barbara's

the place is really instagram worthy. went there with my bff and as soon as we stepped inside we both got the feels like we traveled back in time. even though i'm all praises for the place i can't say the same for the food. it's not that bad but not extraordinary either. i loved the chicken adobo though. but is it worth 595? if you have a lot of money to spare and you're just after some wonderful shots, it is definitely worth every peso but if you're really after some mouth-watering food there sure are other places to eat.

on the buffet spread @ php549 (lunch)
sopa de almondigas
mustasa salad
pandan rice
sotanghon guisado
fried lumpiang batangas
bangus ala pobre
lechon kawali
chicken adobo
beef caldereta
palitaw
coffee jello
guinataang halo halo
fried kamote

my-food-o-meter:

taste: 4/5
price: 4/5
service: 4/5

minimal selection but every dish has a rich flavor. i really liked their beef caldereta, the meat was tender and a bit spicy. their version of chicken adobo is different, the texture of the sauce is more similar to lengua and tasted more like gravy, but it was okay. the ambience is nice too. a bit creepy coz its an old house/building but really clean. this is a great place to bring foreign friends, especially if they're gonna eat filipino food for the first time. drinks not included.

upon entering the place i can't help but admire the spanish era. elegance, with a touch of home maker , history can tell me it's roots and again i am being nosy, eager to ask about the place, can't help it. (can i just live here) forgot i was on a date, fresh pasta penne serve with tomato sauce .... i told you i love pasta and 2 thumbs up for this. the blue berry chesecake is a list. plus the ambiance. looks like this is my favorite place to be.

i am not sure there is still an a la carte menu (likely), but you're already better off just booking from their inexpensive buffet meal (p595 on evenings, if i remember correctly). 

there will be several kinds of salad (pako, ensaladang talong, salted egg and tomato, romaine), soup, and five main dishes, which were caldereta, roast chicken, and a lengua, among others. good deal!

more than that, this is located right across san agustin church in the plaza san luis complex, which is a reconstruction of old intramuros homes during the spanish period. spanish decor, beautiful wooden furniture (like the curved and straight-backed mariposa chairs), and rugs cover the floors of this mansion repro. and at 7:45, there is a skilled rondalla band that performs an impressive range of cultural dances. we were entertained for over an hour, and the live music helps this performance stand out above the rest, since you get one, or the other, and rarely both.

we played dress up for this, had filipino fun, and had a grand evening.

the food is a 3.5 to me, but the show was tops, and worth repeating.
bring your parents and older relatives, your balikbayan friends, or for a themed evening, this is fun to go to. 

it's best to park near the church, and tip the watch-your-car boys nicely.

historically appealing and i quote. as a fan of such i am pleased with the interior details, furnitures and design.it all brings me back to the spanish era. they also showcased our filipino customs through native dances. as for the food, as far as i remember, food was, ok, nothing so special about it same old filipino-spanish food on silverwares.

the place has a nice rustic/vintage feel to it. head here to relax after a tiring day touring intramuros. it is a bit pricey though. the kare-kare wasn't too creamy for my taste.. spinach lasagna and seafood pasta were okay. it can be rather packed even on weekdays.

the food is good as well as the setting of the resto. you have different cuisines to choose from their menu. they have different set up for buffet and fine dining. my mom and my sister really enjoyed their food.

after our tour group explored the rizal park and intramuros, we were tired and hungry. we left our grub plan to the wisdom of our guides who had planned our afternoon well in advance. upon entering an archaic building with some colonial work, i was greatly intrigued about what we will see next. going up the stairs, we made it to barbara's. what followed later was a satisfied lunch enjoyed by a dozen tourists.

the restaurant had a moderate size but had a mix bag of an ambiance. it had a colonial appearance with a distinct touch of spanish influences and a modern day filipino restaurant. the artificial trees felt a bit out of place and made walking a somewhat hard but it would be difficult to imagine barbara's without them.

the most obvious thing about the restaurant were a trio of string musicians who were playing spanish and filipino songs. they did come to our table too and entertained the ladies of our group.

after sitting down and having ice tea - we decided to to get ourselves the buffet. the restaurant was quite crowded due to lunch hour and there was a long line at the buffet counter. the spread was not large but i found enough items to fill my plate. there was the pork adobo which was distinctively different from what i had back at my hotel. there were noodles , rice, chicken, a few chinese items,a few western dishes and filipino food. for a small platter, the diversity was certainly nice.

the desserts had a separate area and i picked chocolate, mango and kiwi cakes. i also enjoyed lemon and kiwi mousse shots which were tasty. 

