Timeless & traditional

After 31 years, La Tienda is still everybody’s favorite Spanish place

Text by Dolly Dy-Zulueta

Food trends come and go, but classics remain. Authentic Spanish cuisine, prepared the good oldfashioned way, without scrimping on ingredients, will never lose its charm. Even though a number of young chefs and restaurateurs like to tweak traditional dishes, including Spanish classics, to come up with something new and hip, there are still places like La Tienda that serves authentic Spanish cuisine.

La Tienda, which recently celebrated its 31st anniversary this month, was established by Raul Urra, whose father hailed from the northern Spanish region of Navarra and migrated to the Philippines when he was a young man. Urra, who was born in the Philippines, spent his formative years in Spain, where he learned and loved Spanish food, so much that, when he returned to the Philippines, he resolved to share the tradition of good food with Filipinos. He set up a small kitchen and a few tables on the ground floor of his office along P. Burgos St. in Makati City, where he started cooking and entertaining friends. “That idea took root to become a jovial gathering place for his core group and, through the years, grew popular to an ever widening circle of customers as word spread that great traditional Spanish cuisine was served in this little corner in Makati,” explains La Tienda restaurant manager Marta Uriarte, Urra’s granddaughter.

Boquerones, marinated anchovy fillets

Gambas al ajillo, shrimps in olive oil and garlic

What sets La Tienda apart from other Spanish restaurants is that it has kept things simple and traditional. The dishes on its menu are heavily influenced by regional cuisines, particularly the Basque region.

Uriarte suggests starting with tapas, which are small plates of delicious appetizers traditionally enjoyed in bars with a drink or two before dinnertime. Some diners have even substituted them to main courses.

Must-try tapas are tortilla de patatas (Spanish potato omelette), which has three variants—tuna, chorizo and sardines—chistorria frita (pan-fried Navarra paprika sausage), pulpo a la gallega (traditional Galician sliced octopus dish), and solomillo con Roquefort (beef tenderloin with Roquefort sauce).

Paella de mariscos, saffron rice with seafood

So many paellas to choose from

After filling up on tapas, it is time for paella. La Tienda’s best-selling variant has always been paella negra, where saffron rice is cooked in squid ink with squid, clams or mussels, and shrimps, then served with garlic mayonnaise. It is a onedish meal that is truly divine. The restaurant has seven paella variants available. Aside from paella negra, choices include paella mixta de la Tienda (chicken, pork, Spanish sausage and seafood), paella de verduras (vegetarian), paella de adobo (pork and chicken), paella de bacalao (salted cod fish and artichoke), paella de mariscos (shrimps, squid, clams or mussels, and sea crab), and paella bogavante (lobster seafood).

Should diners want to order entrees, the possibilities are endless. Familiar dishes include pollo al ajillo, bacalao a la vizcaina, calamares en su tinta, salpicado, callos con garbanzos, lengua estofado, cochinillo asado, pig knuckles (boiled or crispy), chuleton (Angus rib eye), and lamb chops (grilled and served with pimiento pequillo).

Chistorria frita, pan-fried Navarra paprika sausages

Thirty years and counting…

For a restaurant to last this long and still command a good following, the food must be really good. “We occasionally introduce new and modern Spanish dishes, and these can be found in our Specials board. We also have secret dishes that many of our regulars know about and order when they visit. Generally, though, La Tienda has remained traditional to the core, a place where you can enjoy good food and feel at home,” says Uriarte.

La Tienda is at 43 Polaris St., Bel-Air, Makati City.