La Maison Rose

La Maison Rose is famous in Cebu as “The Pink House” which was the former ancestral house of one of the city’s most prominent family, the Velez’s.  Completed in 1939, the house held a number of lavish banquets until 2006 when the family didn’t live in the place anymore.  The house became unoccupied for 6 years until Louis Thevenin, the director of Alliance Française de Cebu took over.  Then the house became a French hub of the Queen City of the South, hosting a French language school, French cultural center and in July 2012, a French restaurant was also opened.  (Zee Lifestyle Cebu, 2012 and Inquirer.net, 2012)Outside its gate, the place just looks ordinary and uninviting.  But as the saying goes, “Do not judge the book by its cover”, there’s actually a gem hidden inside the unappealing façade.  It’s like going into the wilderness and finding Sleeping Beauty’s castle or going into the woods and finding the witch’s house of candy.  So I was glad for not looking at the outside appearance!
Inside, a tranquil ambiance invites you in.  The dimly-lit atmosphere sets you in the mood for an intimate talk with your company.  As an art lover, I goshed all over the place!  The resto boasts of a mix of French and Indo-China interiors and stepping in brings you back to the 30’s.  The house is very well preserved.

 

There were antique items, lovely paintings, stylish lampshades, and the precious piano from the residential house of the owners, Michel and Amparito Lhuillier, another Cebu’s prominent family.  Michel, the honorary consul of France also owns the famed M. Lhuillier of the country and proud dad of the world-renowned fashion designer, Monique Lhuillier.

Stepping into a place like this will definitely make you dress up to eat.  Though they don’t have dress code, you’ll fell the urge of donning your best for the chic place.  Moreover, old meets new in this posh resto for they also have iPad menus and the bill comes in an Eiffel Tower coffee-book-like bearer.  Overall, La Maison Rose is just so so charming which reminds me of the fancy French bistro I visited in Vietnam, the Green Tangerine Cafe and Restaurant.