A Night at TAPELLA: Tapas, Paella and more by Gaudi

Last monday, I was one of the lucky few who were able to attend the cooking demo of the executive chef of Tapella by Gaudi, Chef Alexanda Cacho. She demonstrated how to prepare Paella Manchego, Cojonudos and Sangria.

Chef Alexandra Cacho  has been preparing and serving Spanish dishes for years and the cooking demo is absolutely one of the ways of re-introducing modern spanish dishes.

I’ve seen and tasted a lot of paellas but it was the first time I’ve tried one with cheese — Paella Manchego. It has manchego cheese, shrimp, chicken, broccoli and asparagus– ingredients which when combined together produces a wonderful medley of flavors. According to Chef Alexandra, Paella is really delicious if the rice can stand out on it’s own. It’s not the variety nor the quantity of the ingredients in the dish that makes it.

As you can see, the rice was added raw. Since, it is very absorbent, it takes in all the wonderful flavors of each ingredients as it cooks.

Cojonudos is fried quail eggs with pimiento and serrano ham in baguette enhanced by a few drops of olive oil. It is very easy to prepare.

Sangria is a mixture of fresh orange juice, liqeuer, brandy, sweet red wine and fruit slices. I can’t believe my non-alcoholic self drank 2½ glasses of this. I usually just take a sip or two. I guess I was enjoying the night.

White Garlic and Almond Soup {P70}

After we’ve tried the three dishes in the cooking demo, we were given a lot more dishes to try. One of this is the White Garlic and Almond cold soup shooter. First of all, it was weird because I usually don’t eat cold soup, then it was in a form of a shot. The taste was creamy, nutty and milky. It does pair well with the grapes because of the contrast in taste.

Camembert with Caramelized Onion on Fluted Bread {P180}

Thick slab of warm and soft camembert cheese and caramelized onion~ what a perfect combination!

Octopus with Paprika, Salt and Virgin Olive Oil {P280}

This was served on a bed of potato..

Calamari with Black Ink Batter {P255}

I love Calamari and it’s nice to see a different version of it. I love the garlicky dipping sauce too♥!

Beef Tenderloin Salpicado with White Beans {P380}

One of the dishes that i truly love is beef salpicado. Theirs is a spicy version and the addition of white beans somehow gave this dish an extra ooommph. It was served shooter style too!

Chorizo Stewed in Red Wine {P245}

Saving the best for last.. The Dessert Plate. I don’t know if they really serve the dessert this way but if they do, I will be ordering this for sure. The plate consists of Apple Pie Cheesecake, Arroz con Leche, Oreo Cheesecake, Rum Cake and Tocino del Cielo with a dollop of whipped cream and cherry in the middle.

It was indeed  fun night.

Thank you so much Tapella for a memorable dining experience.

Tapella is open daily from 11am until 12mn. There’s a Wine all-you-can paired with tapas and canapé’s served every Friday from 6 to 9 pm. Dinning at Tapella comes with complimentary WIFI — a premium amenity among Gaudi Restaurants. The ambiance gives a modern and relaxed atmosphere with interiors designed with plush of red and beige accent.

Tapella
G/F Greenbelt 5, Legaspi St., Legaspi Village
Makati City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(02) 757-2710