#Ilustrado36Years: Ilustrado Restaurant Celebrates Thirty-Six Years Of Flavorful Stories With The Exquisite Wine Pairing And Degustation Menu

Inside the historic walled city of Intramuros, the stories and flavors from the past continue to be celebrated, honored and remembered in a timeless memorial to our heritage and culture. And for three and a half decades, the flavors of Ilustrado Restaurant has been part of our own story weaving its traditional and comforting notes of timeless classics. Step inside Ilustrado Restaurant and savor the flavors you've always loved... 

In celebration of its milestone 36th anniversary, Ilustrado Restaurant reinterprets its signature Filipino-Spanish specialties in a lavish seven-course Degustation Menu with the option of a curated wine pairing experience for a memorable and nostalgic step back in time in the famed walled city. Though offered only until the end of November, the new menus represent another chapter in its journey with more Degustation Menus in the pipeline. The enduring dining establishment's colorful stories are retold with each course, offering diners a glimpse of the many exciting chapters ahead in a continuing journey of nostalgic flavors. Head on over to your table and celebrate a feast of inspired flavors at Ilustrado Restaurant...

Time stops the minute you enter the historic walled city of Intramuros. A witness to the country's many pivotal moments, Intramuros also is at the heart of a culinary renaissance anchored on tradition with a refreshed and contemporary perspective. These are indeed exciting times as the culinary landscape continues to evolve inside the walls of Intramuros, where creativity and modern expressions are enhanced by tradition, heritage and legacy. 

One of the many epicenters in this vibrant culinary revival can be found along the cobblestoned street of General Luna at Ilustrado Restaurant. Since 1989, the revered institution has taken the lead in championing traditional and local cuisine while infusing subtle modern expressions in pace with the times. It's this delicate balance that defines Ilustrado Restaurant's cuisine reflecting both timeless and comfortingly familiar notes in a fresh new way (for more on Ilustrado Restaurant, see my post Timeless And Enduring Flavors At Ilustrado Restaurant In Intramuros from two years ago). 

Inside Ilustrado Restaurant, your journey back in time is completed by the warmth of wood and stone as the perfect setting for a sumptuous meal in Intramuros. An open Hispanic-inspired garden courtyard leads you to the elegant interior dining space thick and rich with old world charm. The space becomes one of many intertwined layers that make dining in the walled city a memorable experience. 

A light and crisp finish drapes the palate with the lingering hints of grapefruit, peach and honeydew to begin your Degustation Menu experience at Ilustrado Restaurant. And yes, let's have another pour of the Pounamu Special Selection Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand please. 

The first course for the Degustation Menu at Ilustrado Restaurant, the Empanada, Kinilaw and Baked Oyster teases and delights the palate with a medley of contrasting textures and rich notes with a trio of savory bites...

...led by the fresh and bold notes of Kinilaw with Bacalao a la Vizcaina in a delicate pastry shell with vinaigrette crema, caper crisps, Spanish mackerel, succulent scallop and shrimps, lime, cane vinegar, leche de tigre, bintong kamote, grilled corn and cilantro. The intricate bite-sized creation delivers a flavorful burst with each component complementing the other in a lavish play on fresh and clean flavors. 

The Empanada warms the palate with its hearty and savory notes taking you back to countless childhood summers. Ilustrado Restaurant doesn't reinvent the beloved local staple. And rightly so. There's just no need to overcomplicate the empanada, and Ilustrado Restaurant nails it. 

The Baked Oyster, a gratinated succulent oyster draped in Miso Champagne Sabayon brings an opulent burst of briny sweetness smoothened by the cheesy crust for even more vibrant yet balanced flavors. 

For the second course, Illustrado Restaurant served its rustic Kalabasa Lentil Soup in a "palayok" baguette with creamy squash purée, yellow lentils and XO shreds enriched with silky smooth coconut milk. 

Each soothing sip leads to another with the subtle nutty sweetness and creamy richness combining for a flavor-loaded spoonful of indulgence. And the "palayok" baguette? It's the perfect vessel for the soup course, absorbing all the flavors. Try dipping the "palayok" lid on the soup and enjoy the rest of the baguette once you finish the Kalabasa Lentil Soup for a flavorful surprise. 

A glass of Wakefield Taylors Family Wines Jaraman Chardonnay announces the pairing for the third course of Prawn Laing Udon, a beautifully plated dish with butter-poached baby prawn, taro leaves, red and green chilies and coconut milk. 

