Bringing back the glamour of the Commonwealth Era

It’s not strictly formal, but with the kind of setting that it provides, you will naturally want to dress up for the occasion. Casa Roces, the ancestral house turned café-restaurant located in the old district of San Miguel in Manila, right next door to Malacañang Palace, recently launched “La Azotea,” which is described as “a fine dining concept that brings back the glamour of the Commonwealth Era, when people used to dress up over a meal.”

Pan-fried harissa shrimps on a watermelon-feta salad with fresh mint and balsamic vinaigrette

The rooms on the second floor of this full-service restaurant, named after the newspapers owned by the distinguished family of accomplished artists and writers, provide the venue for “nostalgic dinners,” serving a special menu prepared by the restaurant’s chef, Paul Cruz.        

The four-course meal starts with an amuse-bouche of camembert and strawberry confit in a filo crust, followed by a salad of pan-fried harissa shrimps resting on a bed of watermelon and feta with fresh mint and balsamic vinaigrette. For the main course, you may choose either the milk-poached salmon fillet on garlic petsai, tomato and bacon fricassee with orange hollandaise, or the porchetta, served on roasted vegetables, sautéed rapini with chocolate-port wine sauce. And for dessert, flourless chocolate tart with fresh berries and pistachio. There’s also an excellent selection of wines to accompany your meal.

By reservation only, the pre-determined set menu may change every two weeks, depending on the freshest ingredients that are available, as well as what might inspire the chef at that particular moment.  Regular guests, mostly residents in the area, might even have, on occasion, specially customized meals. It is also not uncommon for the restaurant to host VIPS and visiting foreign dignitaries, thanks to its proximity to the palace. In fact, a frequent guest is the president himself, who, we are told, usually prefers a simple meal of typical Filipino food.

Casa Roces, operated by the Cravings Group, which also manages the popular Cravings and C2 Classic Cuisine restaurants, serves classic Filipino and Spanish cuisine based on the heirloom recipes of the Roces family.

Chef Paul Cruz and his flourless chocolate tart with fresh berries and pistachio

On the ground floor is a coffeehouse with an outdoor wooden deck and a dessert counter. Cocktails, wine, beer and liquor are also served at the bar for evening guests. On the second floor are the function rooms as well as an art and family heritage gallery.

The Manila Times room can seat from 30 to 35 people, while the Liwayway room is more intimate, with just three tables. The room features artworks hanging on the wall and wide windows that open to the refreshing greenery outside. But if it’s a truly private dinner you have in mind, the Tribune room features an elegant long table set just for two.

The whole second floor may also be reserved for intimate wedding receptions or themed parties for companies or small groups of friends. In these harried times of heavy workloads and tight deadlines, it’s always nice to be able to get away from it all, even if only briefly, to relax and enjoy a truly elegant dining experience. With the La Azotea concept, you don’t just eat out; you dine.

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For inquiries and reservations, call Casa Roces at 735-5896. Visit their website (www.casaroces.com) or like their Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/casarocesphils). Casa Roces is located at 1153 J. P. Laurel corner Aguado Streets, San Miguel, Manila.