29 long years. That’s how long Ilustrado Restaurant has been standing strong in providing Multi-Cuisine to their patrons and to mark its 29th year Anniversary, Ilustrado Restaurant in Intramuros, Manila is offering an 8-course Degustation menu for the whole month of October.
Located in Intramuros, Manila, the location is a perfect venue for people who wanted to stay true to their heritage. This old house has a garden for events set-up. It also has some rooms for private functions. The inside stays very homey both with some antiques and modern displays.
Created by Chef de Patron Bernice Pimentel, the Degustation menu utilizes local cuisine and ingredients in an up-to-date fashion. “This year, 2019 marks the third year that we have been doing an anniversary degustation and this year, I am not only bringing forth our culinary heritage to the present but also incorporating much more local ingredients,” explains Chef Bernice.
“My almost three year old nephew is in a “bahay kubo” sing-song stage and I can say that the vegetables in the song followed me everywhere making its way into our degustation menu.”
The Ilustrado Anniversary Degustation starts with:
Kangkong Pesto Brioche served with Boursin Cheese – I never thought that Kangkong would taste better in a Brioche. It really was so good. Have some Boursin Cheese to have such delicious appetizer.
Kesong Puti Croquettes and Lato – It has a baby mesclun, salsa Verde, and aioli. It was crispy on the outside, yet so soft on the inside. The Lato gave it a salty take and made this really tasty!
Oyster Laing Rockefeller – This unique dish is truly delicious in every bite. The Oysters came from Aklan. It has some chili and coconut milk, topped with Parmigiano Reggiano and drizzled with lemon juice.
Sayote Egg Drop soup with Quail Eggs and Crostini – This will warm your stomach. The consistency of the soup was thick enough, make sure to mix the quail egg to make it even more.
Burong Mangga Sorbet – That’s a scoop of Green Mango puréed and made into a sorbet. Definitely a palate cleanser.
BBQ Pulled Pork Tostadas – Slow-cooked pork, Filipino-style BBQ marinade, re-fried munggo, and papaya slaw al places on top of a fried tortilla. It might be messy to eat but this was a good mess. I enjoyed the pulled pork as it was marinated in a flavor that is very close to BBQ flavors that am familiar with growing up.
Seabass Sinantol – Seabass fillet topped with arugula on top of sinantol rice. This is such a unique twist with a santol. It does have that sourness but at the same time, it was savory, too. It was an interesting flavors all together.
Egg Pie Brûlée with rose crème chantily, strawberry, green grapes, mango and edible flowers. Truly a sweet, such beautifully plated ending to a meal.
Diners have a choice to order the whole 8-course menu or choose only select dishes. Each dish is priced separately and the whole menu is at Php1,250 plus 10 per cent service charge.
Was it worth it? Definitely. I could say that all these 8-course menu totally made me so full and delighted, too!
Address: Ilustrado at 744 General Luna Road, Intramuros, Manila
Phone number: 527-3674, 527-2345
Email: caterings@ilustradorestaurant.com.ph