Joyfully Yours

Begin your food journey with familiar flavors that are sure to bring many memories. Like these difficult to find goodies while you look at the buffet spread.

Chef Sau del Rosario, not only a renowned chef but also is like a kitchen magician, creating innovative dishes rooted in Filipino food culture.

Maya Maya Mayonesa, a delicate classic favorite made from snapper with aioli, capers, black olives, eggs and spices.


A must-try is the Crispy Pork Kare-Kare Macadamia which is Chef Sau's signature dish cooked with macadamia nuts and truffle oil.

The Sisig Paella is his trophy dish featured at his recent Napa stint that became a blockbuster to many foreigners.

And of course, skip the diet for a day and get yourself some Lechon, an attention-drawer and crowd-pleaser in any celebration. Look at these Three Types of Lechon that represent the flavors of different island groups of the Philippines namely, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Luzon Buru

Visayas Chili Mango

Mindanao Malagos Chevre and Cocoa

Since Chef Sau is from Pampanga, he also brings into Corniche his take on Tamales Pampanguena.

Other crazy innovations which I've never thought possible but are super tasty which must be tried are the Sinigang Flan and Duck Adobo with Garlic Confits.


Young, award-winning Chef Miko Aspiras conquers the dessert buffet spread to a new level of experience. Very Filipino delicacies are transformed into glossy toys that will make you want them all as it brings you to childhood going into a toy store!

Strike your fancy with Cherry, it's my favorite from the spread! It is created from layers of fluffy chocolate sponge, cherry mousse and cherry chantilly like an evil Black Forest whispering you to eat more and more! Yes, I love it that much! <3 p="">
Luscious yet citrusy Mandarin Cheesecake in Graham crust base garnished with fresh orange segments is a treat you would like to try and explore.

Solstice by Ilustrado merges 2 great cuisines and cultures together, Filipino and Spanish. Located at the ground floor of 8 Rockwell, this chic and cozy restaurant can conveniently accommodate 120 guests perfect for an intimate gathering or a corporate party.

It's amazing that I was invited to try out the new dishes which Solstice by Ilustrado launched. Conceptualized by Chef Bernice Pimentel, there are now more food choices to feast on during gatherings and special events.

While waiting for the other bloggers who were invited to the launch, we were served this soft warm bread which is good with butter, a little salt & pepper.

For appetizers, here are what was served:

Shroom Pizza
I like how the thin crust sour dough pizza was flavorful and crunchy which blended perfectly with its aromatic truffle flavored shrooms.

Chorizo Pizza
The chorizo was on the salty side but it's good with the thin crust sour dough pizza. I think with beer, it'll be even better when partnered with beer!

Sisig Kapampangan
It's not the regular sisig with mayo, calamansi, hot sauce and egg. It's crispy, meaty with bell pepper and carrot bits and sliced jalapeño pepper. Really good.

Baked Eggplant, Black Olives and White Cheese in Filo
It's the right balance of creamy, salty with a crunchy skin. Instead of having crunchy nachos dipped in a creamy sauce, it's like the sauce is in the crunchy pastry.

Truffles Hummus with Sour Dough Pita and Crudités
The hummus is creamy, salty with a right balance of spice good with warm pita. For those health conscious folks, the crudites is a great substitute to carbs.

Serrano and Manchego Skewers with Balsamic Glaze
I love the pairing of jamon serrano and manchego cheese. It's like it's made for each other. With wine, it's a lovely pair!

Before moving to the main entree, I ordered this unique Coconut Juice + Strawberry drink that's refreshing, light and healthy.

Chef Bernice introduced that the next dish is actually not new but new to Solstice which have been a favorite well-known dish in the famous Ilustrado in Intramuros. The Paella Ilustrado is something which patrons of Ilustrado in Intramuros never fail to order. The paella is cooked al dente with lots of perfectly flavorful seafood which I feel is a wonderful discovery why it has become a favorite in Ilustrado which I hope will also be a favorite in Solstice.

Callos Madrileña is another well-known dish in Ilustrado which was brought into Solstice. Now, there's no need for those in Makati CBD to go all the way to Manila to enjoy this dish. Out of all the dishes that night, this is one of my favorite. It's very rich in flavor with thick sauce and good with rice. It feels like a feast in itself already if you'd like to indulge yourself with good food for those stressful days.

Adobong Bagnet with Crab Fat
The crispy bagnet paired the salty and creamy soy sauce with the aroma of the crab fat makes it amazing. It's like a genius invention! With lots of rice, it'll be wonderful too!

Stuffed Chicken Ilustrado
It's an upgrade from the average chicken galantina during noche buena. It's really amazing on how soft the chicken was and it was infused with vegetables which gave it more flavors. I also like the extra crunch from the french beans and the rich gravy which makes the chicken really good.

Roast US Long Island Duck Al Orange
The skin of the duck is crunchy and the meat is soft, salty with a bit of sweetness which is good.

Norwegian Salmon Ceviche Poke
Since poke bowls have been invading the Metro, Chef Bernice shared that this is her version of the poke bowl except she wanted to serve it on a nice plate so that all the amazing stuff in this dish can be seen. Plus, it'll be easier to mix the items up in a plate which is true. The edamame beans give a certain crunch to the mix.

Pasta Aligue with Crispy Soft Shell Crab
This rich seafood dish is simply amazing! It has that deadly but good sinful taste which wants to make you dig in for more.

If you feel all the dishes above are GOOD, the best is yet to come because the desserts are fabulous!

Mango Jubilee with Sampaguita Ice Cream
I like the mix of sweet and tangy mangoes with the aromatic sweetness of the sampaguita ice cream can make one smile and say, "It's a good day!"

