La Collina

I love discovering restaurants away from the family's usual haunts ie  malls. The weekend exercise of bonding together over food is getting to be increasingly predictable. So exploring the 'unknown' outside our comfort zone is quite exciting.

An invite two Thursdays ago at the quiet side of  Poblacion was something this foodie mom of  the piggery looked forward to.

First off, Chef Owner Anita was quite  quite clear on the cuisine the restaurant offers. It was not only Spanish but a combination of both Spanish and Italian cuisines. Thus you have paella alongside bruschetta ...

La Collina

Started in January , La Collina literally means the hill in both Spanish and Italian.  Although originally envisioned to open in Tagaytay, time constraint led  Chef Anita  to opt for this location in the  quiet side   of  Poblacion  instead

Fabada Asturia

Fabada asturiana, often simply known as fabada, is a rich Spanish bean stew, originally from and most commonly found in the autonomous community of Principality of Asturias, but widely available throughout the whole of Spain and in Spanish restaurants worldwide. Canned fabada is sold in most supermarkets across the country.

Fabada is a hot and heavy dish and for that reason is most commonly eaten during winter and at the largest meal of the day, lunch. It is usually served as a starter, but may also be the main course of the meal. It is typically served with Asturian cider or a red wine (Wiki)

La Collina's Fabada   was a delightful concoction of  complex flavors originating from 3 kinds of home made chorizo, jamon serrano and pork hock. It was so good, I can not stop eating it.  It is the very essence of comfort food. 

It is a complete meal in itself considering you have your carbs, protein and veggies from the beans and tomatoes.

I would suggest you order this with a carafe of either white or red sangria. It must be said though that I have a new favorite in La Collina's White Sangria. Made with Viura, the White Sangria is more refreshing and crisp  and clean on the palate relative to its more colorful sister the red sangria.

Bruschetta Assorted  P160 4 pcs P290 8 pcs

We were served two variants -  Artichoke and Eggplant Bruschetta. I  knew from the get go that I am in trouble when I tasted both  Artichoke and Eggplant and can not for the life of me decide which I like best. They are both scrumptious in their own way

Artichoke was salty , creamy and almost cheesy while the Eggplant Bruschetta had complex flavors only an eggplant can deliver.

I suggest you order both. Do stick to  just 4 pieces though. Remember these are just starters and you still have a lot of food to explore in La Collina

Fritto Misto P450

"A very classic Italian street food usually found  near the areas by the sea like Genova.... "

- Chef Owner Anita

Literally translated  FRITTO MISTO  means mixed fried.

Chef Anita relates that they used to have tawilis in the mix but when it was declared endangered they replaced it with shrimps.  She shares that in Italy the Fritto Misto she experienced had anchovies alongside seafood that were in season.

Sourced from a friend of Chef Anita who makes them home-made, these chorizos are delicious. Do not forget to eat them with the caramelized onions for more flavor.

Blue Crab Ravioli

The Blue Crab Ravioli is a personal recipe of Chef Anita and inspired by her love for Italian cuisine. The ravioli was delightfully al dente  providing the bite to the creamy filling that was the Blue Crab  inside.

Note that  La Collina uses only the alimasag which is the deep sea crab and they source it in Bacolod from a  a friend who is also an enviromentalist 

Paella Mixta  4 pax P1950, 8 pax P2950,  12 pax P3950,  15 pax P4950

Sensitive to the comments of their regular patrons, Chef Anita has included PAELLA for TWO.

Loved how colorful the paella was. The highlight for me was scraping the soccarat   from the bottom of the pan. Soccarat  or  'tutong" in local parlance is where I usually find the concentration of flavors in paellas.

Cochinillo Black Pig P1350 per kilogram

The highlight of our lunch, it did not disappoint with  its thin, crunchy crackling and almost melt in your mouth meat.

I highly recommend you order this and eat it with Paella. The bountiful spread actually felt Christmas (y) all of a sudden

I would not mind having this  for Noche Buena.

Overall...

Spanish Pintxos and Bruschetta side by side? Why not?

Can I just say they were all  scrumptious. Can not make up my mind which one is my favorite. The chorizos, gambas and battered-fried-seafood were winners . So where the artichoke and egg plant bruschetta. Lest I forget, the  cochinillo and paella were  exceptionally good.

Make sure you order carafes or either red or white sangria to pair your starters with. Would highly recommend the white variant too for its crisp, refreshing taste.

Definitely returning with the piggery in tow.

LA COLLINA is located at 4558 Molina corner Quintos Street Poblacion Makati. They are open from 11 am onwards