Intramuros is a Latin word which means “within the walls". It is a 0.67 square kilometers historic walled area within the modern city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Intramuros is also called the Walled City, and at the time of the Spanish Colonial Period was synonymous to the City of Manila. It was the seat of government and political power when the Philippines was a component realm of the Spanish Empire. It was also the center of religion, education and economy. The standard way of life in Intramuros became the standard way of life throughout the Philippines.
Since 1989, Ilustrado Restaurant has been building a reputation for excellent cuisine and impeccable service -- offering world-class Spanish Filipino and Global cuisines in an authentically charming old-world setting. Whenever in Manila, both local and foreign visitors find it is an indispensable stop for an experience of the country’s best features – warm hospitality, wonderful food and beautiful culture.
Last year, I was able to try their 29th year anniversary 8-course Degustation Menu and truly enjoyed that lunch. Now we ordered some items off the menu which included:
Freshly Baked Breads – these hot and soft freshly baked breads were served with butter and chicken liver pate. They were so good that we even asked for a second serving which the crew happily obliged. These breads are complimentary, but they are a preview to what’s to come next and it’s only the start of our meal and we were already enjoying it!
Bagnet Kare-Kare – from the root word “curry”, this is a Filipino stew made from toasted ground rice, peanut sauce complemented by a home made sweet and spicy shrimp paste. This tasted like how your grandma would cook old-fashioned and homecooked Kare-Kare, but leveling it up with the use of Bagnet instead of the usual meat or innards.
Sinigang na Bagnet – a Filipino sour soup. We were supposed to order the other variety which has Barramundi Collar and belly but that was not available. The use of Bagnet elevated this Filipino fave dish but I found the soup a tad too salty for my liking. I don’t know but I really like my sinigang super sour. I still enjoyed this though since I haven’t eaten sinigang for some time.
Callos Madrilena – a hearty and extra thick version of the traditional Madrid dish. Ox stripe, garbanzos, chorizo de Bilbao, pimientos and bacon slab. This is surprisingly the dish that enjoy more. It’s quite rare that I eat callos as it is not that always available to eat. Ilustrado’s callos is one of the best that I’ve tried.
Chicken Curry with Cous Cous – Chicken breast slices with traditional South East Asian curry served with spiced cous cous. This was easily everyone’s favorite since the curry sauce was really good. The chicken was tender and juicy as well. I love cous cous because of its texture and I haven’t had it in years, and I missed eating it. The cous cous was a great combi with the chicken curry.
It’s a good thing that we decided to dine at Ilustrado for lunch, because we left with full tummy, and reasonable bill. We were so full and we were able to rest and gain energy for the afternoon filled with walking and visiting the rest of the museums inside Intramuros and all the other museums near it. I love that I was able to encounter the same experience just like the one I had a year back.
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