girlfriends!

Upon entering the doors of the new Whistlestop,
this intriguing staircase of Samsonite greets you,

and spread out all over the restaurant are souvenirs
from another age, including this reel-to-reel tape player,

and my favorite, these "vases" on the tables,
that also hold the "Baggage Tags" which actually
serve as the Diner Comment & Feedback Forms. Nice!





Okay, the place looks cool.
But the burning question remains:
has the food withstood the test of time?

Well, the original chef of the Jupiter St.
Whistlestop has also returned, and with him,
so have the timeless recipes that we remember,
along with quite a few instant classics, such as:

WHISTLE-IZZAS:

totally cheesy (in a good way) mini pizzas;

ground beef and garnishes on a pinsec crust!

CRISPY PANSIT:

vermicelli-thin canton noodles fried to

perfection, topped with garlicky chopsuey!

MIXED SATAY:

Whistlestop's always been famous for their

Asian cuisine, and this peanut buttery taste

treat from Indonesia doesn't disappoint.

BANOFFEE PIE!

Wow. This dessert made me forget about the

versions from Banapple and Starbucks.

I'd return just to enjoy this again!

I did have enough space for the Chocolate Truffle Cake,
but my friends Ajay and Macho Matthew refused to share it,
so it must be really really good. And like the Banoffee,
it's baked for, and exclusively available at Whistlestop.

For my fellow breakfast addicts, try the Morning Heavyweight
meals that are available anytime of the day; I swear by the
Corned Beef Hash, but I shall return for the Heavyweight Bacon!





Before the proliferation of 7-11s and MiniStops,
there was one, and I emphasize, only one place in MetroManila
where anything was available in the wee small hours of the morning:

cookies and chocolates, all kinds of candy,
soap and shampoo, even magazines and toys,
all imported from the U.S., hence "PX",

everything was available at that small nook in Whistlestop!
It was perfect. A final goodnight gift for my dates,
pasalubongs for the kiddies, and chocolates for me!!!



The reborn restaurant doesn't have a full "PX" outlet yet,
but there's a really cute row of chocolates and candies,
(including Choc-Nut!) a homage to the original convenience store!











It's really great to have you back,
my last stop of the night!!!



WHISTLESTOP
Open 24/7 since 1977

28 Jupiter cor. Astra Sts.,
(very near EDSA, near Fiamma
between Bistro RJ and Starbucks)

telephone: 896-1989