With a deeper golden hue and pronounced rounded notes, the Wakefield Taylors Family Wines Jaraman Chardonnay from Australia prepares the palate for the savory richness of the Prawn Laing Udon for another masterful pairing with each sip highlighted by creamy vanilla and bright apple notes. Ilustrado Restaurant creatively reimagines the local taro leaf dish with soft and mildly chewy udon noodles for another inspired dish from the Degustation Menu. The familiar creamy, nutty, savory and spicy heat of the regional dish are complemented by the fresh butter-poached baby prawn with the udon noodles completing the elegant rendition. 

A glass of New Zealand's Pounamu Pinot Noir sets the flavorful tone for the next course with its bold hints of summer fruits, honey, coffee and cloves with just a whisper of soft pepper spices...

...for the fourth course of Bagnet Kare-Kare with thrice-cooked pork belly, roasted peanuts, toasted and ground rice, achiote and bagoong alamang. The plate becomes a colorful canvas...

...for the rich savory notes of another classic dish from Ilustrado Restaurant's repertoire of all-time bestsellers. The thrice-cooked pork belly with its delicately light and crisp texture may be the star of the plate but the equally stellar supporting cast of kare-kare sauce and fermented shrimp paste completes the colorful palette of flavors in another masterfully executed dish. Elegantly elevated, the Bagnet Kare-Kare by Ilustrado Restaurant is just one of many reasons why the dining destination remains relevant as it keeps in step with the times. 

For the fifth course, Ilustrado Restaurant refreshes one of its menu mainstays with the Kambing Kaldereta. Served in a crisp phylo shell, the fork-tender goat meat stew just melts in your mouth releasing clean savory notes. If one didn't know, the clean flavors of the Kambing Kaldereta is almost like beef without any gamey hints. The dish is served with soft and moist Mountain Rice drizzled with kaldereta oil cooked with red bell peppers. The bold flavors of the dish are matched with the Australian  Wakefield Taylors Family Wines Jaraman Shiraz with its full-bodied notes and bright hints of cherries and plums. Enjoy a bite of the stew with a spoonful of rice followed by a sip. Just perfect. 

In between courses, a refreshing Calamansi & Tanglad Granita was served to cleanse the palate for the next course...

...the Wagyu A4 with tarragon garlic butter and gratinated bone marrow with fresh parsley, crisp panko and Edam with its mild nutty, creamy notes and just a hint of saltiness to temper the richness of the beef and bone marrow. The Wagyu A4 course is paired with the Chilean duo Court Rollan "Filius" Blend De Blends and the Court Rollan "Pater" Cabernet Sauvignon with their own nuanced notes coming into play.

The legendary buttery and melt-in-your-mouth finish of the Wagyu A4 is a treat in itself made even richer by the tarragon garlic butter. Perfectly grilled to medium rare with its juicy pink center, the Wagyu A4 course caps the savory feast at Ilustrado Restaurant with its pure, clean and uncluttered beefy flavors. The gratinated bone marrow adds that final indulgent and savory finishing touch washed down perfectly by another sip of the refined Court Rollan "Pater" Cabernet Sauvignon with its bold hints of deep wood, spices and black fruit

Six courses in and the Degustation Menu recreates and captures the spirit of Ilustrado Restaurant's culinary journey anchored on traditional Filipino Spanish flavors. But save room for dessert. The indulgent trifecta of Salted Egg Brazo, Tocino del Cielo and Chocolate Bar ends the Degustation Menu on a sweet and high note. Each delicately crafted dessert delivers unrestrained pure indulgence in three variations, from the delectable creamy notes of the light pillow soft Salted Egg Brazo to the sinfully rich Tocino del Cielo and the deep flavors of the soft Chocolate Bar. 

The dessert trio is paired with the Spanish Eminencia Pedro Ximenez Jerez Sherry for an apt and fitting sweet ending to the Degustation Menu at Ilustrado Restaurant. But it gets better...

Renowned for its intense sweetness with distinctive hints of caramel, raisin and dates, the Eminencia Pedro Ximenez Jerez Sherry is best enjoyed with a light soothing sip...

...or poured on homemade Mantecado Ice Cream for added depth and complexity in flavor. But why stop there? Order up a freshly brewed Americano and drizzle a few teaspoons for even more indulgent notes. From starters to mains and dessert, the Degustation Menu at Ilustrado Restaurant is a lavish representation of imaginative storytelling behind the beloved dining destination inside the historic walled city of Intramuros. It's a story that retraces a thirty-six year journey in seven courses. And soon, you can expect even more as Ilustrado Restaurant introduces more tasting menus in the future for even more flavorful chapters in its storied journey. As food trends come and go, timeless classics endure. Like Ilustrado Restaurant in Intramuros...

Ilustrado Restaurant is located at 744 General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila. You can also visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/ilustradorestaurant/ and IG Feed at https://www.instagram.com/ilustradorestaurant/ or call 0939 920 6822 for more information and inquiries.

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