Dinner at Corazon

¡HOLA! Come estas? 

Me llamo John Contreras. Vivo en la cuidad de Pasig. Tengo veinte y _____ anos. Estudio en la Universidad de santo Tomas.

We often take for granted the things that are so close to us and sometimes we forget these and take no importance of it.

A little bit of history.

Philippines is a former spanish colony in the far east which was Re-Discovered by Ferdinand Magellan (a Portuguese explorer). Magellan carry the flag of Spain because the Queen and King of Portugal at that time didn't believe that the world is round and so Magellan went to the King and Queen of Spain for blessing. He traveled towards west until he is able to cross the pacific and thus arriving to the shores of Cebu.

"Re-Discovered" 

Historians (Including myself) presented evidences that Philippines before Spaniards arrived have a organized government system, clothing, art, trading system, etc. and at that time, Islam is introduced from the south which spread out in many parts of the archipelago.

Food

Food is also a source of history. It's something that historians and archaeologists take into account aside from text, oral traditions, and visual art. Although it is not common, I like this method especially when I made a paper about the Indigenous People of Ibaloi in the North.

So what thus this means? Sadly many Filipinos do not know the origin of our local food, all we know is adobo, sinigang, dinuguan, and many more. 

Fast forward to the present. Filipino-Spanish cuisine is somewhat hard to find here in Manila, it's always Filipino or Spanish rarely on Filipino-Spanish fusion. 

Corazon (Co-ra-thon) 

corazon means heart in spanish.

My Dad is a food lover as I am he's more adventurous in food tasting than I am. One day, he brought me to Corazon and bragging how good their Paella Valenciana. 

(grabbed from their website)

(grabbed from their website)

Picture this, the resto has that filipino-spanish-mediterranean ambiance and funky artistic visual pieces.

Chorizo Filipino (w/o egg) P 310. Normally I don't like oily and fatty dishes but this chorizo dish is an exception. I like how the chorizo is not salty and chewy. This chorizo is very nice and I would say it's not the usual chorizo that you eat at many restaurants and buy at some grocery stores.

Btw, the chorizo dish comes with pan de sal (local bread)

Paella Valenciana (P595) Shrimp, egg, squid, mussels, fish fillet, chicken, pork, chorizo, and vegetables. As far as I know, Paella consist of rabbit meat instead of pork or chicken. The rice is sticky and very very tasty, The grain is small rounded type which is not common here in manila. All the meat are cooked well and taste so good. Don't you think their paella dish is so appetizing? although it may not as good as we see in TV but hey, it's yummy! 

Paella originated from the province of valencia in spain and during the spanish colonization, the spaniards introduced this dish to the filipinos and altered some of the ingredients like rabbit.

Castellano (P685) Crispy Pata / Pork Knuckes is very popular among Filipinos since it is part of every festivity just like spaghetti or ice cream. The meat is soooo tender and soft, It's surprisingly not oily and it so crispy!!! One of the best crispy pata in town! 

Did you know that cirspy pata is developed during the culinary rage of  the 1970s ? up to this time crispy pata is very famous because it is good with rice or even as a pulutan for beer.

So my dear friends, every local dish has it's story and that is something we do not know. Honestly, I'm guilty that I do not know many of the important facts of Philippine History. All the rich culture and important values are sometimes hidden in a dish and for all we know family treasures, love stories, and even life stories are embedded in that dish.

Corazon is that restaurant you could dine over and over again. Crew are amazing! very attentive and great service, they will gladly assist you with your requests and on top of that, their FOOD IS AMAZING. Don't you love it when you are able to discover a restaurant filled with great crew, good food, and rich in history. 

Corazon 

9.8 out of 10

Website

4th Level, East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City