Old Manila dining revisited
By Rory Visco
Contributor


It is a perfect place for any occasion, whether a romantic date or a joyous family reunion, while surrounded with lavish antiquities and most specially, turn-of-the-century culinary classics.

Once the clanking gates close behind, one cannot help but feel the air of nostalgia as it wafts everywhere and consumes your whole being. And as one walks down the expansive concrete patio going to the main house and its huge doors, it’s like traveling back in time.

This is exactly what one would feel at the decades-old Legarda ancestral house located along San Rafael Street in historic San Miguel district in Manila, home to La Cocina de Tita Moning. Diners get to taste home-cooked Filipino menu served a la 19th century Philippine style, a one-of-a-kind dining experience that includes cocktails in the patio area, a tour of the Legarda home, and the seven-course set menu served on authentic antique china, glassware and silverware.

What sets the La Cocina dining experience even more enthralling is the accompanying tour of the old home converted into a museum by the heirs of Don Alejandro Roces Legarda and Ramona “Tita Moning” Hernandez Legarda. The well-preserved rooms magnificently showcase the history of the house and its occupants, beginning with Dr. Legarda himself, an obstetrician-gynecologist-cum photographer and ham radio operator. The train room, the library, the nobly styled living room, even the camera room and clinic, and of course, the dining room, all evoke wonderful memories of a family’s illustrious past.

La Cocina, over the years, has had its share of visitors, mostly high-society and celebrity types and even multinationals, all expressing the same view that La Cocina de Tita Moning changed their perception of Filipino cooking. Testimonies and comments from diners can be found at the stack of albums located at the main living room table. There, previous diners heaped heavenly praises of the excellent food and impeccable service one experiences at La Cocina.

The matriarch Tita Moning’s granddaughter, Suzette Legarda Montinola, a stunning beauty who’s no stranger to fine dining, now manages La Cocina.

Dining at La Cocina is strictly by reservation and served by groups. Some of the best dishes include the renowned La Cocina Paella Valenciana and the mouth-watering Bread and Butter Pudding, the best selling dessert at La Cocina. Menus can be customized based on personal preferences, including religious or dietary considerations.

So if you are looking for a truly Filipino dining experience on your next visit to the Philippines, waste no time in getting to La Cocina de Tita Moning. It’s a truly worthwhile gastronomic delight.

La Cocina de Tita Moning is located at 315 San Rafael St., San Miguel, Manila. Telephone numbers: 734-2146/734-2141 (telefax), 0917-5383490 or email lacocina@pldtdsl.net.

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