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Beautiful house and great food best describe La Cocina de Tita Moning. It’s the ancestral house of the Legarda clan built in 1937 which has been converted to a restaurant and managed by one of the grandchildren, chef Suzette Montinola.
They serve kare-kare, gambas, relleno, lengua, adobo – a variety of Pinoy favorites – but on my first visit, I decided to try the pumpkin soup, Osso Buco Gremolata (beef shanks braised in white wine and tomatoes) and its famous paella Valenciana. I had a lot! When the attendant offered us hot chocolate and bico for dessert, I kept on saying I was full already but guess what? I still finished the hot choco and bico! Hehe…
The table setting is also exceptional - candle-lit, scattered rose petals and a Murano centerpiece. A scroll of parchment is provided on each table explaining the history behind the centerpieces as well as the utensils and chinaware guests are about to use.
First time visitors are also given a house tour. There are several interesting rooms in the house – the train room which houses an antique Lionel train set, the Legarda clinic where a human skeleton hangs, a library that has shelves of old books (some even have handwritten titles on the cover!), a photography room, radio room, etc. There are also artworks by Juan Luna, Hidalgo and Zalameda adorning the walls. And what makes the tour even special? They serve bread with La Cocina’s popular “queso de bola” spread. So yummy! I had to buy a bottle of the spread before we left.
La Cocina only accommodates about 15 to 20 guests at a time so make sure you make reservations in advance. You can call 7342146 or 7342141. The address is 315 San Rafael St. (perpendicular to Arlegui St. in the Malacanang area), San Miguel district, Manila. For more info, you can also check out their website at www.lacocinadetitamoning.com.
