Solstice by Ilustrado

CorsetDoll

4.0

The Christmas season is officially here, which means I'll find it even more difficult to attend to my "website duties." I am fortunate however to be able to go to Solstice by Ilustrado on a sponsored invite. It was a fitting activity to a very busy Friday.Solstice by Ilustrado is actually a tie-up two between known restaurants that have been merged together as one: Ilustrado, from the walled city of Intramuros, known for their classic and modern Filipino-Spanish cuisine, and One Way restaurant, that's been popular for its Italian food creations, especially its sour bread.Finding this place had been a bit of a challenge for me. It is actually found in the corner of Rockwell Drive, Makati. You can find the location through Waze. Note that they have parking spaces directly below the establishment. Prepare to be captivated with Solstice's sophisticated interiors when you visit the place. It gives off a cozy feel to a place with a very nice ambience.You will even feel more relaxed as a pianist plays a romantic tune while you dine. Aside from having a good selection of food items in the menu, the place is well lit and also well ventilated. If you are to impress someone, Solstice by Ilustrado is the place to go on on a date. The place is also ideal for office meetings, family gatherings, and even barkada meetups. My wonderful experience in this restaurant was kicked off with chicken and pork liver pate, that was deliciously combined with their homemade cranberry jam, and their crunchy and oddly shaped crostini. You may have an extra order of pate of your preferred serving size. I also had their baked eggplant, white cheese, and olives in filo, in just one big bite. It is definitely one for the books. You can tell that the eggplant was cooked well given its nice texture, and its taste combined really well with the black olives, sundried tomatoes, and feta and laguna white cheeses. The filo is lightly crisp, with its shell breaking into fine pieces.Then the staff served us a combination of Spanish dishes, the paella and callos Madrilena. It is a great combination, given that the two have a lot of similarities. The former was a mix of various seafood, meats, fresh veggies, and rice. It had a nice light taste to it. On the other hand, the latter tasted strongly of chorizo de bilbao and their slab bacon. The ox tripe was a nice addition to it too.As for the Italian dish fix, they served the shroom pizza, which had an ample serving of shiitake and king and oyster mushrooms; white sauce, three cheeses, namely, mozzarella, cheddar, and parmigiano, and truffle essence. It was simply delicious! The pizza was even made better with its thin sour dough crust. The pasta aligue had a very strong taste to it, that it will definitely surprise your palate. It can literally and figuratively, make your heart stop beating. The whole visit was capped off with their own creation of matcha cookies! It came with a yogurt dip that just made the cookies even taste better. You may also buy an extra order of this dip.Solstice by Ilustrado accepts reservations for events and corporate gatherings. The restaurant allows exclusive use of its main dining room, which can conveniently seat up to 120 guests. They will alsoprovide you with a reliable wait staff and an exquisite table arrangement. They also have live music performances to complete a nice setup.For reservations, please call (+632) 802 1891 or (+63 977 748 8861), from 11AM to 11PM daily. Follow @solsticebyilustrado on Instagram, and like their official Facebook page, facebook.com/SolsticebyIlustrado/ for more updates.

Murat Can Kayalıbay

5.0

The food was fresh, properly prepared and a great value for the price. We highly recommend it. The beef salpicao appetizer was equally as good.

Eugenia Aurelia

5.0

I love everything about this place.Food + ambiance + fast service= Perfect dining experience 👌❤Pasta is a really must try! I'll definitely be back with my friends.

Angella Hutagaol

5.0

Amazing food and service! Unfortunately the much recommended chorizo and squid was unavailable but I'd recommend the aligue pasta and mussels appetizer. The pistachio Sans rival is too die for!

Ivy Chininta Budianty

5.0

I invited my cousins over for dinner last week. we loved the mushroom soup and winter soldtice salad and the coq au vin and my cousins loved the lamb shank the spare ribs the pizza and the music. They loved the music ambiance in particular and sang songs w the band.

Jeri Ramos

5.0

10/10 must try! New and hip just in the center of metro Manila! And a perfect place for Rockwell residents. Short ribs are just amazing! The atmosphere alone changes everything!!!

