Experience Great Food and History at Casa Roces!

Last Tuesday, November 8, 2016, after conducting a hearing at the Women's Correctional in Mandaluyong City, as suggested by my officemate, we had our lunch at Casa Roces. 

I was really excited as it is really not everyday that I got the chance to enter the vicinity of the Malacañan Palace, much more, to dine in one of the most famous restaurant in the area - Casa Roces. It was actually my first time to visit the place! 

Casa Roces

Casa Roces is a full-service restaurant and café located in the genteel district of San Miguel, Manila, right across the most prestigious address in the country: Malacañan Palace. The place is actually an ancestral home which was transformed into a stylish restaurant best described as classic-meets-contemporary.

Entrance to the Restaurant

Classic furnitures add to the elegance of the resto!

So lucky to have the place all to ourselves! Well, almost! :)

The ground floor of Casa Roces features a coffeehouse with an outdoor wooden deck, a dessert bar, and a memorabilia and accessories shop. A bar also serves cocktails, wine, beer and liquor for evening patrons. 

These cakes are really inviting, but I'm just not much of a sweets person.

Cafe and Bar

Although we are not really able to explore the second floor, it actually has a bistro, an art and family heritage gallery as well as private rooms decorated with a mix of Commonwealth elegance and modern flair. And as what my boss told us, the second floor also serve as a function room for intimate events. They actually had their Christmas Party there once. 

So much on the place. Let us now go to my favorite part - the FOOD! :)

Kape Chino

Kape Chino was named after the late great Joaquin “Chino” Roces. It offers a complete menu line-up ranging from appetizers, soups and salads to entrées, pasta and even breakfast and merienda fare. Hot and cold beverages, specialty coffees, espresso-based drinks, desserts, cakes and pastries, and light deli sandwiches are also available. 

Here are what we had for lunch:

Sopa Molo Castiliana

Sopa Molo Castiliana is a rich garlic soup with deep-fried pork dumplings, poached egg and parsley. This soup really tastes good. The dumplings are really yummy. I really wanted to have another serving, but of course, I have to save some space still in my tummy as there are still more foods to try! :) 

A solo serving of the soup costs P 115.00 while the large serving (good for 3) costs P210.00. 

Pollo Iberico

Pollo Iberico is a slow roasted chicken with potatoes, garlic, herbs and olive oil. For the chicken lovers (who's not anyway?), this is a must try! The chicken was well cooked. The vegetables are fresh and crispy. And the potatoes- I just love the baby potatoes! Buttered and roasted just right, I almost ate all the potatoes on the plate! :D What I just don't like much are the herbs as I find them somehow overpowering for my taste. I did not hear a single complain from my companions, though. So, I guess its just me who had  herb issue. hehehe....

Half order of this menu costs P520.00 while a whole roasted chicken costs P800.00.

Oven-Baked Salmon Wellington

For our seafood dish, I opted for Oven-Baked Salmon Wellington. It is actually a salmon fillet stuffed with Boursin cheese in flaky crusty crust with spinach lemon cream sauce. This is another dish that I really enjoyed. You can really taste the freshness of the fish, and the mashed potato, it is definitely one of the great tasting mashed potato that I've tasted! It is really delicious! How I wish I was able to take home some. 

An order of this menu costs P460.00.

Ox Tail Kare- Kare

Last but definitely not the least because this is one of my all-time favorite, is the Ox Tail Kare-Kare! For those who are not familiar with this menu, it is actually braised ox tail in peanut with vegetables with sautéed shrimps paste. Some prefer using beef meat, and some pork pata, but for me, it doesn't really matter. I love all of them! :)

And as expected, this menu did not fail my taste buds! The meat (ox tail) was tender, the vegetables are just cooked right, the sauce was deliciously creamy and the paste was perfect! I really wish I doubled this order! hahaha!

An order of Kare-kare costs P380.00.

We really enjoyed our lunch at Kape Chino. Aside from great food, we really love the whole look and vibe of Casa Roces! I do hope to come back again soon!

Casa Roces is open daily from 10AM to 10PM to serve its loyal patrons and those who are hoping to experience the history and the luxury of the place for the first time. And did I mention that the service is great too?!

So go ahead and experience Casa Roces for yourselves. It also offers some promos and treats especially during special occasions, so do visit their page from time to time. You can also contact them at these numbers: (02)735.5896, (02)488.1929 and (0917)550.9743 for more inquiries.