G.U.S. NITPICKS!! (v. 11)

LA SOLERA RESTORANTE

So, my bubbly kumare Sh. and i decided to welcome the New Year by having a late Christmas get-together in a restaurant whose name we didn't know. Eh, how's that again?

To backtrack a bit, i was driving along Timog Ave. a couple of weeks ago and spotted this outdoor sign, pointing to a Spanish restaurant right beside Marina seafood resto. Didn't take note the name, though, but for some reason, remembered it.

So, viola! Here we were entering the authentic Spanish resto, named La Solera. First impressions were quite good. . .tasteful, elegant decor (i'll let the pics do the talking).





The menu presented a bit of a challenge though, as it had no English translations. Beyond paella, sopas, cochinillo, ensalada and lengua, i was just guessing what the items listed were. But Sh. displayed heretofore unknown prowess in the Hispanic language, and proceeded to describe the resto's offerings to me. I guess you could say she's a polyglot when it comes to resto menus :D

It turned out to be quite a lucky evening for us. Why? Everything we ordered was just great! To enumerate:

Jamon Serrano (PHP360) - good-sized portions; tasty without being salty; wonderfully presented.

Paella Valenciana (PHP450) - tasty, moist rice with didn't scrimp on the toppings; we had a hard time wiping this dish out, as the serving was quite a lot; much better than Alba's paella!

Agachonas en adobo (P360) - i think this can be best described as fried quail that has been deboned. It was flavourful, not dry at all.

Both Sh. and I agreed it was our best meal together in ages!! Talking to the staff, it turns out that their chef and most of the staff were from the Casa Armas, Tomas Morato branch before [it closed down after the untimely death of the owner, Mr. J. Armas, last year in Spain]

La Solera also has 2 function rooms, which open to a small outdoor veranda. Quite ideal for small, intimate gatherings.

The total damage per person was approx. PHP760.00, inclusive of service charge and VAT. Not cheap, to be sure, but we both felt it was well worth it.

A return visit is definitely in the cards, and i definitely will not hesitate to recommend this resto.


P.S. Thanks to bubbly Sh. for the pics above, taken with her Nokia N73 phone.
They turned out quite well, i must say.


(La Solera Resto is located along Timog Ave., Quezon City, around 30 meters away from the Scout rotonda)