Casa Roces, located across Malacanang Palace, is the ancestral home of the Roces clan. The structure is beautiful with carefully restored details at every corner. We got a chance to visit on a lucky Saturday since there was no classed in nearby St. Jude.
The second floor is home to the Casa Roces events place, with different rooms to suite your different requirements.
One of their most popular rooms is this intimate little room for 2, where many people have made marriage proposals.
The ground floor dining area is occupied by Kape Chino, named after the famed newspaper publisher Joaquin “Chino” Roces.Classic decor with a nice view of the outside garden. Kape Chino serves a mix of Spanish and Filipino dishes.
Crispy Lengua Caesar Salad (P160). A twist on the usual Caesar salad with cubed crunchy lengua.
Sopa Molo Castillana (P195), a classic garlic soup with your choice of steamed or fried dumpling.
Pate de Pescado Duo (P360), creamy bacalao and salmon pate topped with black caviar, served with toasted baguette. Of the two, its the salmon I enjoyed most, which comes as no surprise.
Fabada ala Casa Roces is one of the new dishes on the menu and is more of a Filipino rendition of the dish. Heart bean and pork stew that is a nice match for rice.
You can still eat healthy by way of the Pescado en Salsa Verde (P345) or the Pinakbet (P195). Fish and vegetables are good for you and tastes quite good but no one paid them any attention with eyes and taste buds focused on the next dish.
Pork Stew Binagoongnan (P285), the runaway winner for the meal. Crunchy pork belly sauteed in shrimp paste with string beans and tomatoes. Crunchy and strongly flavored, you’ll wonder what happened to all your rice. The single reason why we will visit Casa Roces again, Irene keeps reminiscing about this dish.
Ensaymada con Hamon y Chocolate. Ensamada with toppings of cheese, ham, and a dollop of muscovado butter. A side of native chocolate you can drizzle or dip to your liking. It may not be the best tasting ensaymada I’ve ever had, but it looks quite stunning.
The best selling dessert at Casa Roces is their Malacanang Frozen Souffle (P390). Lemon custard souffle frozen and coated with crushed pistachios Another pretty dessert but this one is so big you’ll want to share. Zesty and creamy with lots of texture by way of the pistachios.
So head on over to Casa Roces and dine on Spanish and Filipino favorites amidst history.
Casa Roces
1153 JP Laurel cor. Aguinaldo St San Miguel, Manila Telephone No.: (02)735-5896 or (02)488-1929Casa Roces on Facebook
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