495 years ago this month, explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his fleet arrived on the shores of Cebu in the name of the king of Spain. Although most might consider this chapter in our history as the beginning of Spanish rule, there are always different angles to a story, even a story like this one.
Paella, chorizo, dulce de leche, polvoron, mechado, relleno, galantina, caldereta, rabo de toro - the list goes on and on! Spanish cuisine is so tightly intertwined in in our own that Spanish flavors have undeniably become Filipino tastes too. We love our chorizo breakfasts as much as you do. Embrace your heritage.
Here’s a list of restaurants bursting with Spanish flavor to visit over the weekend that’ll make you glad Magellan docked on our shores:
Alphaland’s The City Club | By MONICA ARANETA TIOSEJO | Photos by RAMON JOSEPH J. RUIZ
You won’t need your passport to sample the world’s finest dishes at Alphaland’s The City Club, which offers gourmet dishes from eight countries.
The Costa del Sol Spanish restaurant is flourished with dramatic archways, Moorish floor tiles and wrought-iron accents. Menu highlights include the cochinillo, which must be ordered one day in advance. If you don’t have all day, you will be just as pleased with the paella valenciana  and the pescado en salsa verde, fish fillet in green herb sauce. For dessert, do yourself a favor and order the canonigo, a sweet confection of baked egg whites served with crusted cream and mango balls.
(Paella valenciana)
Casa Marcos | SYLVIA REYNOSO GALAÂ
Whenever our Kapampangan cook Apong Metyang would go on her annual vacation, my parents would bring us nine children to our favorite Spanish style Restaurant, Casa Marcos, where for years, the same waiters would greet and serve us with unlimited Crusty Pan de Sal with butter while waiting for the Almejas Al Horno (baked Manila clams topped with olive oil and crispy garlic), the best tasting paella with generous amounts of prawns, crab, mussels and chorizo de bilbao with a crusty layer of rice at the bottom, which we reserved for our dad.
The one that takes the cake, err… steak, is the thick, juicy Batangas Tenderloin Steak a la Pobre. The restaurant’s Marcos sauce (vinaigrette base with loads of garlic), which you can drizzle over rice or scrape with the legendary bread, brought us kids, at that time, so much happiness. It still does to this day. A cozy, casual joint has never changed and the resurgence of the new branch in Fort has me and many other fans of the establishment coming back for more!
(Batangas Tenderloin Steak a la Pobre)
Pastor’s | MAAN D’ASIS PAMARAN  | Photography by JAR CONCENGCO
The restaurant’s impressively authentic menu came from kitchen confidentials conducted by Saycon on his tours of Spain, back in his days as a car racing fanatic. “I would talk to the chefs and restaurateurs, then go into their kitchens to see how their dishes are prepared. They were very generous with their recipes and techniques,†he recalls. He has also enlisted the help of his son, Chef JJ, to man the kitchen and introduce his own dishes.
Those looking to avoid carbs will have no such luck here. Paella is definitely a temptation to give in to at Pastor’s. Aside from the flavorful toppings, the rice that is used is imported from Portugal, and the full-to-the-bite texture makes all the difference.
Other dishes worth reaching the maintenance meds for are the melt-in-the mouth Rabo de Toro, addicting Chipirones Ajo, and what is rightfully proclaimed on the menu as “God’s Butterâ€â€”Roasted Bone Marrow with onion jam, and chimichurri salad served with a grilled baguette.
(Slow-roasted lamb)
(Spicy sardine pasta)
(Pizza enjoyed fresh out of the wood-burning oven)
Ramble |IZZY WARREN-GONZALEZ | Photography by TAMMY DAVID
“We provide familiar flavors, but we approach them with modern techniques,†shares General manager Uri Singla. “We aren’t your parents’ Spanish restaurant — we’re a contemporary concept with comforting food.â€Â The menu, consisting of only 30-odd items, was conceptualized from the ground up and was executed after two straight months of intensive cooking.
A trembling dollop of what appears to be an olive with a weight problem is fished out of an airtight glass jar, half-filled with luminescent extra virgin olive oil. It is deftly, carefully placed on a large hors d’oeuvres spoon. Taken down the hatch in one fell swoop, an eruption of olives and an assortment of bold Catalonian flavors wash over one’s mouth, to every patron’s delight.
Next comes the Foie-Gras Mousse with Caramelized Apples and Coffee-Baileys Foam. Sprinkled with toasted peanuts, each bite is luxuriously smooth. The tart apples and robust coffee foam create the perfect foil for the richness of the mousse.
Palatable perfection on a plate, gnudi was a word that few had heard before 2010, when it became all the rage in New York cuisine — and it has only caused a minor blip on the Philippine culinary scene since. However, Rambla just might change all that. The Ricotta Gnudis with Seasonal Mushroom Sauce, Rosemary and Hazelnuts is all-too-kindly placed under the vegetables section of the menu, letting you think that you’re ordering a salad — when you’re really getting so much more. Globular gnudi dot the plate, atop a bed of porcini mushrooms, which have been sautéed in herbs and oil. Hazelnuts are thrown in for surprising texture.
Few cultures have the same respect for pork as the Spanish and the Filipino, and the Slow Crispy Suckling Pig with Fresh Mustard Foam and Bok Choy does both of these civilizations proud. Served with candied nuts and lightly drizzled with a fruit purée, this dish presents an unexpected take on an Iberian favorite, solomillo de cerdo con salsa de mostaza or pork tenderloin in mustard sauce, providing a hearty portion of perfectly crisp and flaky skin.
(Spherical olives)
(Foie-Gras Mousse with Caramelized Apples and Coffee-Baileys foam)
(Gnudis with seasonal mushroom sauce, rosemary and hazelnuts)
(Slow crispy suckling pig with fresh mustard foam and bok choy)