Matcha Cookies and Cream
This dessert feels like a Christmas morning where a day is out of the ordinary because of such crispy sweet and creamy treat. The matcha cookies paired nicely with the dreamy panna cotta. It's like cookies and milk in another way but a good one.

All these new dishes are satisfying yet comforting and hits the spot. For those celebrations in life or get together with friends or even just a food trip, go ahead and try these dishes soon! :)

To reserve a table, please call (+632) 802 1891 or (+63 977 748 8861). Solstice by Ilustrado is open from 11AM to 11PM daily. For more updates on the restaurant, follow @solsticebyilustrado on Instagram or in Facebook, go to http://facebook.com/SolsticebyIlustrado/.

"Mesa" is a Filipino term which means table. As my title say, a table of great feast, all great feast starts on the table. Thus, unfolding here at Mesa Filipino Moderne restaurant is a great feast of delicious Filipino fusion food laid on the table!

To start the feast, the first dish served to us was the Crispchon served in 2 way. During the first serving of the Crispchon, crunchy skin is carved carefully with a little meat, wrapped in pandan wrapper with cucumber, spring onions, wansoy and sauce. I like the hoisin sauce with it. It's the best! Somewhat like how the first serving of a Peking Duck is served but this is even better because I love pork especially if it's crispy! Then the remaining meat of the Crispchon was chopped and stir fried either with garlic or chili garlic.

Presenting the Crispchon!

A closer look at the Crispchon and you can see the glossy, crunchy skin saying hello to your tastebuds! Mmmm...hmmm..!

Isn't it a beauty?

Pandan wrapper, spring onions, wansoy, cucumber and sauces.

The Crispchon wrapped and prepared for us!

The next dish is a crowd favorite: Tinapa Roll! When it was put on the table, the plate went clean in seconds! It's crunchy in the outside, juicy & salty in the inside. The sauce is a bit on the sour and sweet side which complements it like giving the whole dish a balanced taste.

Tinapa Roll

The Tofu Salad comes in differently from what I've thought it'll look like. It's actually arranged pretty neat. Tofu topped with century egg and shrimp! Light and delightful. It's served cold but it's good!

Tofu Salad

I'm actually not a fan of the next dish, Ginataang Sigarillas, just because I don't like sigarillas. I can't explain why I don't like sigarillas but since it's part of the feast and I have to eat my vegetables, I've tried it and it's pretty good. The coconut milk seeped into the sigarillas making it a bit on the sweet side. There's a chili on top that you can break to spice up the dish if you're game for a spicy and sweet dish!

Ginataang Sigarillas

I'm a big fan of shrimps which is the next dish. I'm the type of person who can eat shrimp everyday and will be so happy. This dish is called Suahe on the Rocks! It's pretty amazing on how this dish is presented. A clay pot with hot lava stone inside will be put on the table, the server comes in with fresh shrimps and slides the shrimps into the clay pot.

Sliding the shrimps into the clay pot

When the cover of the clay pot is closed, you'll hear the sizzle and a lot of smoke will come out of the cover's hole that brings out the aroma of the shrimps! When opened, the shrimps are ready to be eaten! This Suahe on the Rocks are literally shrimps cooked on the rocks (lava rocks) which is so cool that it rocks! Woohoo, time to dig in!

Suahe on the Rocks

The Deep Fried Tilapia is another dish which I enjoyed. Despite being deep fried, the meat of the fish is not hard and dry. I also like the sauces that comes with it.

Deep Fried Tilapia

Take a pick from the sauces - vinegar, sweet chili sauce, patis and bagoong (shrimp paste)

The Garlic Baby Squid may not look as grand as the other dishes but this is actually the dish that kept me wanting to get more. Don't underestimate the bold flavor of such small squid!

Garlic Baby Squid

The Honey Garlic Chicken is a crowd favorite! The glaze has the right amount of sweetness and garlic goodness. The chicken is very juicy too despite being fried.

Honey Garlic Chicken

To wash the palate, the Binakol is just perfect! It's chicken soup that uses coconut water as its soup base. It's very fresh tasting and good for breastfeeding moms like me since it increases milk supply!

Binakol

The 2-Way Laing is another of my favorite from the dishes I've eaten there. There's a saucy and a dry laing. I actually love any of them! I don't might if it's saucy or dry. I just love the taste of coconut milk sweetness with a bit of spiciness drenched into the gabi leaves. It's full of flavor and good with rice....LOTS OF RICE!

2-Way Laing

So here's the rice which is part of our feast: Duck Basil Fried Rice! It's aromatic and tastes like duck soup being poured on rice that dried. Very flavorful!

Another small yet bold in flavor are the Hito Flakes. It's served in individual spoonfuls with green mangoes, a dash of vinegar with a chili on top. Each spoon is a bomb of goodness!

Hito Flakes

After having all these yummy dishes, I was too full for dessert but had a Kamias Cooler instead! The sweet and sour Kamias Cooler has helped in cleansing the palate and making me feel refreshed after that food coma goodness.

Kamias Cooler

Here's our group picture with the Managing Director Erik Dee who is very hands on with managing the restaurant and told us some back stories behind some of the dishes like the Honey Garlic Chicken whose recipe was made by his grandma. It's just awesome that what's in Mesa Filipino Moderne is actually what Erik's family love to eat! No wonder the food is just so good!

The gang

This Chinese New Year weekend, go ahead and have a feast at Mesa Filipino Moderne to usher in the good luck of the year of the monkey! No need to go to Chinese restaurants since it might be too crowded to even get a table. What's important is feasting with friends and family to enjoy the occasion, right?

Admit it, you want some! :)