Travel + Leisure: Your quick guide to travel in style and a slow living lifestyle.

Nothing beats home cook foods because every bite is oozing with love. That’s why I’m in the lookout of discovering and exploring restaurants in and out of the metropolis that serves nothing but authentic home recipes. And just recently, my friends – Ate Joy of gastronomybyjoy.com and Marj of livingmarjorney.com; and I had an awesome food getaway at Aurora Filipino Cuisine in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. What it makes to stand out is that, this restaurant was put up because of passion and love for cooking.

Owned by Salongas, the 96 years old ancestral house that once became a parlor during the Japanese era where Imelda Marcos’ grandmother was a regular client, is now offering sumptuous dishes from Chef Day Salonga’s grandmother.

AURORA FILIPINO CUISINE – SERVING THE BEST HOME RECIPES.

Aurora Filipino Cuisine is inspired by Chef Day’s grandmother named Aurora who loves to cook and documented her creations which was being preserved over the years. And few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to indulge with the food cultured with love and history and to add, an authentic Filipino dishes that only uses ingredients fresh from the neighborhood farms. Thus, it is not just offering what a Filipino food really taste like but also supporting our local farmers by being their suppliers. So, why not visit Sta.Cruz, Laguna anytime soon and pamper on its beauty and sumptuous offering.

The History

The 2-storey old house located at P. Guevarra St., Sta. Cruz, Laguna was built in 1940. It was burnt by the Japanese during the Japanese era and was rebuilt. It was in 1950 – 1960 when the first floor was converted into a parlor where known personalities and celebrities during that time were their regular customers (and it was great to see that some of the curlers and other salon equipment were still present at the second floor ‘til as of this writing) while the second floor served as their home. Later on, the family, together with Chef Mon and Chef Day, the ancestral house became a destination restaurant in Sta.Cruz, Laguna named Aurora Filipino Cuisine.

The Food

Everything that were being served to us were part of their best sellers! To start the dining session, we had the freshest and colorful Enselada Sta.Cruz in town! This green salad is composed of pickled ubod, pako, and kesong puti tossed in salted egg vinaigrette. Oh boy, this is a must try and with the serving that is good for sharing for only Php 145.00 and this alone is already worth a visit.

I was about to finish it when my attention gets caught by another savory dish called Minanok. It is a heart of banana cooked in burnt coconut cream served with plantain fritters, way too perfect for vegetarian and those who are in diet. I liked it so much that I almost ate them all.

When I just thought that appetizers were almost gone and I was ready for the main event, I was wrong. Tinuto also gets the spotlight as soon as it landed on my mouth and awakens my taste buds! Too appetizing that I can’t resist. Tinuto is a minced shrimps and coconut meat wrapped in taro leaves with rich coconut cream sauce.

Of course, plating of the dishes that we had are all Instagram-worthy and worth to be shared to everyone around the world especially to those who are longing for authentic Filipino cuisine. I bet, once you try it, you’ll also crave for it.

Minanok | Php 85

Tinuto (2pcs) | Php 105

Enselada Sta.Cruz | Php 145

Finally, the main stars of our dining session – Pata Estofado, Ginataan sa Bayabas na Kanduli, and Tiya Auring’s Sinugno. Every dish that we had surpassed the expectations I had in mind – delish, one-of-a-kind, authentic Filipino dish, and budget-friendly! For as low as Php 520.00, you can indulge with Angelina’s whole pork knuckle simmered for 2 hours in rich sauce also known as Pata Estofado which serving is good for 3-4 persons.

In between bites there’s a Q&A with Chef Day and Chef Mon. When asked why the prices are cheaper, they both answered that the cost such as rental is quite minimal, the ingredients are bought from the local farmers and some ingredients are available in the backyard, and they wanted that the neighborhood can also get afford and taste of what they offer.

Chef Day

Pata Estofado | Php 520

Tiya Auring’s Sinugno | Php 275

Ginataan sa Bayabas na Kanduli | Php 285

After a couple of hours of eating, we decided to take a rest for a while and explore the almost hundred-year old house before having a dessert. It is nice to see things that part of the history that I only heard from my teachers and read from my textbooks. Excitements enthralled on me when I was able to touched those structures that stand strong despite of tragedy and misfortunes over the years.

Luchie's Halo-halo | Php 90

Antonio's Palitaw | Php 45

Well, save the best for last – dessert! We just had the Pinoy-ever-favorite Halo-Halo and kakanin that was being part of my childhood – Palitaw. And yes, they both tastes good!