6.036 Calamares a la Plancha con Alioli

katch4246

11 years ago

6.036

10 (Tue) Feb 2015

Calamares a la Plancha con Alioli

2.5

at Casa Armas

-Malate, Manila-

with TL

Casa Armas is a Spanish restaurant. Located on Nakpil Street, on the corner of Bocabo. No additional info.

Upon arrival, the place was packed to capacity. While featured in Lonely Planet but not ranked very high on TripAdvisor (69 of 776 restaurants in Manila), I couldn’t tell whether the crowds comprised tourists (bad) or locals/expats (good). In any case, I was quite excited, the first time that I’d had to wait in line at a restaurant in Malate, other than at fast food joints.

The food was solid. Nothing stood out in particular, but the Calamares a la Plancha con Alioli seemed indicative of what the restaurant would have to offer overall: the fresh squid suggested quality ingredients with quick turnover; and the proper balance of seasoning in such a naked dish suggested a capable chef with a delicate hand; not dazzling, but way good enough.

Gambas al Ajillo (2.5)–gambas al ajillo has become, like har gao at a dim sum joint (see most recently 5.182 Har Gao), the first item that I order to assess the basic competency of a tapas bar; here, the shrimp were fresh and cooked just right, nicely seasoned, the only drawback being the slightly overbrowned garlic.

Pollo al Reina Regencia (1.75)–chicken bits and creamyish/thickish sauce seemed like something out of a can, the Spanish version of chicken a la king over rice; maybe this is Spanish comfort food?

Tortilla de Chorizo (2.5)–as noted in a prior post, the tortilla of Spanish cuisine is an omelette, nothing to do with the flatbread tortilla of Mexican cuisine (see generally 5.081 Home-Cooked Spanish Cuisine…).

I may consider eating my way through the restaurant….

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