Las Flores

I was never too fond of Spanish cuisine in Manila until I tried Amada and Tinto--two Joseph Garces' tapas restaurants in Philly that I frequent when cravings for cheese and charcuterie, tapas, or sangria kick in.

Although Las Flores is not quite a tapas place--most of its serving sizes are bigger--it is probably one of the first Spanish restaurants that I've grown very fond of, with the other being Terry's. I've gotten my entire family hooked, too, as evidenced by the fact that Las Flores was the first restaurant we dined in once R and I landed in Manila.

Tabla de quesos - cheese platter

This cheese platter is a staple order. We like it so much that sometimes, on random weekdays, I find leftovers in the fridge at home because K would sometimes have it ordered as an after-school snack. I love the red dipping sauce in the middle, which reminds me of strawberry jam but is apparently made of tomatoes.

Calamansi and Cherry Blossom Moscow Mule

You HAVE to try Las Flores' cocktails. The first time I heard about this restaurant was through a fellow foodie friend who posted a photo of the sangria blanca, with a caption of something along the lines of, "the drinks here are so good that i don't want to share where this is." I was only able to figure out it was at Las Flores because I recognized the pattern of the placemat in her photo. Hah!

Without a doubt, my ultimate favorite is the moscow mule. Most of the drinks we like here taste pretty girly though, but that's definitely not to say that the alcohol content is weak! This is my second favorite:

Sangria blanca with a chorizo bite

R decided to be adventurous with this martini...

Wasabi green apple martini

Watching the bartender squeeze wasabi into the drink made me quite anxious, but when I took a sip of R's drink, the wasabi was so pleasant. It tasted quite sweet but still left that feeling of having your nostrils cleared. The only thing missing is a side of sashimi.

Scallops ceviche and mussels

Croquetas de chorizo

Everyone was hungry and so was I, hence the lack of quality photos! The scallop ceviche and the mussels were new dishes, so we decided to give it a try. The croquetas de chorizo is something K always orders.

Tazmania smoked salmon with ricotta and hint of truffle oil and honey

The tazmania smoked salmon is a crowd favorite. We love it so much that we always get two orders. The perfectly thick slice of smoked salmon rolled up and drizzled with honey goes really well with the ricotta and the truffle-oil drenched toast underneath.

Angus and Foie Minis

Another favorite is the angus and foie gras bites. These go quickly!

Pulpo a la Gallega

I think it's necessary to have octopus whenever you visit a spanish restaurant. In fact, it's a command. Order the pulpo!

Las Flores
G/F One Mckinley Place, 25h St
Fort Bonifcaio, Taguig