it could be a bit pricy but the experience was quite memorable for us first timer tourists. the platter size could be larger as well and would certainly be nice if something could be done about the queuing.  but all in all a good experience. i think barbara's trump card is definitely its ambiance.

food 3.5/5
service 3/5
ambiance 4.5/5
pricing 3/5

not a bad place for family gatherings or an initimate dinner with your loved one. the buffet is kinda overpriced considering how limited the food choices are. there's also nothing special about the food they serve. what i loved are the overall hispanic-filipino ambience of the restaurant and the awesome philippine dance performances.

i had the opportunity of dining in barbara's restaurant at intramuros manila last saturday and it was honestly quite amazing. when i got off the cab, there were guardiya sibils. these men are known to be the police force back in the spanish colonial era here in the philippines. the ambiance upon entering the place made me feel like i traveled back in time when dr. jose rizal still used to walk the roads of manila or then known as the "open city". there were antique furniture like chairs, mirrors, pictures and chandeliers; surprisingly they don't look worn out, they appeared to be well maintained and still of a fine dining restaurant quality. i went to the second floor to join other guests at the "main dining " area where barbara's can accommodate about one hundred to one hundred twenty people all at the same time. after entering the glass door, it felt magical. the entire restaurant is designed for fine dining, tables were draped with layers, the silverware, porcelain wares and the glass wares are arranged like in a five star hotel. i felt like i was an ilustrado who have so much money to pay for an expensive dinner. just about around seven when i started to get food form the buffet since they smelled so good and enticing. the menu that night were some of my favorite filipino dishes like laing, caldereta, adobong baboy, pancit malabon, inihaw na pla-pla, inihaw na manok, paella at lumpiang ubod. there was a green mango salad corner paired with different filipino sauces like bagoong. just remembering about it makes my mouth watery. my favorite among the dishes was the laing. it was so delicious that i have been thinking about it from saturday til this very moment. my mother is bicolana so i know how a good laing tastes like but this one just rises above them all. there was no trace of bitterness, all of pleasure and yumminess. my second most favorite dish had to be two; the adobong baboy and beef caldereta. they were a revelation that these common viands can actually be cooked in a whole lot way better than what we filipinos have been eating for a long while now. the meat was so tender and the sauce was just sinfully good. i had to make second trips to the buffet table because one was really not enough. the paella is a dish passed onto us by the spanish people, yet with time we have made it taste like its one of our own. it was flavorful, the seafood complemented the rice filled with broth that has penetrated every single grain of rice, every spoonful was so delightful. after stiffing myself with all these, i know  had to cap it off with dessert. i have tasted a lot of buko pandan salads from different restaurants but the one in barbara's made me feel that i have been wronged of how it should taste and now salvaged from my naivety. there were fruits topped with a spongy like cake similar to that of a brazo de mercedes with a crunchy caramel glaze on top. also, crunchy turonillas were served along with a rich bowl of ginataang bilo-bilo. that night was my moment of re-discovering why filipinos love to eat--that's because we also love to cook and we do very good. i know i would come back and reminisce my first visit in barbara's, it was nothing but pure pleasure. the amazing dishes were the highlight of the evening but the cultural dances and the rondalla playing classical filipino and contemporary music were the cherries on top. it made the entire experience true to its name, "kultura filipina"- it was nothing short of magical.

we went here for my niece's baptismal reception. though with limited variation of food, everything that was on the buffet was actually good. i really liked the blue marlin and the chicken, as well as the dressing for the salad! yum! too bad the only non-soda drink available is iced tea, i would want other variation of iced tea perhaps raspberry or anything, lemonade too perhaps? all in all, i will definitely go back here someday! :)

we just paid for the cultural show. the food is not so good. few choices also.

i a student near the area i think i almost known all the restaurant where good food and servings are but this barbara's is very new for me! so my classmate celebrated his birthday here and we really enjoy their set of food! especially the bulalo and their country style chicken! i really like the taste of bulalo very smooth and delicious that makes me want more more likely when you a chilli and fish sauce to it, taste really good! and also the friend chicken it is not dry and more juicy taste!

one of my friend celebrated her birthday at barbaras. the resto is not that familiar to me, and one of my friend told me that they are closed. but still i made an effort to look for it around intramuros. and when i got their im almost half hour late, they are already serving the food. and from that time the aroma of the dishes are so delicious. i tried all the viands they served. it taste good! the place is also beautiful, with a spanish style of interior its so sophisticated.