Everyday is a good day to celebrate love. ♥
Last week, Tim and I had a pretty amazing date at Barcino in City Golf Plaza. I went to their branch in Burgos Circle a few months ago with some girl friends and really enjoyed my experience there, so I thought it would be a good place to spend a quiet post-Valentines date with my SO as well.
Thanks to Zomato, we didn't have to go all the way to BGC. Prior to this, I thought all their branches were in the south - I mean, I've been to City Golf a couple of times already, but I don't recall ever seeing the restaurant there. Turns out, it is tucked away on the second floor, giving it a more exclusive and romantic feel.
Here, the rooms are dimly lit with photographs and posters hanging on walls and cozy booths on one side for the ultimate comfort. All that, paired with their authentic Spanish dishes and great service definitely made our experience a truly remarkable one.
First order of business: Sangria.
My favorite drink at Barcino is the Sangria (P840/pitcher). I remember my friends and I ordered it last time and finished it pretty quickly (before most of the food even arrived), so I made sure to order it this time around as well.
Tim was actually hesitant at first since he wanted to get a bottle of wine instead, but I convinced him to try something new and I'm so glad he enjoyed the drink as much as I did (maybe even more!)
His glass was empty before we even started eating, so that's a good sign, right?
Tim left most of the ordering to me, though he did have one request - soup. He wanted to have something warm and comforting, so we ordered their Sopa de Ajo (P295). It is garlic soup with serrano ham, bread, paprika, and mixed egg.
I was surprised when the waiter came out with a huge bowl of soup because I thought the serving would only be good for one. It was only then when I found out that all of Barcino's dishes are actually sharing portions. We each had a bowl then had more left over, so I'm thinking the soup is good for at least three or four people..?
One by one, our other orders came out and soon, our table for four was full. Haha! I can't believe how quickly everything came out from the kitchen!
The Tabla de Embutidos (P1375) was what I was most excited for Tim to try because it's not every day that we have cold cuts and cheeses as part of our meal.
The platter has three kinds of chorizo (Iberico, Salchichon, and Fuet Extra), Quezo Manchego Curado, Jamon Serrano, some toast bread, and strawberry jam.
For the pasta, we had a hard time picking between the Spaguettis a la Marinera and Spaguettis a la Catalana. The staff told us that the former contained clams while the latter had Catalonia's Botifarra sausage, but they essentially had the same type of sauce. In the end, we went with the Marinera (P325) since we realized that we hven't ordered anything with seafood yet.
Whenever I see pasta on the menu, I always ask the staff if the sauce is sour because that's how I best enjoy my pasta. Normally, the Spaghuettis a la Marinera is served on the sweeter side, but I requested ours to be a bit sour and lucky for me, they were nice enough to tweak the dish to our liking.
The highlight of our evening was their Paella Negra (P525). For those who don't know, paella is culturally enjoyed al dente and served in a thin layer in Spain, and that's exactly how they serve it in Barcino too. It isn't as wet as other paellas, and they overcook the rice a bit to come out with a crisp texture.
I also loved the aioli they mixed this with. Don't forget to sprinkle some lemon juice on it to bring out its flavor!
P.S. it's great with Sangria too. ;)
To cap off the night, we ordered my favorite dessert here, the Delicia de Chocolate (P225), a chocolate souffle cake with warm chocolate filling served with vanilla ice cream.
As usual, Tim only had one bite (he's not a fan of desserts), but I was more than glad to finish the entire thing by myself. I really do think I have a separate stomach allotted just for desserts. Haha :P
It has actually been a while since we last went on a" romantic" date, so I'm really thankful that there are places like Barcino that provide great ambiance and amazing food at affordable prices. Nothing too over the top; we had a laid back evening filled with laughs and silly conversations, and to me, that was perfect.
Will we be back? For sure! We'll try to visit a different branch too next time ;)
Barcino is located at the second floor of City Golf Plaza, Julia Vargas Avenue, Pasig City
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