SPANISH restaurants dot the city, thanks to our colonial connection with Spain, and few people can deny knowing about paella, gambas, jamon and all that. Still, the Casa Española food festival at Rustan’s Makati can bring a few surprises to the tongue.
At an opening to the festival on July 30, guests were taken around to view the Spanish crockery, uniquely Spanish kitchen implements (how many people actually need a jamon stand? Lots, going by the sales during the day), but especially food imported from Spain.
Highlights include the cans of higado de bacalao (cod liver), which sounds remarkably unpleasant, but was the best surprise of the evening, melding together creamy and salty flavors in a can that costs about P250 (sold out that evening; ladies were filling baskets to the brim). Another thing to look forward to is the jamon de Teruel.
The fair was organized by Tantoco scion Rica Lopez de Jesus, who told BusinessWorld about the ham. Delightfully salty and with a fatty goodness, she said, “This is in-between,” noting that it occupies a space between jamon serrano and the more special jamon iberico de bellota. “It’s about as good as a bellota,” she said, but with a lower price. It is, of course, available in Rustan’s.
“We want everyone to be able to serve Spanish food in an easy way,” she said. This explained delicacies like Cortijode Sartanejas sauces, Naturel sustainable olive oil, Almoharin figs from Good Fig, and luxury canned seafood from Ubago. But then, there were also paelleras from Garcima, artisanal ceramic cookware from Graupera, and kitchen gadgets from Nerthus.
Casa Española and all its trimmings are available at Rustan’s Makati’s fourth floor until Aug. 31. Meanwhile, the East Cafe at Rustan’s Makati is also serving Spanish treats until Aug. 31, including Crispy Croquetas Ricas (soft Hainanese Chicken Croquetas with Ginger Aioli), garlicky Gambas with Angulas, slow cooked Iberico Shoulder with Korean Barbecue Glaze, and Iberico Burger Loco Moco Don. — JL Garcia
