Tags: Food Establishments, Food Fare and Dishes
By KC Santos
MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA -La Cocina de Tita Moning beautifully encapsulates the sophistication and flavors of old Manila. What is home to three generations of the Legarda family is now famous for its restaurant.
La Cocina de Tita Moning is an ancestral gem that shares a compound with the Malacañang Palace.
Rightfully preserved to fulfill the last wish of Dr. Alejandro Roces Legarda and wife Ramona Hernandez Legarda (Tita Moning), the part museum, part restaurant is one of the family’s enduring legacies, says Suzette Legarda Montinola.
A member of the third generation of Legardas, Suzette became the driving force of what initially was a simple order and take-out business only very few knew about.
Suzette is mainly responsible for preserving the fusion of Filipino and Spanish food that La Cocina de Tita Moning is known for today.
“The dishes we serve here are the exact same dishes our grandmother is known for back when she was still actively taking part in the kitchen,” shares Suzette.
Initially catering to expatriates and foreign officials who wish to give their guests a dining experience reflecting an era long forgotten, Suzette says the place now has a wider range of guests and diners who they accommodate strictly on a reservation basis.
The place is big enough for 150 guests but Suzette says the place more frequently caters to small and intimate functions.
La Cocina de Tita Moning also houses many memorabilia and antique collections. Guests are often given a quick tour inside the very well-preserved house which probably dates as far back as the 1930s. Sectioned in each of the rooms are personal belongings like photographs, vintage prep clothing, Leica cameras, and memorabilia which clearly showed the family’s inclination to medicine, the performing and various forms of visual art.
The very walls of the place breathe stories that speak differently about how Filipinos leaved in the 19th century.
“The idea of dining in or visiting this place is stepping back in time and recreating and experiencing the elegance of Old Manila,” Suzette says, adding Filipinos also have a “sophisticated past”.
Suzette adds that they try to mirror the past through the relics down to the food to show that distinction. They even have a specialty store in a separate room right at the entrance where they sell specialties like the Salsa Monja, which is what nuns used to make to enhance the flavors of the main dish.
Entrees here tend to be on the pricey end, but guarantee the diner to experience one-of-a-kind heirloom dishes which Tita Moning herself popularized.
The dishes are also handled by the most passionate staff most of whom have built strong and lasting relationship with the Legardas. Suzette gives the highest regard for these people who have served their family since the 1960s
If you’re one of those adventurous foodies who won’t settle for a lackluster dining experience then let the La Cocina de Tita Moning at the Legarda Mansion be your next place to visit.
Get more information about La Cocina de Tita Moning
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Great arcitle, thank you again for writing.