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If there is anything that distinguishes Filipino cuisine from that of our Asian neighbors, it would be the heavy influence of Spanish gastronomy. Unlike other Southeast Asian countries that have distinctly light-textured yet very spicy recipes, we have heavier meals that veer towards the salty; saucy and sweet. This is in large part due to over 300 years of Spanish colonial rule and the osmosis of Spanish flavors into our own culinary lives. Hence, our love for flavors based on chili peppers, tomato sauce, garlic and onions.

Food historian Felice Sta. Maria, in her book The Foods of Jose Rizal, quotes recollections from French physician Jean Mallat who described foods for sale in Manila from 1840 to 1846: From Spain came casks and barrels of red wine from Catalonia, sweet wine from Malaga, and other wines from Xeres and San Lucar The most sought after of Spanish food imports, Mallat noted, were sausages, preserved artichoke hearts, olives, cheeses, Galicia hams, Flanders butter, chorizos, oil, chick peas and beans.

Today we are lucky that we can get these delights from reliable delis like Terrys, Santis and even Rustans Gourmet to Go, thanks to the meticulous curating of gourmet Beth Romualdez.

But even more fortunate is that we no longer have to rely on our personal kusineros (or ourselves) to recreate Spanish dishes. In recent years, a few Spanish chefs have migrated to the Philippines to cook at newly opened Spanish restaurants. The Spaniards have taken Manila, once again, by storm. This time, though, in a good and very delicious way.

In fact theyre just what we need at this point in the growth of the Philippine restaurant industry. Before this resurgence of Spanish chefs, menus in the Metro were becoming predictable. Foie gras, truffles (or truffle oilpardon the non-purists) and steak were practically becoming restaurant staples.

Enter the invaders. In Makati, the men of the hit BGC tapas bar Las Flores put up Rambla, with Chef Pepe Lopez whipping up Ibiza-worthy creations in the kitchen. At the Fort, the Aboitiz family honors their San Sebastian roots as Chef Pablo Iglesias brings in Donosti cuisine (everyone in Spain knows that Donosti is a food mecca, said their maitred). And a group of hip young restaurateurs put up Vask, with Chef Jose Luis Chele Gonzalez, who once worked at El Bulli, El Celler de Can Roca, Mugaritz and Arzak, creating out-of-this world recipes. Finally, in Alabang, the Black Pig has been making waves with the creations of Carlos Garcia, a young Spanish chef who left London for Manila.

Suddenly, there is a diversion from the usual salmon and sea bass to the glories of the octopus. At Rambla, it is offered as an octopus carpaccio. The incorporation of hummus and chickpeas make it a unique Mediterranean experience. But its the crisp, sharp flavors, with the help of fresh onions and basil, that make this Rambla specialty very memorable. Over at Donosti, the pulpo is cooked a la Gallega, boiled and grilled, given an earthy character with spices. Ito yung sikat namin, Maam (this is our popular dish), the waitress proudly shares. It is a signature dish of Galicia.

Eggs also suddenly find themselves on center stage. Both Rambla and Donosti have selections of huevos or egg dishes. Rambla offers a 65 egg with chistorra while Donosti has Huevos Estrellados con chorizzo picadillo. Both would go perfectly with draft beer on a rowdy Saturday night. You should serve garlic rice with this dish. Its like a high-brow version of the Filipino longsilog (long-ganisa, sinigang, itlog) without the rice! I kid Donostis Spanish restaurant manager.

In Spain, we eat with bread, he educates me. But wheres the bread? It didnt come with bread! I need to order that separately? I challenge him. Yes because we are kuripot, he jokes in return. But he is right. There is pleasure in spreading these delicacies on bread and later cleaning up your plate and sopping up the sauce with it.

At the Black Pig, the poached egg and mushroom puree is egg-cellent when the kitchen pays attention. The yolks were not runny as they should be on two of my visits so get ahead of them and warn them against this as you order because when they hit the mark, it is an egg-citing dish!

See more here:
The latest Spanish invasion