Eat like an Ilustrado
Good food, great ambiance, historical significance, now catered at your own home.
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, Gloria Stefan, Andrea Casiraghi of Monaco, The Bourne movie cast and crew, heads of state, dignitaries, and luminaries around the world have eaten at Ilustrado, the charming restaurant in the walled city of Intramuros. But some have come incognito. There are no mementos on the wall. “It will ruin the ambiance,” says owner Bonifacio V. Pimentel. Instead of a frame of Who’s Who on the wall, there are vintage paintings, movie posters, and sculptures that evoke the charm of old Manila.
“Besides, we’re not a commercialized dining place. We’re a dining foodie destination. You have to deliberately visit Intramuros,” he says. After all, Ilustrado boasts not of prestige, but of good old great food, hospitality, culture, and history. “Ilustrado means citizens of the world, the enlightened ones. Our customers are those with discerning tastes,” says Bonifacio. You don’t have to be a star to dine at Ilustrado, but you’ll feel like a star when you dine at this historic restaurant. All-time favorites are paella, callos Madrilena, lengua con setas, and Bonifacio’s own recipe, the adobong bagnet with prawns and crab fat in KBL (kamatis, bagoong, and lasona or shallot). Like any restaurant, Ilustrado also changes its menu (the all-time faves of course remain) quarterly. There’s baked Norwegian salmon in moringga pesto, baked eggplant with feta cheese, and crab soup, among others. Desserts are winners, too. Concocted by Bonifacio’s daughter Berniece, Illustrado offers pastries and cakes not even your Lolo can resist. Non-dessert persons will be converted to sweet lovers even just for a day, thanks to a variety of treats: a rich cheesecake on a chocolate bed, strawberry opera, and homemade ice cream flavors like sampaguita, pandan, peanut brittle, lemongrass, mango jubilee with flambé presentation, and the award-winning baked cheesecake.(The pastry corner offers buy one take one every 6 p.m.) Besides good food, Ilustrado has an ambiance that will bring you back to the old Hispanic era when bricks and wood and capiz windows were the designs of the times. It has a pretty main dining room, an al fresco courtyard garden, grand Sinagtala ballroom, and a casual Kuatro Kantos bar and café.
And now, 25 years after it first opened at General Luna Street, Intramuros, Bonifacio says nothing has changed. It is still a romantic place, a nostalgic venue for dates, weddings, and other Pinoy celebrations. Well, except, they’ve upped the ante. “If you can’t visit us, we’ll bring the food to you,” says Bonifacio. Ilustrado, apparently is not only a dine-in restaurant, it also offers catering services for events. It has banquets at Fernwood, NBC Tent, and SMX. It also caters for a sit-down, intimate date. Yes, you and your date can enjoy paella at the comfort of your home. It has its own private mobile kitchen to ensure the quality and freshness of each dish. After all, anyone can be an ilustrado anywhere, anytime.
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