Calderon - Niles

Calderon has been our go-to for Spanish food, especially whenever my family and I have dinner in our grandmother's house. Oftentimes, someone picks up a tray or two of their paella, and all these years, they haven't failed us. Our favorites include the Paella Valencia, a seafood paella filled to the brim with rice and a medley of seafood— mussels and shrimp— plus veggies like peas, peppers and beans. Not a fan though of peas, so I always move those away. But I do like how the seafood is always well-cooked. Springy but not rubbery. The rice is flavorful, with touches of tomato and saffron to it, though I personally would like it tenfold if it had some socarrat (tutong) at the bottom for that crunch. The Truffle Paella is another crowd favorite. It's fragrant too, and you really get the Truffle flavors to go with the mushrooms and asparagus. Rice is soft, tasty and moist. Not dry, as all good paellas are. The Gambas on the other hand is sinfully divine. Delightfully oily and garlicky, the shrimps get most of the essence in its soft and tender meat. I love that it's always cooked just right, and seasoned properly so it isn't too salty nor is it bland. Plus, I often save the oily garlic stuff to add to my paella and dare I say, best combo ever?!

Although I am fairly new to Spanish cuisine, I can tell that their food is really good. Zomato gave us complimentary beef salpicao which for me, was really really good. Their paella is alright but on the small side while other tapas were very good. Nice steal for their pitcher of sangria as well!

Found this place pricey BUT the taste is so much worth it. Though the serving for the both gambas and salpicao are quite small, the quality speaks for itself especially the salpicao. It has tenderloin pieces that’s marinated perfectly. Both gambas and salpicao has a lot of chopped garlic, never mind that I smelled like kitchen after eating because of all the garlic intake. The garlic is also loaded with garlic. Definitely going back for more. Continued post: Seldom I visit a restaurant twice or thrice in a row. And the 1st time I tried @calderontapas , I knew that I will definitely be back anytime soon. I fell in love with their #BeefSalpicao that’s very tender and tasty and garlicky, also their #Gambas which was as garlicky as well. On my next visit, I tried their #Lengua which was swimming in mushroom sauce (swimming in sauce is how I describe dishes that I love, not just in gravy or little sauce, but “SWIMMING” in lots of sauce. Hahaha), #CallosAlaMadrileña whose tripes were exquisitely tender, #DinamitaFritas which literally exploded in my mouth with greenchilis filled with Chistorea and cream cheeseand #MejillonesConSofrito (mussels in tomato-herb-garlic-olive oil sauce). All these dishes, I unregretfully ate with their #garlicrice which I also love. On my next visit, I will definitely try their famous #Paella. Price-wise, quite expensive, but once you try their dishes, you will know that every peso spent is definitely worth it. #whattoeatph #foodie #foodgasm #igfood #foodlover #foodtrip #foodstagram #yummyph #instafood #saansaph #spanishfood #salpicao #gambas #dynamite #lengua #callos #mejillones #garlicrice

This cozy restaurant in the heart of Salcedo Village truly reflects its community: classy and laid-back. The furniture, lighting, and scents wafting from the kitchen transport you to a world of powerful spices and intense emotions. But for all the trappings of the place, the true star of the show is the food. I particularly enjoyed the mouth-watering lengua and sweat-inducing gambas y chorizo. It was truly a celebration of food. I'll definitely go back, especially since Zomato Gold gives me a 1+1 deal on food, turning a relatively meager food budget into an excellent meal.

I super duper looove their paellas! It is a cozy hole-in-the-wall with great food and sangrias too. Their menu is quite limited but every item is worth a try.