Casa Roces

My relatives and I went to this new Filipino restaurant all the way in Manila to celebrate my cousin-in-law's birthday. I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when I found out that we were having lunch at a Filipino restaurant because it has always been an open secret that my relatives are hardcore Chinese food lovers.

Welcome to Casa Roces, a Filipino restaurant located right across Malacanang Palace.

We were welcomed by this picturesque garden and wooden deck complete with French doors and windows. 

There was an air of serenity as we walked towards the entrance! At first we thought this was already the main entrance to the restaurant. But apparently, this was just the entrance to the cafe, which is connected to the restaurant itself.

This is the receiving area of the cafe. Look at all these DEADLY sweets.

On one corner of the cafe, I saw these unique necklaces on display. 

Among all the items on display, my favorite is the one with the green tassel and Philippine flag.

We were seated in this cozy corner facing the garden.

For drinks, I ordered this ice-cold Sago't Gulaman. It has been awhile since I last drank this. Kakamiss!

Let the feast begin! This is the Sopa Molo Castiliana. It's actually garlic soup with some dumplings and eggs!

We had two orders of Lengua in Mushroom-Cognac Sauce. Super yummy!

Another favorite of ours is this Fettuccine with Bleu Cheese and Roasted Mushrooms. 

This is the super crunchy Pork Stew Binagoongan.

For dessert, we tried their Ginataang Halo-Halo. 

It has always been our family's tradition to end lunches at 3:00pm because the oldies still love to chitchat. So some of us, young ones, went to explore the 2nd floor of the restaurant. This is one of their function rooms. Very Spanish-era ang dating!

This is another function room on the 2nd floor. I like this room more because of the windows that allow natural light to enter the room. 

Finally, the crème de la crème. According to some chismis, President P-Noy loves to book one of the function rooms in Casa Roces. I am betting this is the room!