Spanish-Filipino Fine Dining at La Cocina de Tita Moning

I literally squealed when I saw a dinner-for-two voucher for this restaurant at The BF's DealGrocer account (he's been recently complaining that he can never surprise me anymore because I keep logging into his account and snooping :-P). I've wanted to try this place for the longest time! But the opportunity never came.. until now. :-)

We arrived past 7 PM and were led into the well-lit receiving area. One of their staff was there to serve lemongrass iced tea and soft quezo-de-bola bread sticks. Loved both. :-)

 Lemongrass Iced Tea

Quezo de Bola Bread Sticks

I thought we would be led into the dining area right after, but we were given a brief and interesting tour of the old Legarda mansion, home of this restaurant, first.

 Dr. Legarda's clinic - he was an obstetrician-gynecologist by profession

 His camera collection - one of his hobbies was photography

 Living area with an original Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo painting - this was my favorite piece of art in the mansion!

 An original painting by Juan Luna is above the piano

After the tour, it was time for dinner. I was telling The BF, it felt like we were on a field trip. :-) Haha. In a nice way, of course. I really appreciated the tour. :-)

I loved how the table was set so meticulously. Attention to detail is I think one of the requisites of traditional Filipino fine dining.

We had chosen our menu beforehand. Other menu choices can be found at their website. Would love to go back and try all of them. :-)

 Gambas al Ajillo, Grilled Eggplant Salad, Wild Rice Truffle Risotto

 Salsa Monja

Salsa Monja was a special sauce made by nuns in the olden times to "make everything a little bit more delicious" - in the exact words of our tour guide. :-) They also gave us a small jar of this as a giveaway. :-)

 Paella Valenciana

Paella - always a special dish. This didn't disappoint. :-)

 Lengua in White Wine, Sauteed Fresh Ubod

The lengua was very tender and flavorful, and fresh ubod is something I rarely get to eat, but love. :-)

 Caramelized Saba Bananas and Fresh Fruit Platter

 Banana Turon, Tita Moning's Bread Pudding, Native Hot Chocolate

Tita Moning's Bread Pudding was honestly the bomb. It's said to be one of the doña's best recipes. I wish we could have had more of it, though!

La Cocina de Tita Moning products available for take-out

It was quite an experience and I'd love to come back. The entire thing was romantic, but to be honest the old mansion can also be quite eery, so I think it's best to come here as a group, or come on weekends when there will likely be other guests. :-) There were several other couples dining at the time The BF and I came, so there was nothing spooky about the ambiance then. :-)

The restaurant requires that reservations be made at least 24 hours before a planned lunch or dinner. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated.

La Cocina de Tita Moning

315 San Rafael Street, San Miguel District, Manila

(+632) 7342146, (+632) 7342141

(+63) 9175315203