If Calderon is the new wave of Spanish cuisine in the Philippines, color me impressed. Calderon…read moretakes the best of the old school (Alba's and Casa Armas), and gives it an update that gives respect to the conventions of the old guard, yet feels fresh and new. The Makati branch of Calderon is tucked (Quite literally) at the back of a building in Salcedo Village, and as such is a bit of a challenge to find at first. However, once you get there, the restaurant more than makes up for it with wonderful food and a great vibe. I totally enjoyed every single dish I ate in Calderon, and while it was a bit pricey, it was totally worth every Peso. I would come back here in a heartbeat.

Calderon is good ol' Spanish food. What kind? The kind that you grew up with. It's Spanish food,…read morebut you know it has that Filipino influence on it. What are the good dishes? The familiar stuff: paella, salpicao, gambas, callos, bacalao, etc. Everything was good. A surprise hit was the lengua (if you like lengua). Top finish the job - their chocolate cake. If you aren't a fan of sweets, this might get you hooked. It's tasty, it's decadent, it's rich, but not that rich. The prices are very reasonable, reasonable enough to make me want to go back and try more of their dishes. I usually talk about the interiors first but I got to excited with the food. Anyway, the furniture isn't top-notch, but there is this intimate homey feel that you notice once you sit down to order. It's casual enough for a dinner with friends and family, but fancy enough for a date (for me at least). I think I'm going back tomorrow.

My grandmother really has a knack for cuisines that aren't too mainstream and she stumbled upon…read moreCalderon in Kapitolyo. She loved it so much that she brought the family there for Sunday bonding. I found the place to be homey and cozy. It looked like a bricked house and once you've settled in a table, you'd feel like you're really in Spain. The music and ambiance really suite the whole theme. And don't get me started with the food! We ordered different things for the family to try and I must say that the food was good! We ordered the Paella Valenciana which is the flavor/variant we all know of. We also ordered the Caldo Gallego which was a hearty soup composed of beef, chicken, beans, vegetables and Spanish chorizo. We had the Salpicao, Croquetas and Bacalao ala Vizcaina (cod in tomato sauce). All of those dishes were really good! To end the meal, we ordered Sangria and partnered it with Bandeja de Jamon, Chorizo Y Quezo which was a platter of cold cuts, hams and cheese. The restaurant definitely captured the taste of Spain. I found it to be a great place to be with a big group or even just a one on one intimate dinner. The vibe for me was great. My overall experience in Calderon was pleasant! I would recommend Spanish cuisine lovers to drop by and try the food!

When I found out that a Spanish restaurant was opening in our neighborhood I was so excited and…read morewithin the first week of opening my family and I headed to Calderon. Honestly though we weren't expecting that much since it was only a neighborhood joint and we suspected would not offer Spanish dishes quite as authentic and fresh as those we've had in more expensive restaurants, but boy were we wrong. Calderon is fantastic. Their flavors was bold and their dishes though made with simple ingredients really pack a punch. The place is cozy and warm, the décor classic and earthy. The food offered is classic Spanish and we ordered salpicao, paella, gambas, and croquettas, all staple Spanish food. I was blown away by how tasty and great everything was. The tapas options are killer. I could honestly go home with a pot filled with their salpicao and just gorge on that and rice for a week. The ultimate test (at least for my mom) was their paella and it did not disappoint it was flavorful, salty, packed with meat and veggies. Calderon is certainly a must-try!

After a disappointing paella stint at Las Flores, I finally got my Paella craving satisfied…read more The paella was great - taste and price-wise it was spot on. We ordered Paella Valenciana, croquetas de pollo and croquetas de jamon, calamares romano all of which tasted good. Only 4/5 because some details need work. We requested the paella to be a litte toasted but it was little burnt under which is okay since you just have to scrape slowly. The tapas need a little more attention to detail since the croquettas de pollo has a small bone in it and the calamares had a small remnant of its quill

I grew up with Casa Armas. After Señor Armas passed away a few years ago, I didn't want to go back…read more But nothing has changed. It serves the best tapas, paella, cochinillo, Iberian chicken in this side of town. It had the same cheesy 3man band that just adds to the ambience. I love the place! And the sangria help with the ambience.

Paella was worth the long wait...very good, plenty of ingredients. The bolognese was also…read moreokay....pollo frito was not good, it actually had very little actual chicken meat. Leg/thigh fried, came with gravy, I ate skin and gravy...the little chicken meat there was had black things attached to it, kind of disgusting. Pollo al Asillo (chicken spicy garlic sauce) was tasteless, not good. Linguini al pesto had a lot of a tomato sauce on top, took away from the pesto flavor...bottom line , come for the paella...that's it!!! Very good service.

