ilustrado restaurant

place is really cozy and thefoodwas so good. the paella illustardo and lengua are a must try. will definitely go back and try the other items.

everyone's polite and really accomodating.foodwas good as well. the ambiance made my heart melt. plus the band singing besame mucho and some of my mom&dad's favorite songs is really perfect to end our sunday night. ❤️ happy to spend mother's day in this place! thank you everyone! #muchodineroforanight

visited march 11, 2020.

ambience

i love the ambience of this restaurant. the wall paintings, the tables and chairs as well as the garden area. lucky to visit on a non crowded day so i got to enjoy the area more.

food

we ordered

bagnet sinigang: i love the sourness of the sinigang. it is so right for me. i just wish there is more soup in the serving.

kare kare: the dish is so so. i have tasted kare kare in other restaus with more wow taste.

ilustrado paella: the serving is big and the taste is good. but there are other paellas with taste as good but cheaper. but this is a heritage restaurant so it’s understandable i think.

tokwat baboy: zomato recommends to try their tolwat baboy. the way the pork and the tofu was cooked is good. for the sauce, i think there’s a lot to improve.

overall judgement

i’ll give this restau a 4 star. attentive staffs, the singing trio is cute lol. thefoodis good but there’s a lot to improve

i was hyped to try his historic institution within the walled city so we reserved a table for vday. however, i was a bit underwhelmed by the food. not that, it wasn't good but for me, taste was just okay. the paella we ordered was good at best but i have to say that there are more authentic versions around the metro at the same price point. morcon and callos were also underachievers for me. morcon was a bit dry and tough and the sweet sauce reminded me of banana ketchup. callos lacked flavor and it didn't help that servings were small for the price. the only saving grace was the eggplant appetizer which at 450 is acceptable. the service was excellent but thefoodwas a bit overrated in my opinion.

the ilustrado is a fine dining filipino restaurant that gives off the spanish classic ambiance. what can i say besides the good food, peaceful environment and worth the price? the service. (i’m not your lady at the counter of a fastfoodplace who shouts because of her order got wrong, i’m usually the one who defends the service crew.) but it’ll take more than a couple of times just to get what you need/ask of. tends to ignore you at some point, i feel like they just nod at you but doesn’t really listen. disappointing at some point but overall, ‘twas good.

edit: their pasta are not available till 3pm. i don’t know why but it’s sad specially for a pasta lover myself.

good: paella, the singing trio
bad: when using zomato gold, a no takeout policy applies. the restaurant would rather throw leftoverfoodaway than let people take it home.

i love thefoodso much! definitely worth the price especially if you avail zomato gold 😉

thefoodis great. i have nothing negative to say about the taste and the serving size. price wise, it’s a bit pricey for a typical dinner but it’s super worth it! we were served a complimentary appetizer which is pandesal with butter and liver as spreads while waiting for our orders. only down side was the place was too quiet even with the background music playing and the serving time can be improved. overall, it was a nice and sophisticated experience. will definitely visit again.

the ambiance is good.foodis great tho kinda pricey. i also noticed that most of thefoodwe were already planning to order are unavailable so we had to look for replacement from the menu (no regrets asfoodwas great).

although thefoodwas good, the wait staff were quite rude.

they tend to eyeball their guests and mostly accommodates nicely the foreign guests.

what we had:
croquetas de quezo
bagnet kare-kare
kambing kaldereta
bagnet sinigang
chicken curry

what we loved:
oh we walked in and i was impressed with the overall look and setup of the place, although i am a bit torn if i thought the ambience was cozy and romantic and elegant or just a bit dark and gloomy. anyway, what i am sure of is that the service was great. thefoodis too, starting with the complimentary bread that was really nice, especially the duck liver pate that comes with it. all the dishes we ordered was all very good too. first time i tried a goat dish and i surprisingly liked it. the meat was tender and i liked the flavors of the spices in the dish coming together. my sisters liked the sinigang and kare-kare, but i wish we had ordered fish for the soup instead. my personal favorite though was the coconut curry chicken with couscous, it was just perfect. must try!

overall, glad i took my sisters for a special dinner here.

looking for an instant throwback? ilustrado could be your best bet!

the interior seems like it was preserved from the 50’s. there is a group of singers serenading every table if the customers opt to (the tito trio is lovely by the way!!!)

thefoodis savory and flavorful. tried sinigang risotto and binagoongan bagnet, the former had hints of powdered flavoring, while the latter is crisp to its core. the baked cheesecake is good, too! not too sour nor too sweet, just right.

i would love to come back here maybe try their other offerings.

to mark its 30th year anniversary, ilustrado restaurant in intramuros, manila is offering an 8-course degustation menu for the whole month of october. the menu is curated by chef de patron bernice pimentel, featuring local ingredients and philippine cuisine on trend. “this years’ theme is from ordinary to extraordinary - ordinaryfoodyou would see in a weekly filipino household menu but in haute fashion,” notes chef bernice. “as the famous adage goes … ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarating sa paroroonan.” philippine cuisine has arrived thanks to our multitude of brilliant chefs and champions bringing forward our culinary heritage and roots.” pimentel continues.

the ilustrado anniversary degustation starts with kalabasa pan de sal – pillows of filipino soft roll with shaved squash and served with evoo, balsamic vinegar and a homemade queso de bola dip.

next comes the amuse bouche of longga burger – a boracay staple longganisa patty turned pintxos with kesong puti and tomato jam. the cold starter is ensaladang talong – a mélange of grilled eggplant, onion, tomato, salted quail egg in a spicy pinakurat beurre blanc. the hot starter, lumpiang bangus comes next which is flaked tinapa in a baked shell with a sweet, tangy mango compote. the soup is kinamias which is clear sinigang like vegetarian broth. the first entrée is adobong pusit – grilled baby squid in balsamic adobo sauce followed by the main course bulalo – seared bone marrow and beef risotto with twice-cooked angus beef shortplate and corn salsa sopresa. the sweet ending is a delightful saba con hielo which brings together evaporated milk panna cotta, banana cue slices topped off with chewy bobba pearls. diners have a choice to order the whole 8-course menu or order select dishes, ala carte.

each dish is priced separately and the whole menu is at php 1,400.00 plus 10 per cent service charge. like and follow their social media pages at facebook /ilustradorestaurant and instagram @ilustradorestaurant as they celebrate thirty years with exciting giveaways,foodpromotions and discounts year round. the restaurant is located at 744 general luna street, intramuros, manila. call to inquire or reserve at 527-3674, 527-2345, 0939-9206822.

in the currentfoodvista that  is arguably dictated by the millenial baton, it is refreshing to experience restaurants that  had been there  b.m (before millenials)

ilustrado that famous restaurant in intramuros , will be celebrating three decades of  food  with an 8 course degustation menu for the whole month of october.

curated by chef de patron bernice pimentel, the menu will feature  local ingredients and philippine cuisine on trend...

wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. place was really dark and dusty.foodwas really expensive but the quality was mehh. servers were really slow and inattentive. for example, they didnt even bother refilling our water. for two meals at p1200 this was really a disappointing resto.