I was fortunate to have visited the first Las Casas in Bataan.  It was were my cousin held her premuptials.  I was truly amazed!






While it did not occupy a vast land, it surely did not have less flair in terms of interior to the Las Casas in Bataan.
My favorite part is the spiral staircase overlooking the dining area and the outdoor pool.






Table set up is way better than in Bataan.  I guess that's what the touch of Chef Margarita Fores can do.




especially if you appreciate antiques.



Food

Mains
Enchanting place well-matched with enchanting dishes.  Price is within the usual range of a  Margarita Fores restaurant.

♥ Rabo de Toro (680 php)

♥ Beef Tenderloin Salpicao Mushrooms (650 php)

♥ Chuletas de Cordero, Salsa Verde (890 php)

♥ Chuletas de Cordero, Salsa Verde (890 php)

♥ Paella Valenciana

♥ Tres Leches (180 php)

♥ Tres Leches (180 php)

Others


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Las Casas Manila by Margarita Fores is definitely a must try.  You already have two reasons to go: (1) ambiance (2) food.  More comes with the unique experience.  It is similar but different to Las Casas de Azucar in Bataan.  Another factor is the convenience that it is at the heart of Manila.

I've been busy for the past few months so I've missed quite a number of family gatherings so my cousins were joking that if I don't show up soon, I'll be stricken off the family roster.  So on my dear cousin's birthday at Lusso by Margarita Fores, I made sure I'd come and I did. 

For family members who haven't dined at Lusso before, we have to admit, we passed by it before we actually found it.  It had no signage except on the door which is hardly noticeable... Can you see it?

Lusso means "luxe" in Italian which probably explains the elegant interiors and the gigantic crystal chandelier.  Space is quite limited so it afforded us with privacy all night long.

Every gathering for me is a testament that my grandparents were the best kind of couple who established and taught our clan well.  Though the world may be chaotic, my mom together with my uncles and aunts are always working  hand-in-hand, overcoming struggles and celebrating together.  Belonging to our dynamically interwoven, expansive and expanding, fun-loving, optimistic and hard-working family, I can't help but be inspired and molded by it.  As our generation has yet to embark, I'm looking forward to continuing their virtuous legacy. 

Food 

♥ Complimentary Bread Sticks

We were served some Complimentary Bread Sticks which were good so we munched while waiting for our orders.

Dips 

♥ Watercress & Gruyere Dip Vegetable Crudites (375 php)

This Watercress & Gruyere Dip Vegetable Crudites is so good! It was emptied in a flash with the dip bowl scraped clean.  As far as dips goes, this now tops my list beating the usual spinach dips that I encounter.


Bites

Salmon Tartare Mille-Feuille (315 php)

The Salmon Tartare Mille-Feuille is salmon cream sandwiched between crunchy spinach wanton wrappers and topped with salsa.  It was quite enjoyable to eat especially since I love salmon.  But, yes it costs around 50 php per piece!

Plates

Portabello Mushrrom, Asparagus & Goat Cheese Mille-Feiulle (520 php)

The Portabello Mushrrom, Asparagus & Goat Cheese Mille-Feiulle served with Rucola pesto was just okay.

Lobster Bisque (370 php)

Bisque is one of my favorite soup whether it's shrimp, prawn or lobster.  I'm hardly ever disappointed so it's so unfortunate that this Lobster Bisque failed to impress me. 

Pasta

Taglierini Di Lusso (575 php)

The Taglierini Di Lusso is a very rich and creamy pasta topped with pink peppercorn and a small chunk of foie gras with a hint of santol.  As you can see Taglierini is a flat and narrow type of pasta.  I'd suggest this for sharing because of its richness.  For something with its name on, I didn't feel it was justified.

♥ Spinach Taglierini (450 php)

I actually liked the Spinach Taglierini more than the Taglierini Di Lusso.  The cream sauce is the same but it was complemented better by the spinach pasta, Asiago cheese, shitake mushrooms and parma ham.

♥ Luxe Mac & Cheese (645 php)

The Luxe Mac & Cheese is the best baked macaroni I have ever had.  It is topped made use of three kind of cheese and a generous portion of pancetta bits.  This is so good that my 7-year old nephew finished one whole of this on his own.  
 

♥ Lobster & River Prawn Lasagna (750 php)

This Lobster & River Prawn Lasagna is delicious!  But, the price is a bit too much don't you agree?

Sandwiches

♥ Lusso Demi-Pound Burger (850 php)

The only reason why I've encountered Lusso before is because of the Lusso Demi-Pound Burger.  It's hailed as one of the top burgers in the Metro.  So it was only natural that every single one of us has to try it.  We had ours cooked medium and split into three.  It was really good.  Although I expected the foie gras on top of the thick US Beef patty to be a bit bigger.  My brother had his Lusso Demi-Pound Burger cooked medium well and they could hardly distinguish the foie gras.  So moral lesson is the rarer, the better.


Mains

♥ Shepherd's Pie (575 php)

Lusso's Shepherd's Pie is not your ordinary shepherd's pie covered in puff pastry.  It's a glorious rendition with braised lamb chunks in prune gravy and topped with soft and smooth truffle potato puree.  I highly recommend this!

Lamb Shank Ossobuco (950 php)

The Lamb Shank Ossobuco is delicious.  It has a really zesty and clean meaty taste.  But it was not fall of the bone tender as I was expecting it to be.  The saffron risotto that was served with it was lightly spiced so I couldn't help but have some more.


Desserts

♥ Mocca Sansrival (290 php)

The Mocca Sansrival is a 4-layered mocha meringued with rich French mocha buttercream topped with cashew nuts.  This is an extraordinary twist to the usual sansrival.  We were all impressed!
 

Tiramisu Croccante (295 php)

I wonder if it's because I'm not a fan of white chocolate but I failed to appreciate the Tiramisu Croccante.  I liked the crunchy texture but it was too sweet for me.

Drinks

Cappuccino Decaf

The service is really nice.  The served the cake which we bought from a neighboring store using their silver platter and they didn't charge as any corkage fees (very considerate right? ^^)


Tsinoy Foodies Verdict

When dining at Lusso by Margarita Fores, prepare an extravagant budget as you will be paying for the grand fine dining ambiance, first class service and dishes with expensive ingredients.  However, I don't think all dishes are paying for.  For pasta and pizza, perhaps I'd consider Margarita Fores' Cibo more practical and worthy to spend on.