COCONUTS HOT SPOT — The 70-seater Spanish restaurant, with its dark and intimate interiors and its 4,000-peso conchinilla seems almost out of place in a mall. But, the mall is SM, and if anything, it does promise they’ve got it all for you.
Welcome to Alqueria, the Spanish restaurant of the Sumosam group. It used to be Boqueria, but some issues surrounding the name forced the group, which includes Mylene Dizon, Agot Isidro, and Ma’m Charo Santos, to rebrand and rename and introduce a few new items on the menu.
At the helm of it all is the gregarious Spanish chef Adrian Neto, who grew up at an alqueria—that’s farm house in Spanish for us non-speakers—so on paper, it all sounds good. “Most of the dishes are Catalan,” Chef Adrian begins, “but I also took from the many different regions of Spain and also, a lot of recipes from my family.”
THE LOOK
Alqueria’s look is great for date night. Strong red couches, black candelabra chandeliers, and mosaic art on the wall greet the diner at the entrance. An open kitchen in the middle creates a short catwalk toward the roomier space in the back, where more guests, who would like more privacy and intimacy, can be accommodated.
That said, please don’t mistake this privacy to mean only for lovers; Alqueria’s menu suggests the place to be great for serious business lunches when deals are signed; or together with its potent Sangria and fabulous meat and cheese platter, to be great for burn-bookers looking to find release and solace after a very long day of politicking at work.
THE GRUB
The food is delicious, and more importantly, served in non-intimidating portions. We point this out because Spanish food is typically rich, and given the usual serving portions, umay-inducing. Not so, Alqueria. Its Paellas, for instance, comes in different sizes with the small, good enough for a solo diner. With generous servings of ingredients, an order of, say, the Paella Valenciana (PHP398) sounds like a filling lunch.
Chef Adrian says the paella dishes come straight from his family’s kitchen, and then tweaked to fit the Manila market. “In Spain, Paella Valenciana has rabbit, but we can’t do that here, so in place of rabbits, we put chicken,” he explains.
The Paella Quezo Manchego (PHP398) meanwhile, is made specifically with the Manila market in mind. “Filipinos love their cheese,” he smiles. Chopped chorizo buried in rice, topped with melted manchego sounds like a hug at the end of a very long day. And it is: The dish isn’t highfaluting but goddamn it’s tasty. The chorizo bursts with tangy goodness, while the manchego wraps the whole party together in velvety goodness.
Not to be missed are its tapas. The Chicharrones (PHP218) is a beautiful pork appetizer cum pica-pica that first attracts you with its golden crisp and then endears you with a sweet aftertaste, which, by the way, comes from a balsamic reduction with which the pork was cooked. You don’t even need to dip it in the vinegar it comes with but for those easily overwhelmed by fat, this sure helps.
For those too tired to choose from the menu, it’s hard to go wrong with the Tabla de Jamon en Queso (PHP628), manchego cheese with delicate strips of ham. This pairs perfectly with Alqueria’s super potent Sangria (PHP228).
Finally, Alqueria is also a Chocolateria so leave room for dessert. The Churros (PHP168) are a nice sweet ending to your meal. You can choose from dark, milk, or white chocolate with which to dip that sugared piece of bread. We highly recommend the dark chocolate dip.
Alqueria Restaurante y Chocolateria, 3/F SM Mega Fashion Hall (Building D), SM Megamall, Mandaluyong; +639175463370. Daily 10am-10pm
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