Isha Honrade

3.0

I was invited by my boyfriend last night to attend their 5th Batch Reunion and Christmas Party at Solstice Rockwell Makati 😊 I got super excited cause it's been awhile since i've attended a fancy gathering.The venue is just within Solstice 8 Building Rockwell and guests can freely park within the building. The venue has been closed for the whole batch of around 100 pax which isn't even all of their whole batch but anyway the point is the place is so huge and cozy. It's fancy and has an Italian touch. The ambiance is very elegant so for ladies it's ideal to wear a dress or something semi-formal when attending events here. (This is just my kaartehan. Haha!) They also have a band on the second floor with a pianist, guitarist who continuously play all night which added a more romantic feel to the venue. Since this is a private event, the food was served in a buffet style. Before entering, they confirmed our names on the guest list. The fee by the way is P1,100 per pax which I guess isn't bad because of the ambiance and being able to stay in the venue from 7pm to 12midnight. BUFFET (Note that I indicated their regular price for reference only)🍲 TRUFFLED MUSHROOM SOUP P280Fresh shiitake, oyster & king mushrooms, truffle oil cream, freshly baked bread bowlI loved mushroom soups, I love this one but I think it was overcooked cause of the bitter roasted after taste me and my friends noticed while sipping on it. Sayang 😞 but the truffle oil taste is very distinct and made it very appetizing.🍋 CEASAR SALAD P290? Or P395Your typical ceasar salad. Nothing special. But I like the generous amount of mangoes and grapes that were served. Hindi tinipid. Unli sauce! 🍝 TRUFFLE & MUSHROOM PASTA P385Fresh shiitake, Kind Oyster Mushroom, Truffle Oil, Cream, Spaghetti💯 LOVE THIS! Went back for this twice. It's not super creamy which didn't make it nakakaumay plus ithe pasta isn't dry. Probably the one I liked best last night. Whoever chose the menu is probably my soulmate lol cause most of the things which were picked were all the things I WOULD pick if I was the one in charge to decide for the menu. HAHA! 🍕PIZZAThey were literally serving us FREAKIN UNLIMITED PIZZAS. I must admit most of my tablemates were matakaw including me, so even if they didn't serve any desserts SULIT NA SULIT yung unlimited Pizzas! At first they were serving us one slice per small plate per person, after heading on to the buffet they were literally changing the wooden pan every few minutes cause we're digging on it nonstop. They served: Margheritta, Shroom Pizza (ADDICITING!!!), Prosciutto & ArugulaTBH: I got food coma because of this Pizzas! Ang sarap niya never thought there's such thing as too much Pizza! Haha!Others which didn't really made a mark so I won't bother to give it a review: 🍛 SALMON RISOTTO AU GRATIN P550🍛 PAELLA ILLUSTRADO🍹HOUSE BLEND ICED TEA P120I liked that it isn't the typical house blend iced tea but didn't fell in love with it cause it has a distinct sour taste. 😌TIPS:‼️There were no desserts served as part of the buffet so we just bought one outside.‼️CORKAGE IS FREE so bring all the alcoholic drinks you want! ‼️The servers were very courteous and attentive. They greet us nicely and attend to our needs right away. Even the manager is very hands-on. ‼️This is a really good place for private events cause it's huge. I just don't like the idea of considering to include the 2nd floor when renting the place (if that's possible) cause medyo left out yung dating doon.‼️ Parking is convenient.‼️ Do I think my P1,100 is sulit for the whole night? YES for the AMBIANCE and SERVICE. No for the BUFFET, but YES for the PIZZAS. 🙏🏻

Evi

5.0

The name of this restaurant really is just fitting. It’s the collaboration of One Way Restaurant and Ilustrado which are both well-loved restos in the metro. Much like a solstice, one can either bask in the glow of the dishes of each and more. New dishes are constantly cooked up to please any diner’s palate.

Emrah Yılmaz

4.0

Flavorful food, good wine, good entertainment.Solstice is located in a bit more quiet area of Rockwell. Surrounded by office buildings and residential condominium structures. Black and white interiors with an area for piano and elevated space for the instrumentalists. Well prepared dishes are priced fairly and plated beautifully. A bit of scare for first timers as the polished interiors may seem intimidating. Wait staff are attentive, you can tell they've been trained.Overall good. Will recommend and will definitely return.