Casa Armas Tapas Bar y Restaurante: Once You Go Black...

You keep coming back!

Out on an advanced Father's day celebration with Alvie and her family, we had dinner at a Spanish restaurant I hadn't tried before, Casa Armas. Dinner was slightly discounted with the help of Deal Grocer. :)

May I help you?

We were greeted by a warm, lively interior with Spanish music being played in the background. Nice! I could almost smell the Paella! We appreciated the stylish, spirited interior.

View from the top.

Pobrecitos...

I lurve Spanish food and was really looking forward to dinner! After the deliberations about our orders, we got served some complimentary bread.

Complimentary bread

Um.. right. Slightly less toasty bread would have been better, but it was still edible and helped tide us over until our orders arrived. Hey, better than nothing right?

Pollo al Ajillo, P425.00

Garlic chicken.
This chopped up half-a-chicken was flavorful and delicious. Garlic is always a great taste! Fries on the side weren't bad either. Speaking of garlic...

Gambas al Ajillo, P365.00 (two in picture)

Sautéed shrimps in olive oil and garlic - one of our best-loved delicacies.

Not one, but two orders of Gambas! We sure love our garlic! I am also a fan of any form of gambas, mostly because I like my shrimp naked and do not have much patience for taking off the shell. I prefer the spicy, tomato-based kind, but this olive oil version is the more authentic way of preparing this dish. It was quite good, actually, although I find it to be quite overpriced for a small portion. Time to bust out the big guns!

Paella Marinera (Full), P995.00

Seafood paella.

No portion problems here! This is your standard paella. I did not find it particularly amazing, but it was good, decent paella, especially the flavor-packed toasted rice that lined the sides of this paellera. How does one top this order? A darker, better paella.

Paella Negra, P975.00

Black paella with squid ink.

Oh man, oh man, I'm really missing this right now. It was reaheally delicious. There are more peas than I would have liked, but it tasted so yummy that I momentarily forgot that I disliked peas, so it was all good! I wish it was a bit more dry and the rice a bit more crisp, but the flavor really hit the spot for me. It was like stealing food from the buffet of King Neptune himself. This dish is as tasty as it is black. I found the color amusing, though it left me a bit too conscious about smiling with my teeth. :)

Alvie's parents noticed that the mussels were bad, and gave a bad taste and odor. We informed the waiter who just said "okay". An explanation could have helped, at the least. I had to stay away and not eat one of my favourite kinds of seafood!

Verdict: 

Complimentary Bread: Edible

Pollo al Ajillo: Good

Gambas al Ajillo: Good

Paella Marinera: Good

Paella Negra: Great!

No more ink stains!

We over-ordered a bit and had a bit too much to finish. I wanted to clean off the paellera... but I had already eaten more than any self-respecting human being should. We just took the rest home. I just heard from Alvie that there is still some paella negra left over. Just writing about it got my mouth watering! It may have been a week since we brought it home, and it just might ruin my stomach, but every black ink-soaked toasty grain is going to be worth it!

Love Casa Armas? Hate it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!

CASA ARMAS TAPAS BAR Y RESTAURANTE
G/F, Greenbelt 2,
Ayala Center, Makati City
(02) 757-4961; (02) 757-4996
Operating Hours: Mon - Sun: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Facebook: Casa Armas Tapas Bar Y Restaurante


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