Who does not like Spanish tapas? It is one of my favorite foods and when in Manila, Philippines, I…read morewas luckily invited for a dinner party at Alba Restaurante in Makati. On entering the restaurant, one cannot but notice the well-appointed red tablecloth tables with cloth napkins. The dishes at our disposal were many. They were Gambas (shrimp) in garlic and oil, potato croquettes, Spanish sausage, baked oysters, mushrooms, crostini with dip, chicken, spinach pizza and of course, seafood paella. To add to the cozy ambiance of this restaurant were three singers with Spanish guitars, serenading the audience in the restaurant. Our group got several renditions of Spanish ballads including, "Guantanamera". We sang along for this one. All the dishes were prepared well and highlighted their own distinct taste and flavors. My favorites were the croquettes, the baked oysters and the seafood paella. The croquettes were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The oysters though small, came 12 to a plate and were moist and well charred to bring out the baked parmesan fragrance. The seafood paella was the crown jewel of the evening. It contained several seafood varieties and was made fresh. It came out slightly charred at the bottom, as does any good paella. When scraped, mixed with the other contents, and eaten, one is rewarded with several bursts of aroma and taste. Table service was excellent. Muchas Gracias, Senores y Senoras.

Our go-to Chinese Lauriat restaurant for whenever we need to entertain guests or book a place…read morelast-minute for any family celebration. China Place is located at the 3rd Floor of Pan Pacific Hotel. It is seriously underrated, in my opinion, because it is largely unknown. In fact, the place is usually deserted, and undeservedly so. For one, the food is good. I come from a clan that cooks amazingly well. My mother's family used to own a panciteria in the heart of Manila and she and her 9 siblings are great cooks. Which means we have a very high standard for Chinese food. Their patatim, noodles, steamed suahe, fried calamares, seafood roll, taro roll, garlic-steamed crab, and steamed lapulapu are must orders. But my personal favorite is the roasted whole chicken stuffed with kiampong (sticky rice). I have not eaten this in other Chinese lauriat restaurants.

The first time I met Chariya was at a wedding where she had a booth, making only her crispy catfish…read moresalad. It was a hit to both locals and the foreign guests at the wedding. It was so good with it's contrasting tastes and textures so well balanced that five years after, I still remembered her name and the information she gave me as to where I can find her. It was on a sourcing trip to Divisoria that I knew I had to make my way to 168 mall to have a dose of Chariya again. Since then, I have been religiously getting lunch from her store. My favorites would be the crispy catfish salad, her phad Thai, and her Thai milk tea. Very basic, yes. Reasonably priced, yes. Very good taste, YES. During my last visit, because I knew it might take me a while before being able to go back, I bought a pack of the loose tea hey use to make milk tea.

I discovered Chariya's Thai Kitchen because of my frequent visits to 168 Shopping Mall. I was very…read moremuch pleased to find out that in the middle of all the fast food chains in the food court of 168, I'd be able to discover really good Thai food. Through my further research, I found out that Chariya (owner of the place) is really Thai! That's why nothing that I ordered disappointed me. My Thai Tea was excellent! It's really refreshing to drink after 5 hours of shopping in the mall. The Satay and the Pad Thai were good deals also. Price wise, it's quite affordable. You know you're going to get really good dishes when you order from Chariya. I'm so glad she expanded and now she's open to getting bulk orders. So for those of you who need food for a party, you know who to call!

It's a great spot for Spanish / Pinoy fusion dishes like Lingua, Ox tail, Papas bravas and Gambas…read more Surrounded by restaurants serving run of the mill bar food, American and Chinese options, the menu and taste stands out. They have decent selection of South Am and Spanish wines. Would certainly recommend it as the food is good but serving sizes are small and prices steep. Not the best value for money. If you are in the area and pressed with time good joint for lunch and best part is they don't close for siesta and are pretty much open all day. The space is small and tables huddle together, not recommended for dinner.

