Tiabuela at 1898

A recent trip out to Asia saw us heading over to Manila in the Philippines to visit some old family members whose grandfather relocated there many, many years ago.

Manila is a glorious capital city that showcases exactly what old cultural cities are really about.

Steeped in history and a former Spanish colony, the Philippines has many ties with and similarities to Spain. The national language, Tagalog, along with many of its different dialects, makes it easy for Spanish-speaking people to understand and communicate. Although, to be truthful, English is widely spoken everywhere you go, especially in Manila.

Dining out in the capital's tourist and business district is a delight not to be missed.

Absolutely everything you desire is on offer. Classy Western restaurants, high-class Korean and Japanese outlets abound all over, Chinese food is tremendously popular, especially amongst the large Filipino/Chinese community, and you’ll find many local bar and grill houses serving barbecued food complemented by locally brewed and extra cold San Miguel beers - we almost felt at home…

On our last night out in this vibrant city, we visited a highly recommended Spanish restaurant right in the heart of the tourist area, formerly a notorious red-light district.

Neon glare lights still illuminate the old streets, but the area is amass with trendy bars, clubs and restaurants.

Our choice for the night was a spacious and charming restaurant on the ground floor of the Hotel 1898 Colonia. I believe this is the same group that has hotels in Barcelona.

Restaurant Tiabuela welcomed us with al fresco dining right on the corner of the famous P. Burgos St. The evening was beautiful, warm, and music and laughter drifted in from the busy surrounding streets.

Carmen perused the extensive Spanish menu and impressive wine list. Her face lit up…

Grilled Lamb Chops served with creamy herbed mash potatoes were the highlight of the evening for myself. Three succulent, meaty lamb chops, cooked to perfection, sat atop a nicely sized portion of mixed herb mashed potato and were served with a red wine and mint gravy, setting the tone for an absolutely wonderful evening.

Carmen couldn’t resist the house specialty, Beef Salpicao. A generous portion of right-sized tender beef chunks came with some steamed rice and mixed fresh vegetables. The beef stock gravy with ground peppercorns complemented the dish perfectly.

As mentioned above, the wine list was impressive; we were both dining on red meat, so a good red was needed. And the choice was good… it had to be a Rioja.

On occasions like these, when the food is excellent and the restaurant and ambience are superb, Marques De Caceres Reserva fits the bill. The refined aroma and well-defined tannins of this delightful wine polished off the evening perfectly.

Although the dessert menu was offered, looked good, there was no need on this occasion.

The evening, restaurant, and meal were already perfect.