Spanish Ties

There's a lot of connection between the Philippines and Spain, including cuisine. However, the Spanish restaurants that have become institutions in Manila are quite short of being truly authentic and a bit superannuated. One chain of restaurants that is gaining popularity among locals and tourists alike here in Manila, however, is Barcino. Not only is it a restaurant, it's also a tavern, or should it be a tavern that just expanded into a restaurant.  

The interiors resemble that of a cellar, and the vast wine collection, largely from Spain and Portugal, is stored in cooled glass shelves. A very good thing about Barcino is that its bottles of wine seem to cost cheaper than anywhere else in the metropolis. Also, the chef and the owners are Catalan; and thus the ambience and the food very much gives one a sampling of authentic Spanish food. 

One particular bottle of wine that caught the fennel bulbs' attention is the Vinho Verde. This is a Portuguese wine, and its name literally translates to green wine. However, Vinho Verde is actually a class of wines encompassing both red and white wine types, and the colour green refers to the youthful freshness of the grapes used. This bottle is a Gatao (with a tilde over the o, Php590), literally meaning cat, and thus the green cat on the bottle. Alcohol content is at 11% and it is slightly sweet, light, and refreshing. 

While waiting for dinner to be served, a basket of sliced baguettes and salsa is served. The salsa is very tasty, and the flavour of garlic is prominent. In Barcelona, they would often serve sliced bread with chopped tomatoes and whole cloves of garlic that one slices up himself! A very garlicky starter indeed!

Empenada Vegetal (vegetable pies, Php190) for appetizer. They're unlike the small empanadas or empanaditas one could buy from the supermarket. They resemble calzones more in size. The filling is largely spinach cooked in onions with what seems to be cubes of goat's cheese. 

Next in line are chistorras con huevo roto (chistorras with scrambled eggs, Php195). Chistorra is a fast-cured sausage originating from the Basque country, consisting of minced pork and beef enclosed in beef or lamb tripe. Its reddish hue comes from the salt, garlic, and paprika used to cure it. Together with the scrambled eggs, it's very tasty and rich. 

Last, and definitely the most exciting of the evening's dishes was the paella valenciana (Php550). Flavoured with saffron with copious amounts of seafood - shrimps, squid, and mussles - it's one dish to satiate both the taste buds and the appetite. However, one peculiarity that the fennel bulbs have noticed is that it didn't take much time before the dish came out, which most probably means that the chef has prepared this in advance. Usually when one orders paella in most restaurants, a good 20 minutes is the minimum before this sumptuous Spanish dish can be enjoyed.

Nevertheless, one never misses a chance to have a good time at Barcino. The fennel bulbs would

recommend the branch at city golf plaza where the staff are very attentive and know their craft quite well.

But, another good thing about Barcino is that they've opened up branches in most of Manila's nicer and 

accessible places, including ones in Rockwell, Greenbelt, and in Bonifacio Global City.