Late Lunch at Taberna Barcelona Tapas Y Vino

After our DFA appointment last Wednesday, the Boss and I headed to SM Megamall because: 1. he needed to buy some stuff and 2. I BOUGHT MY NEW PHONE! (insert wide grin here). It totally changed my mood after a disastrous morning at the DFA and that deserves another post.

After finishing our errands, we decided to grab a quick bite before going home to rest. We were feeling bloated from all the coffee since the start of our shift (yes, the night before) hunger pangs were seldom throughout the day. I just wanted to have a good salad before sleeping and we chanced upon Taberna Barcelona Tapas Y Vino at the Atrium wing of SM Megamall. It was already 3 in the afternoon and we had the restaurant all to ourselves. Tarpolines of their dishes adorn the glass walls and paintings and clay plates on the interiors. The place was well-lit and their bar has different bottles of wine. I tested my phone and used its camera for all the pictures below.

Once we sat down, the waitress immediatly gave us their menu. Their dishes are all Spanish specialties. Paellas, lenguas, tapas, boards of cold cuts, olives and cheese etc. We were not that hungry so I settled for their Salad de Barcelona which is the one with white wine vinaigrette (one of my favorite dressings) and the Boss had Gambas ala Jillo and a bottle of beer. While waiting, they gave us a complimentary basket of bread with a Pico de Gallo - like dip. The bread tasted like it's been in their shelves for days. Not even warm.

The bread with the dip wasn't good. This is the first time I ever saw a restaurant pair bread with tomatoes. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar is better. The Gambas Ala Jillo followed soon which kinda surprised me. I was expecting for my salad first.


Gambas Ala Jillo - P250

I was in total shock when this little clay container arrived. I didn't expected it to be this small for it's hefty price tag. There were exactly 8pcs. of shrimps swimming in the olive oil and white wine reduction with a confetti of garlic and slices of green chili. But it was tasty and savory. I dipped my bread in the sauce instead. The shrimps were tender but very small. We were almost finished and we're still waiting for my salad. How long does it take to assemble a salad? I was assuming it will have a lot of greens, feta cheese, olives, tomatoes and cucumbers in it like what the menu described. We did a follow up before it arrived. (Sorry forgot to desaturate the color for this picture)

Salad de Barcelona - P350 for sharing

Another shocker. Iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers, few pices of olives and a crumble of cheese. The dressing was not white wine vinaigrette. It was creamy and tasted like whipped mayonnaise. The tangy, sweet and sour flavor was missing! Not a dash of salt and pepper too! I asked the waitress what kind of dressing it was and she insisted it was made of white wine vinegar. She also volunteered and asked their chef and came back to me with the same answer. I am a fan of salads and I eat it practically everyday at home so I know what a vinaigrette is and its difference from ceasar, thousand island, honey mustard, blue cheese, tahini etc. So to cut it short, I was extremely disappointed. Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's Greek Salad was way better.

I also did my research to make sure and please feel free to let me know if I am wrong. I found this white wine vinaigrette recipe and that's just way I do it! And this is how it should look: