Generally, I'm not a fancy restaurant kind of person. To be honest, fancy restaurants intimidate me . I just like looking into their windows, and seeing the people inside, or the fancy decorations, or sometimes even the beautiful food that get served in them, while I walk around in malls. I don't usually go in.
I don't know. Maybe I feel like fancy restaurants are too cold, or too quiet, or maybe I feel like someone like me would stick out like a sore thumb in one of those places. Basta.
ANYWAY, this is why I appreciate people who reach out to people like me for the sake of sharing good food.
That man in the photo below is Tapella's Executive Chef, Mr. Robert Spakowski. Last December, he generously invited our group of bloggers (Team Aldous) to try out their food at Tapella Tapas Bar and Restaurant in Greenbelt.
Photo grabbed from Tapella's Facebook Page.
I was excited to go. I've passed by the restaurant a couple of times during my walks around Greenbelt, and have caught a glimpse of some of their beautiful food. I couldn't wait to actually try them out. :)
By the sound of the name, you could tell that the place serves Spanish food. I like that their menu shows the Spanish and English names of their dishes.
The place has a bar section. They seem to serve a wide variety of wines. I've just recently started to appreciate wine, thanks to my friends (hello, Jaimme, Alex, and Christian! :D). I think I'll bring them here one time.
The restaurant of course also has a dining space. It has a more of a warm feel to it as compared to the bar section.
However, what made my dining experience here truly warm and enjoyable was Chef Rob and Tapella's staff. From the way they entertained us that night, I could really tell that all of them have a passion for the food that they were serving.
They would tell us bits of info about the dishes they served, like how they are made, where they are from, how other customers like them, and so on. Also, you could see that they were genuinely excited whenever they would share to us a certain dish. :)
But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let's talk about their food.
Okay, a bit of a confession. I was late for this dinner (sorry, Aldous :'c). It was a work day and I was in a late meeting. So when I got there, my friends have eaten most of the appetizers already. Thankfully, I still got to try out two.
Chopitos Fritos (Php250.00)
Chopitos Fritos is deep fried baby squid served with aioli. Mmm. These were good. It really did its job as an appetizer because it definitely got my appetite going. Tender and tasty baby squid, deep fried in a lightly seasoned and crisp batter. It's good even without the aioli, but the aioli adds a bit of creaminess and extra flavor. One of the servers said that this is his favorite dish in the restaurant. I can see why.
Morcilla de Cebolla (Php450.00)
Morcilla de Cebolla is grilled blood sausage with onions. It was spicy and meaty, and I bet it would go great with some wine.
Pote Gallego (Php175.00)
I was also able to have a taste of Pote Gallego, which is bean soup with pork, chorizo, and vegetables. Unfortunately, it was already cold when I got there. It tasted like a lighter version of Callos. Looking at it, I thought it would taste greasy, but it didn't.
Paella Party!
On to the main course! We were lucky enough to try three of Tapella's specialty paellas.
Paella de Marisco (Php700.00)
Paella de Marisco is Tapella's take on the seafood paella. The rice in itself is tasty, but not overwhelming. The seafood toppings were cooked fairly well, and were flavorful, but I think there could have been more of them in the dish.
Arroz Sobrassada (Php375.00)
Arroz Sobrassada was something very new for me. It had spanish chorizo paella, and was served with a fine herb sauce. The sharp and salty flavor of the chorizo was balanced by the mellow flavors of the herbs.
Arroz Mancchego (Php775.00)
However, my favorite paella for the night was the Arroz Manchego. It had tender bits of chicken, bits of grilled asparagus, and shrimp, and was topped with Manchego cheese (cheese made from sheep)! When the server was describing this dish to me, I couldn't think how this combination of toppings could work together, but they did. The chicken and shrimp made it meaty, while the asparagus gave a refreshing crunch, and the smokiness and creaminess of cheese just brought everything together. My words are not enough. You have to try it for yourself. :)
Looking back, I wish I could have controlled my eating better, because I was almost full when the stars of the night were served.
Boss Choco getting ready to cook us some Chuleton Villagodio (Php475.00/100grams)
Oh, this unforgettable, sinful, dish. Chuleton Vllagodio is certified Angus Beef prime rib, grilled, Villagodio style, right before your eyes.
So what does "Villagodio style" mean anyway? It means you get these nicely marbled slices of meat, put them on a ceramic plate on top of a small flame, and season them a bit...
...and cook them until you are happy.
You can tell the servers how you want your meat to be cooked, or you can cook it yourself.
You can even ask them to put aside the fat and toast them a bit.
Needless to say, we all enjoyed this dish. We maybe enjoyed bit too much, that we almost didn't notice that it also came with sides.
Just when we thought things couldn't get better, Chef Rob came out with this dish and said "You guys are going to love this."
Lapu Lapu A La Sal (Php210.000/100 grams)
Lapu Lapu A La Sal is Lapu Lapu fish baked in salt. When I saw this, I was immediately reminded of Master Chef. I saw something like this prepared in one of the finals of the show. Sure, it doesn't look fancy, but I remember the judges saying that this takes a lot of work and skill to pull off.
We were all fascinated to watch how the server expertly cracked the salt...
...peeled of the skin...
...and took out the meat of the fish.
Taste-wise, the dish did not disappoint. It tasted fresh, and the seasoning really brought out the flavor of the meat. It can be eaten by its own, or with rice, or with sides.
Flan De La Abuela (Php75.00)
For a sweet ending, we were served with leche flan. Tapella's version of the dessert is lighter and more gelatinous than the traditional leche flan.
We had an enjoyable night at Tapella. As for me, I found out that fancy restaurants can be warm too.
Team Aldous with Chef Rob and Ms. Deigh Delantar-Navales.
Thanks for having us, Tapella! :)
Baleristas sans Claire.
They are open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 m.n.
You can get to know more about Tapella here:
www.tapellarestaurant.com
www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Tapellarestobar
Be happy!
<3 Missy
