A fantasic family dinner in La Cocina de Tita Moning

My mom had been wanting to try La Cocina De Tita Moning for some time so when we realized that my lola had never been to Fort Santiago in Intramuros, my mom decided that the family take a trip to Old Manila so we could hit two birds with one stone. We decided to go last Feb 14, which made for a great Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year celebration. This is the second of two blog posts about this day and it will be about our dinner in La Cocina de Tita Moning.

La Cocina de Tita Moning offers its guests a wonderful and unique fine dining experience with its combination of rich history, great food, and excellent service. It is located in the Legarda Ancestral Home in the San Miguel District of Old Manila. The house was built in 1937 and this is where Dr. Alejandro Legarda (son of Filomena Roces Legarda) lived with his wife Ramona Hernandez Legarda and their four children.


Ramona Hernandez Legarda, or Tita Moning as she was fondly called, was known for hosting lavish parties and treating her guests to gastronomic delights that she cooked up in her own kitchen. Shortly after she passed away in 1999, her family decided to open the doors of their home to the public by converting it into a restaurant and serving family recipes that Tita Moning used to cook for her family and guests.

Our experience that night began in the patio where we relaxed under the moonlight sipping on sangria and iced tea.


Once we had polished off our drinks, we were escorted by our tour guide Edel to the main entrance of the Legarda Ancestral Home where our dinner would be served. She talked about the history of mansion and how it was called home by members of the Legarda clan since 1937. The Legardas had a lot of interests and hobbies, and the memorabilia they collected have been put on display in the different rooms of what is now a personal family museum.

Among the rooms we toured before dinner were the Antique Camera Room (Alejandro Legarda was a member of the Camera Club of the Philippines and his camera equipment are on display here)


and the Antique Radio room (Dr. Legarda was also a member of the Philippine Amateur Radio Association, and this room showcases his old radio equipment).


We toured all the different rooms and you can read more about them here.

We finally made our way to the dining room where dinner was served on heirloom china, glassware, and silverware that Tita Moning actually used in the past.


La Cocina serves Spanish-Filipino cuisine, and you must choose a menu twenty four hours before arriving. What gave this place an even more unique, homely feel was that the main courses were brought to us by servers on serving trays. We could get as much as we wanted, and once we cleaned out our plates, the servers returned with the trays in case we wanted seconds (or thirds).

I can't recall our menu in detail - I think we had lengua, a pork dish, and a fish dish, fresh ubod, and paella - but the food was superb! We had queso de bola cheesecake and bread pudding for dessert, and while I'm a big fan of cheesecake, the bread pudding was the big winner. It's definitely a must-try!


Our dining experience is made even more memorable by the fact that the La Cocina Staff is made up of people who have been serving the family for years. One of our servers, Tining, is the La Cocina assistant and she joined the household in 1971 - almost 40 years ago! You can read more about the La Cocina staff here.

Before we left, we had our photo taken in the living room that is decorated with several paintings from very important Filipino painters such as Juan Luna and Felix Ressureccion Hidalgo.


It was interesting to note that we had four generations in our family that night - my grandparents, my mom, me and brother, and my nephews - so it was a perfect match to our venue that has been in existence for more than 70 years.

This dinner was definitely an incredible experience, and celebrating it with my family made it even more special. While the menu costs a minimum of P1500++, it's definitely worth trying at least once (or once in a while, if your wallet can handle it). La Cocina de Tita Moning takes fine dining to a whole new level by providing guests with an extraordinary experience that you can't get in any other restaurant.

As lunch and dinner in La Cocina are strictly by reservation, you can check out their website FAQ for more details.

La Cocina de Tita Moning
Address: #315 San Rafael Street, San Miguel District, Manila
Telephone Number: (+632) 7342146 / (+632) 7342141
Facsimile Number: (+632) 7342141
Mobile Number:
- from Overseas : +639175383490 (look for Suzette Montinola)
- from Manila: 09186551040
Email address: talktous@lacocinadetitamoning.com