With Malacañang Palace as our landmark, we finally arrived at the Legarda House. From the moment we drove up the front entrance, I felt I was thrown into a time warp – there stood the house, like a wise, old matriarch, commanding respect. The Legarda ancestral home was built in 1937 by Dr. Alejandro Roces Legarda and his wife, Ramona (Tita Moning). They raised four children (all doctors) in this house.
The Legardas’ mayordoma (chief housekeeper), Emilia, dressed in an immaculate white uniform, welcomed us with a signature Filipino hospitality smile. She really reminded me of Sharon Cuneta’s yaya in the film and TV commercials. Yaya Emilia led us into the garden where guests were first served drinks and pica-pica. I must have finished a whole tray of the appetizers – white bread cut into little rectangles toasted to perfection and served with a queso de bola spread topping. Suzette must have realized that I was about to ask for a second tray when she called us to go inside the house for a brief tour before serving dinner.
All around the Legarda home, paintings by National Artists are displayed. Upon entering, there is a blue painting on the left wall by Oscar Zalameda entitled "Sailboats." It was painted in the French Riviera during the time Zalameda was based in France. Hanging as centerpiece in the living room is "La Inocencia" by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo. The lady in the painting, done in 1901, is believed to be Hidalgo’s mistress in France. Also in the living room, beside the large family photos, is an original work of a woman in black by Juan Luna. For an art lover, the Legarda house is worth the trip, if not for the culinary delights, then for the precious artworks.
Since Dr. Legarda was an avid collector and hobbyist, every room in the house showcases his varied interests. There is a room displaying his antique cameras and equipment, dating as far back as the 1930s. A founding member of the Camera Club of the Philippines, at the time of his death in 1993, Alejandro Legarda was recognized as the club’s oldest member. There is also the Radio Room displaying antique radio communications equipment, which the doctor used when he was a member of the Philippine Amateur Radio Association. Other rooms of interest in the house are the Train Room, where an antique toy train still runs. The library houses the doctor’s collection of medical books and encyclopedias. Of course, there’s the clinic where Dr. Legarda, an obstetrician-gynecologist by profession, saw his patients. The clinic displays an antique X-ray machine, as well as a skeleton he used while in medical school.
Still and all, my favorite part of the house is the dining room. The most significant feature of this room, aside from the meal served, is the collection of meissen plates hanging on the wall. These were custom-made by Don Benito Legarda, Alejandro’s brother, for banquets of as many as 40 people. Each piece is hand-painted and lined with gold. There are no two plates in the entire set with the same design. These plates were used for dinners where William Howard Taft, the first commissioner of the United States assigned to Manila, was in attendance.
As we took our places in the dining table, I could not help but appreciate the effort put into every detail. The mantle piece was covered with rose petals and there lay the antique china sets. On each seat sat a short history of the dishes to be served, printed on rolled-up stationery with its edges carefully burned, to achieve an antiqued effect, and tied with little golden bows.
And then followed the meal, consisting of Tita Moning’s signature dishes when she and her husband entertained their guests back in the 1930s. From soup, salad, main courses and desserts, Tita Moning’s recipes remain as family heirlooms. Today, her granddaughter Suzette, a graduate of the La Roche Culinary School in Switzerland, maintains a staff of 10, with Tita Moning’s faithful cook Rolly recreating all the dishes for every meal.
Despite the relatively small menu, every dish is prepared with perfection, for a truly gastronomic experience. I had garlic soup and fresh kangkong and grilled pepper salad with roasted walnuts for starters. For the main course, I only had a taste of the baked lapu-lapu, since I was so full from the queso de bola toasted bread rectangles earlier and a ration of warm bread dipped in homemade salsa monja throughout dinner. When I thought it was time for dessert, spaghetti was served with Tita Moning’s famous fresh tomato sauce. By the time dessert came, I thought I was going to pop, but I couldn’t resist the saging na saba with caramel sauce, so I had two. Then came the grand finale, possibly the most famous dish in the repertoire – Tita Moning’s warm bread pudding topped with candied pili. After one small bite, I almost wished I didn’t eat a thing before so I could have more of the pudding! My gosh, I have no shame! So I’m a pig, it’s no secret!
The meal, the venue, and the evening were truly extraordinary. Now that I know where San Rafael St. is, I can brave Manila’s traffic any time I want to experience the homecooking of Tita Moning in fine culinary tradition.