An unexpected short trip with the hubby to Manila afforded me time for new food adventure. Not brand-new, though never been blogged here, is a revisit to my favorite Spanish restaurant along J. Nakpil in Malate. It was an unforgettable than long crab dinner with friends several years back that haunts me from time to time. We had too many crabs that night that I vowed never to order them again at Casa Armas. So for lunch on a roomy Saturday, my sister-in law and I were on the same mind. Instead of  squid-inked paella negra, which is the last thing you’d want to order in the daytime, we got a half paella marinara, gambas ajillo and a tabla Casa Armas special with all the mouthwatering, delish Spanish cold cuts.

The Spanish colonizers left an indelible mark in Filipino cooking. The pronounced affluent flavors are occasionally recreated in our lengua estofada, lechon de leche, arroz a la Valenciana, salpicao, bacalao a la vizcaina to name a few.

Casa Armas offers authentic Spanish cooking, with Señor Jesus Armas at the helm.

– Honest-to-goodness gambas ajillo is simplicity in shrimps and loads of garlic in olive oil and spices.

– Authentic paella derives its color from saffron.

– Separate photos of Imelda Marcos and Bongbong Marcos are among the old  framed photographs of celebrities adorning the walls.

Throughout all the 17 years Casa Armas has been satisfying customers for authentic Spanish food cravings, the same dishes retain those homey, indulgent flavors of Spain we’ve grown to love.

The staff — Rose, Mary Ann and Jocelyn — having savoir-faire, were all warm, apparently enjoying making certain diners have a pleasurable dining experience.

Casa Armas Tapas Bar Y Restaurante,  573 J. Nakpil St. cor. Bocobo St., Malate, Manila. Tel. Nos.: 523 0181 •  536 1839 • 523 5763

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