La Tienda

My craving for authentic Spanish cuisine was definitely satisfied! Their Chistorra Frito, Paella Mixta and Cuchinillo are must-tries, and perfect to pair with Sangria. Strongly recommended for a feel of Spain right smack in the center of Makati!

Since that memorable EATSperience of ours at the Spanish Food Festival at the Diamond Hotel, we have been looking around on where to try other authentic Spanish dishes. Also, we have been looking for that authentic Spanish tavern atmosphere to have a really complete EATSperience. Good for us, we didn’t have to look so far because just around Makati’s Bel-Air area there’s a Spanish restaurant that has been there for 30 years. Well, it’s safe to say that it has already been an institution for Spanish cuisine and yes, it took us a long long time to finally eat there for the first time. In this edition of EATSplorations, we will be sampling Spanish Cuisine at La Tienda. Join us as we try out their chorizo, churros, and many more!

La Tienda has a warm, European rustic, feel to it with a small shop selling imported Spanish goods ( i.e. food, paella pans and dining plates/decors ) to the side. It even has one of those old-school cash registers circa 1980’s. And yes, I know the address says Bel-Air, but you could also say it’s located near the ‘patay sindi’ (red-light district) area of Burgos, Makati. The walls are heavily decorated with traditional paintings and faded posters, again looking like it came from the 70’s or 80’s.

We stayed in a private room and were serviced very well, even if the servers kept forgetting to get my mom the paper napkins she kept requesting and would aslo forget to refill our water. They at least attempted to be attentive, always checking if we needed anything, and they were quick in getting our orders out.

The sangria was one of my favourites, poured from a brown, country style ceramic jug. The drink was sweet and fruity and the alcohol was merely hinted at, which is what I like.

The standout dishes for me would be the Paella Valenciana, the callos and the lengua, although I found that the lengua had a thick earthy taste to it. Actually, to be more truthful, when I say ‘earthy’ I mean to say that the sauce tasted a tad bit like dirt, but it could be because of the mushrooms. It still didn’t stop me from helping myself to another portion of lengua. The potatoes, though only 1/4th of a potato, were simple and delicious, but that’s because I like my potatoes without any additional seasonings and I can really taste the potato.

The chorizo torta was ok, with chorizo generously filling it, but I think I would have liked it if there were potatoes mixed with it. The Spaghetti Grandinetti was good but nothing I was really impressed with, except for the plating which was made to look like a flower. I had to google what Spaghetti Grandinetti was, as our serving looked like it was surrounded by empty clams and I thought maybe it was supposed to actually have no shellfish at all and the shells were there for mere decoration. Apparently, no, there was supposed to be clams in that pasta. Perhaps ours was minced into the sauce…? Did I overlook the clam meat…? For that matter, is it even clams or some other form of shellfish...? I can't tell. Am I a mermaid.

Anyway, We also had a white fish dish, with the name I forgot to get… all I remember was that the sauce reminded me of arroz caldo, and while a bit dry for me, it was soft and palatable with the sauce light enough to give the fish a touch of flavour without being too salty.

The mariachi band was very accommodating, coming into our room to play a few song requests, even willing to cover Adele’s Hello, but only if the requester would be the one singing (no one sang obviously) .They were real pros used to doing this sort of thing every night without looking bored or tired. Kudos especially to the cello player, who has to manoeuvre his instrument in narrow passages without getting in anyone’s-server's or customer’s, way. 

The surprise for this night would have been the iced coffee. This is not a coffee place so I was kind of expecting either 3-in 1 quality or something watery. But it was actually quite pleasant. Brewed, a not too strong type of coffee and while I like iced lattes, this is one of those iced coffees that tastes better only with a little sugar. Very well done!

Great service, food, entertainment and a cosy ambiance, all in all.