You must check out this new restaurant called Cazuela that I was invited to try a few weeks ago. I…read morehad dinner there with my family and even my picky dad loved the food! The food was absolutely delish, and I can't stop recommending Cazuela enough to anyone who asks. I had dined at Cazuela before at a food tasting. I totally loved the food and I was so excited to get my family to try it, too, that I kept bugging them until we agreed to go on a Friday night. And here we are. THE FOOD For starters, we ordered the Tuna Ceviche (P229). My sister was all like, why did you order the tuna ceviche?! She thought it was just going to be raw tuna dipped in vinegar. After her first bite though, she was a convert! Cazuela's Tuna Ceviche is amazingly good - sweet, tangy and perfectly balanced. Aside from generous slices of raw tuna, it has pomelos, onions, alfalfa sprouts, and a sweet and sour dressing that reminded me of a Thai pomelo salad, but it's not Thai, it's Spanish colonial. It's like a circus in my mouth! I highly recommend this! We also had the Manchego Croquetas (P256), 6 pcs of breaded & fried nuggets of bechamel, manchego cheese, and spinach. No potatoes here. I sliced one open to show you the soft inside. Next up, the Lengua (P400). Oh. My. God. I am so glad I ordered this. The lengua was tender and flavorful, coated in a creamy mushroom sauce. Lengua lovers will explode with delight once they bite into it! It doesn't look like much but it's soooooooo freakin' good! This is definitely on my MUST ORDER when I go back. It is that good that I am already making plans to be back for it! Definitely going on my list of what to order if I had to choose my last meal. Generous slices of lengua, too. I had the Callos on a previous visit, and while the callos was also very, very good, for me, this Lengua is queen! We also had the Cerdo al Horno (P395), a 3-hour roasted pork belly stuffed with chorizo de Bilbao, served with saffron rice. The pork belly was well-seasoned and tender. Pork belly lovers will probably weep with happiness on first bite. It is also served with creamy beans, crunchy skin, and mango salsa. I couldn't resist the Paella Negra (P365) - I was surprised that it did not have any hint of fishiness at all (hindi malansa). It's just like eating seafood paella, but creamier and without the acidity from tomatoes. It doesn't have that squid-ink-funky-taste that many people don't like. Don't skip squeezing some lemon over it! Very delicious. HEAVENLY DESSERTS! The desserts to try are definitely the Gypsy Cake (P160) and the Kesong Puti Cheesecake (P220). Check out the generous portions that are good for sharing, although I don't think anyone would want to share! The Gypsy Cake is like a Brazo de Mercedes, but a chocolate version. It's not too sweet and the meringue is not just puffy and fluffy, but has a bit of bite to it. The yellow filling is rich and sweet. It's so good my sister decided to order 2 slices for take out right then and there. FYI, this Gypsy Cake, aka Brazo de Fernando, is on Inquirer Lifestyle's list of Best Desserts 2015! The Kesong Puti Cheesecake with Salted Egg Dulce de Leche sauce is a dense cheesecake lover's dream. Some like their cheesecakes light and fluffy, while some like their cheesecakes dense and heavy with cheese. This one uses Laguna's farmer's cheese (kesong puti) instead of cream cheese, and the cheesecake tastes a bit like it has a bit of the whites from salted eggs (itlog na maalat), but in a good way. The saltiness and the texture cuts the richness of the cheesecake and provides a good contrast. The cakes are baked by Gel Salonga of Ted's in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, and you can order them by the tray! SUMMARY I seldom super rave about a restaurant, but the food at Cazuela is that good and Cazuela now has a place as one of my favorite restaurants. Prices already include taxes, and you'll only be charged an additional 10% for the service charge. It's a small restaurant, the staff was attentive, and our orders came out quickly, probably because we arrived at 9pm and they weren't as busy in the kitchen. I highly recommend their Tuna Ceviche and their Lengua, and if you don't mind squid ink, the Paella Negra. Then, definitely, definitely, try their Gypsy Cake and Kesong Puti Cheesecake. You won't be the same afterwards!

This is in BGC. Our order is taking too long. The cuchinilla at 1/6 the size made to our table…read more after an hour of waiting. Wait staff has not apologized for the delay. Very unacceptable in my playbook. Locals and foreigners should be given equal treatments. Live music is great. Please train your staff to adhere to the standards if great customer service. Please add local beers or have your own microbrewery to get a better branding. Thank you for the experience. ¡Buena Salud!

Filipinos are drawn to rice. I'd like to believe that we have a genetic disposition towards the…read moregrain so that I have something ng to blame for my weight gain. I feel this is why most Pinoys are wary of entrees that don't come with rice in upscale restaurants. Looking at it the other way around, this I feel is the reason that we are drawn to all things paella. You can owe it to the aforementioned love of rice, or to the centuries we've spent colonized by the Spaniards, but as long as its paella, we as a people will immediately feast on it like there's no tomorrow. Cerveseria in Greenbelt 3 knows our amor for the dish so every once in a while, they offer up unlimited paella for a steal price. If you're not to keen on stuffing yourself silly, you can get a more modest serving. Make sure to eat the slightly overcooked rice near the bottom as it has all that paella flavor!