Lutgardo’s Bistro Filipino is a classic Filipino restaurant that’s located in Legaspi Village right under The Beacon Makati.
(READ: Taste of My Home)
With bright lights, high ceilings, sheik interiors, and two colorful verandas; the place features a traditional Capiz window panel in front with wooden chairs and brick walls wrapped around it to bring about a modern Filipino design perfect for the vibrant yuppie Makati crowd. It is owned by Lutgardo Cruz, hence the name of the restaurant.
We started by ordering their House Ice Tea (Php95), which is refreshing, has that “tea” taste, and isn’t overly sweet.
Unlike fast food chains where they dump loads of ice into a glass and you merely get half of what you really pay for; this is not the case here. #FilledtotheBrim
By the way, they also serve kropek or fried prawn crackers while you wait for your food to be served (which takes around 10-15minutes).
Now for the much-awaited feast:
BANGUS SISIG (LEFT) and PORK SISIG (RIGHT)
We started out with some appetizers, the all-time classic Pork Sisig (Php225) and Bangus Sisig (P285) with shallots, and chicken liver aioli served in a sizzling pan. You can never go wrong with ordering these Filipino favorites and they taste really good!
(READ: Does Sisig Pizza Sound Good To You?)
For some carbs, the mouthwatering SEAFOOD RICE (Php425) serves 4-6 people (this is my personal favorite!). It’s sort of like paella served with generous amounts of shrimps, mussels, and squid. A good deal – and really satisfying, if you ask me!
For those who work around Makati and want to have this for lunch or dinner, you can always have it delivered either in a solo serving or a party size perfect for your team huddles or office events! (P.S. my officemates loved this when I got it for our mini-celebration. They thought it was so fancy!)
LAING WITH DRIED FISH
For the main dishes, we tried the Laing with Dried Fish first (Php220) . If you’re looking for the laing, it’s beautifully wrapped inside the Pandan leaf waiting for you to unravel the perfection inside. The soft, spicy, and creamy taste of the laing suits the dried fish very well as the crispiness goes hand-in-hand with the texture of the laing.
BINAGOONGANG BABOY AT TALONG
The second main dish we tried was the Binagoongan Baboy at Talong (Php375). Now, this was a fan favorite. It tastes just as good as it looks. The pork is very tender and the bagoong is so addictive; I just kept devouring it with the seafood rice. I’m pretty sure this tempting dish will make you think twice about getting a beach body or one more bite of this. It just tastes soo goood!!
STEAMED ALIMANGO (SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY)
Speaking of beaches, our third dish was the Steamed Alimango (mud crabs). This delectable delicacy is a rarity as it is subject to availability. Luckily enough, though, we got to try this beautiful creature! I gotta say: this crab stands out from the crowd… and the taste? OUTSTANDING!!! Underneath those shells, a mixture of crab and meat awaits, leaving you scrapping everything out of the shell. One crab will already enough for you, though, because it is filling.
PANSIT MALABON (LUTGARDO’S SPECIAL)
They say “one’s eyes are bigger than their stomach” and this pancit malabon (Lutgardo’s special at Php290) believes in that saying. A family secret recipe passed down from one generation to another, it just keeps getting better with time.
SORBETES SAMPLER (GABI, UBE, MONGGO, KESO)
It’s time for dessert! If you’re the type of person who can’t decide on which particular flavor of ice cream to get, worry not as they have a Sorbetes Sampler (Php165) that features four of their finest flavors: Gabi, Ube, Monggo, and Keso (left to right) This is the perfect choice for dates. (Magsubuan kayo! :P)
TURON TRILOGY
For those who are looking for something unique and different for their dessert, try their Turon Trilogy (Php165). It’s turon with 3 different fillings: banana, monggo, and sapin-sapin.
What better way to cap off the night than by drinking some booze? The night is still young and so are we! Lutgardo’s serves alcoholic drinks to cater to young professionals who have had a long day at work and need some time out to have fun with their friends.
Convinced yet? Check them out soon!
Lutgardo’s Bistro Filipino
Commercial Unit 9, G/F The Beacon Tower, Chino Roces Ave, Makati
541 5956
https://www.facebook.com/LutgardosPH
