Cendrillon (CLOSED)

My daughter who is mixed Filipino-American brought me and my husband to this restaurant for my birthday. I am the Filipino parent by the way. I am delighted that our daughter seems to be honoring my Philippine heritage by bringing us to this restaurant. The ambiance is nice but I would not consider the food authentic Filipino. Indeed, the menu has some pretension of being European and Filipino. Aside from the fact that the food did not taste they way I expected them to taste, the portions were very small. I think this restaurant is pricey. I would not come here if I want authentic Filipino food. I'll cook them at home instead. To those who want to taste real Filipino food try other Filipino restaurants in the city or have your Filipino friend cook for you.

It was supposed to be brunch with good friends and new friends. Some of them would have been their first time to try Filipino food. Expectations were very high on my part. The ambiance was great...very impressive. Then the food came.... the "highly recommended" adobo was a disappointment... 3 over cooked (hardly any meat was on the bone) small chicken legs were placed in front of us. The noodle dish was bland. Dish after dish, everything was just a disaster. Then I figured, the bibingka that the wife of the owner said was a major hit in their restaurant might actually save the day. It came out looking sooo goooood!!! Lo and behold, the bibingka was just like the restaurant.... impressive on the outside, a disappointment on the inside. It was nothing like a real bibingka. If the attempt of the owners of the restaurant was to jazz up Filipino dishes...let me tell you this...you failed miserably. The whole experience was such a major disappointment.... a very expensive disappointment.

As a 1st generation American-born Filipino, I grew up on Filipino food, but including my Lola's cooking (grandma), this is The Best i've ever eaten. In Jackson Heights where i live, we have excellent Filipino food, but they are all family restaurants or cafes. Cendrillon is upscale but unpretentious. It satifies the sophisticated palate of a NYer but retains the fresh, homecooked flavors of traditional Filipino. The fellow diners seem like regulars with the famous Chef, Romy, stopping by and catching up with his customers who seem like old friends. If you have a chance to have a conversation with him, seize the moment. He is great to talk to, as interesting and multi-dimensional as his recipes! Do not miss this delicious restaurant! Also, if you are a cook, Memories of Philippine Kitchens is a must-have. I received this as an Xmas gift and that is how i discovered Cendrillion. It is more than a cookbook, just as Cendrillion is more than a Pan-Asian restaurant. Eating there is one of my top 5 New York experiences of the past five years and I can't wait to go again.

I have been to cendrillon and other filipino places in the city and i found that newer places in midtown that have same stuff and not sky high prices,Midtown rents are higher than off the bounderies of soho,Please adjust your prices because your portions are small but prices are off the hook. Geez,,,,

Have been a regular at cendrillon for years, a undiscovered off the beaten track, gem in soho. the food is inventive and delicious, the wine list is excellent, and the desserts all made fresh on the premises, simply outstanding. do not miss the mango tart with home made ice cream. chef will do special menus for small groups with some advance notice, great innovative phillipino cuisine.

I was deeply saddened by this Filipino restaurant portions were small, prices were high for the quality of food, and the non-Pinoy wait staff were aloof and unfamiliar with the menu. I brought my Filipino parents to this restaurant hoping for a more authentic and hearty meal instead I was embarrassed that they think this is what I think Filipino cooking is about. The menu tries too hard to appeal to its SoHo clientèle with its failed fusion dishes, nuevo takes on traditional dishes, and obnoxious capitalization on "the exotic". Unfortunately for them, the dishes they do get right, you can get at the other Filipino restaurants on the East side for a fraction of the price. While I'm glad to see a fellow countryman get visibility in such a posh/ hip area of Manhattan and get airtime to share Filipino cuisine on a national TV show, I really hoped the quality and value would've been much better. It also saddens me that the direction he took Filipino food obviously caters to people who do not share in the culture of the attempted cuisine.

I've been dying to go to this restaurant for a while since hearing about it. However I was more than disappointed when I took my fiance there for her first experience of Filipino food. The food was overpriced and not great. I must say that the atmosphere is nice as this locale has a nice setting with exposed brick walls and candle lit tables. The service was ok. For my next Filipino food "fix" I'll take a trip to Queens or New Jersey where the locations may not be trendy but the food is certainly authentic and actually worth the trip and the money.