Indulging in Calderon’s Spanish specialties

Whenever I crave for more than the usual home-cooked fare, I turn to one of my preferred world cuisines—Spanish. I find this particular tasty Mediterranean cuisine to be a special treat. Even my mother serves her lengua only on special occasions.

Fortunately, I don’t have to wait for those rare moments, as there are a lot of restaurants in the city that serve Spanish food—one of which is Calderon. My hubby and I recently dined at this barely-a-year-old restaurant.

Appetizers, ambience

It was a rainy night when we arrived at this cozy little place, rushing in from parking our car. The cool weather called for something hot and our choice was Sopa de Ajo, which we shared in order to make room for the other bestsellers. The Sopa's light broth was heavily-flavored with garlic and herbs, topped with croutons, and made even more savory with an egg poached in the soup.

I believe the gauge of a good Spanish restaurant is its paella, and Calderon offers a couple of variants. We opted for the classic Paella Valenciana.

The waiting time for this was around 30 minutes, as with other traditional Spanish restaurants. To pass the time, we enjoyed tapas like Almejas en Salsa Verde (clams cooked in herb sauce) and paired it with Sangria Calderon, a red wine-based beverage containing bits of fresh fruits. The restaurant also has a white wine version, both of which are ordered per carafe.

While nibbling on some tapas and sipping on sangria, I admired the establishment’s wooden furniture, which added a warm ambience, and the tile accents on our ground-floor table gave it some character. The printed plates and artwork on the wall added color to the comfortable atmosphere. I explored the second floor and saw the bigger dining space where diners may book private functions.

Upon chatting with the one of the owners, Marmi Perez, I learned that Calderon has an acoustic/jazz night and an unlimited sangria promo every Monday.

Too bad we went there on a Sunday.

Spanish food is worth the wait

What makes Calderon special is that its owners are three foodie couples who met under differing circumstances, but realized they all lived in the same area.

And they all cook, too: one of the owners, Angela Melo, contributed her churros con chocolate recipe to the restaurant. Monchet and Ellen Carballo helped develop the paella and other dishes. Marmi, on the other hand, provided the recipe for one of the house specialties—Pollo Iberico, a roasted chicken dish that customers have to order at least one day ahead.

The server brought a big roasting pan to our table, the entirety of the chicken on it steaming hot and swimming in marinade and its own juices. A light brown sauce coated the skin of the poultry, which had a dash of herbs, spices, and garlic cloves. I only understood the advance order requirement when I bit into the fork-tender meat that had absorbed all the flavors. This was indeed one of the finest chicken dishes I have ever tasted.

“We are the only Spanish restaurant, so far, in this area,” said Marmi, whose background in interior design determined her in charge of the restaurant’s décor. “We’re just like a neighborhood place. The beauty of this is [that] it’s a small kitchen; we don’t have a commissary.”

The partners source their ingredients fresh and avoid stocking it. Each dish goes through numerous taste tests before they roll it out to the public.

A new dish in the menu is the Chuleton, wagyu steak, simply cooked in salt and pepper and served with light gravy. We chose to have it medium done—the result was a tender piece of meat, a bit brown on the outside but still pink inside. I am no steak expert but I saw the meat had good marbling and its texture was agreeable to my palate. There was hardly any resistance when I bit into the succulent beef and I appreciated the crunch and flavor made by the coarse black pepper. My hubby enjoyed it immensely, as he’s a meat lover.

All the good food made me curious about their maker: Chef Rafa Ysip. It was he who conceptualized the steak dish and other specialties. He passed by our table and I was happy to give him my compliments.

The paella arrived at that time, its tangerine-colored rice generously topped with a medley of seafood, meat, and vegetables all beautifully arranged like a piece of art. Calderon’s paella was a feast for the senses—the vibrant colors of the ingredients were appealing to the eye, the savory aroma added to its appeal, and the actual taste was comparable to the other, more established Spanish restaurants. I was able to get bits of toppings with each carbo-loaded bite. I liked how the mussels gave a taste of the sea and how the chorizo added more depth of flavor. I just couldn’t eat a lot because it was too heavy for me even with the help of my husband. The serving size is definitely good for more than two persons!

And, like a true Filipino, I tried to pair the rice with the other entrées but found out that the dishes tasted better separately. Spanish fare is generally flavorful, so you have to enjoy each dish on its own.

For me, though, the piéce de résistance was the Medula Osea Asada or roasted bone marrow. The mere mention of bone marrow had me salivating and even more so when the dish was placed on our table. While hot, I scooped out some marrow with my knife, spread it like butter on the toasted bread and ate it with gusto. I felt like I had died and gone to cholesterol heaven. This sinful dish is best eaten in moderation and with friends because of its richness.

As if we haven’t indulged enough, we wanted to end our meal on a sweet note, and what did the trick was the Torrijas con Helado. It’s a Spanish version of French toast, wherein the ciabatta bread slices are filled with Nutella hazelnut spread, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and sprinkled with fresh fruit bits and slivers of almonds. The sweetness wasn’t cloying at all; in fact, this might be better eaten during merienda and with a cup of coffee.

I wouldn’t mind traveling from the south all the way to Little Baguio again to satisfy my Spanish cravings next time, but I have a feeling that this hole-in-the-wall eatery will eventually branch out—hopefully in the direction of our side of the metro. — VC, GMA News


Calderon Cocina Tapas y Bebidas is located at 403 Calderon Street, San Juan, Metro Manila. They are open everyday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Contact them at (02) 238-2264 or (0926) 727-9465 or (0919) 806-0358 or e-mail them at calderontapas@yahoo.com.