Spanish flavors by the bay

It’s not often that one of Henry Sy’s supermalls offers patrons a view other than that of a major thoroughfare or the competitors’ buildings. 

So when work began for the ambitious SM Mall of Asia on Bay Boulevard in Pasay City, restaurateur Gia Suarez simply couldn’t pass up the opportunity to open a dining place with a panoramic view of the world-famous Manila Bay. 

A year before the mall-with-a-view opened in May 2006, Suarez and her partners began putting together a concept for their spot on Sunset Avenue at MOA’s North Side. They had to quickly come up with one that offered a menu that was just as attractive as Manila’s sunset.

“Since SM malls have families as their major market, we wanted to offer food that was familiar to everyone and a lot closer to home,” says Suarez. “So we decided on Filipino-Spanish food.”

The name of the place had to be Spanish, but easy to remember. The owners eventually agreed on Azul, Spanish for the color “blue,” perfect for a place by the water. 

Azul’s specialties include Paella Pinoy, rice with pork adobo, longganisa, tuyo, danggit and salted eggs; Pochero Cebuano, Cebu-style bulalo with bamboo shoots, sweet corn, banana, potatoes and cabbage; steamed seafood on ice, an offering of crabs, prawns, oysters, mussels and clams with four dipping sauces; assorted kebabs, chicken, pork and beef barbecue; Lengua Sevilla, served with mushroom sauce; and sinigang na salmon sa miso.

Suarez describes the food at Azul as Spanish with a Filipino twist.

”People who love Spanish cuisine often go for the paella and tapas, but we wanted ours to be special,” she points out. “We included these familiar dishes and gave it a touch of Filipino, including Cebuano influences.” 

I admit that there was a time I would shy away from Spanish cuisine. When dining in a Spanish restaurant, I would say “no” to suggestions of any kind of paella, much to the disappointment of my wife and the waiter. 

Even when I had a chance to visit Madrid a few years back, I was content with having tapas and skipping most of the house specialties.The modern paella, however, can be made by using just about any kind of ingredient that goes well with rice. Someone was bound to come up with one that had pork adobo, my favorite dish.

An order of Paella Pinoy at Azul is priced at P495, good for two to three persons. The cooking time is about 20-30 minutes, but well worth the wait when you see the generous servings of adobo, danggit and salted eggs in your paella.

Since there are as many versions of paella as there are cooks, Azul included seven paella dishes in its menu: Apart from the popular Paella Pinoy, guests can try the Binagoongang Paella, with lechon kawali; Paella Chorizo; Seafood Paella, with crab, squid and shrimps; Paella Mixta, meat and seafood combo; Laing Paella; and the crispy and spicy Paella Sisig.

Like the paella, there is a wide choice of tapas on the Azul menu – both traditional and Pinoy-influenced. 

Many guests go for the baked clams and mussels, with garlic butter, cheese and chorizo; spring rolls; longganisa in olive oil; gambas, with extra virgin olive oil and garlic; spicy sisig; salpicao, again with tons of garlic; grilled Spanish sausage, in white wine; and kesong puti fritters. Prices of appetizers range from P115 to P265.

The best way to enjoy the tapas is al fresco, paired with beer on the best seat in the house that offers a view of the blue bay. For dessert, guests can try the churros con chocolate, banana turon and sans rival paired with espresso or cappuccino.

Azul is one the featured outlets in the Citibank World Privileges program that offers rewarding experiences to cardholders.  Diners who use their Citibank card at Azul from now until Dec. 31, 2007 will receive a free order of spring rolls for a minimum food bill of P750. Earlier this month, editors of The Philippine STAR and friends at Citibank  treated two of our colleagues (for a birthday and despedida) to a taste of Azul. Dinner consisted of mandarin orange salad, paella, crispy lapu-lapu and for dessert, chocolate fondue served with fresh fruits.

Good food tastes better in great company.

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Citibank offers MasterCard and Visa cardholders a free order of spring rolls for a minimum food bill of P750. Azul is  located on the North Side, Sunset Avenue, second level, Entertainment Center, Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Call 556-0742, fax 556-0728.