Corazon, Philippines

 Continuing on with this foodie-posts streak I've been having the past few days, here's my next stop in this holiday's food trip! I present to you, Corazon, a 'filipino-hispano cuisine' restaurant founded by chef Florabel Co-Yatco. They're located in the East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza Mall (4th floor) in Mandaluyong City. Again, this was recommended by my parents, so who was I to object?

According to its website, the cuisine is reminiscent of traditional grandmother-cooked meals so if you want a taste of good ol' Filipino cooking, this is the place to go. And I don't doubt that one bit.

Cabeza (P325) - fried calamari with romesco sauce and sweet chili sauce. Eat this, and you will not stop. They are so addicting, especially when you dip them in the romesco sauce!!!

My all-time favourite dish from Corazon: the Paella Negra (P495) - squid, squid ink and fish fillet with garlic aioli. I'd never been one to eat paella negra (particularly cause once you put a spoon full of it in your mouth, your teeth and lips go all black cause of the ink), but this trumps all the ones I've tried. It's so creamy and savoury that I could eat this by itself and be content. There could be a little more squid and fish fillet pieces, but I can't really complain. In fact, I may be able to finish half the plate by myself given the chance. Damn, I'm salivating badly as I write this... So, so mouth-watering(ly) good! And I don't even mind having a black-inked mouth after eating this dish sent from heaven. Must-try!

Yum yum yum...

Ciudad Real (P395) - lechon kawali (fried pork) with laing. I mainly ate this for the laing, which is made from dried taro and coconut milk. It's sooo good, and again, paired with the paella negra? Heaven. *drool* And don't worry about the little chili bits, it's not uber spicy, but it does give the dish a bit of a kick (normal for laing, so you know, it's a package deal).

Per my mom's suggestion, I tried out their Quezo de Bola cheesecake. Now, I do love my cheesecakes, but this one didn't sit right with me, mainly because the Quezo de Bola taste (think extreme cheddar) is so strong. I prefer my cheesecakes more light and sweet, and this one just screamed hard-core cheese to me. Not to say that it's not good, but you know, it's not something I'd go for. But hey, gotta try something new now and then right? If strong cheese tastes are your thing, go for this one! My parents love it.

Update: About a week later, we had a get-together with a few friends who also used to live in Vietnam, and of course, off to Corazon we went! This time round I was able to try more of their dishes, but apologies though - I kept forgetting to whip out the camera to take photos of them before we devoured them! Woops...

Ensaladang Manilena (P240) - salad with tomatoes, mangoes, onions and bagoong (shrimp paste). I didn't try this one myself, but I was told that it tasted really good, so if you're a fan of simple salads (and anything with bagoong), try it out.

Bernardo (P495) - beef salpicao (salad) with beef tenderloin sautéed in garlic and olive oil, served with a basket of pan de sal (bread). You don't necessarily need to eat it with the pan de sal, but there's something totally Filipino about pairing the two together (note - we like to eat bread with anything: pasta, ice-cream, dinuguan, etc. You name it, we probably eat it with bread too).

Torres (P350) - fried tilapia with mango sauce. This, paired with paella negra, is ah-mazing! It just brings out that seafood taste even more in the paella and the combination of garlic aioli and mango sauce is pretty tasty too.

We also ordered the Cabeza, Paella Negra (again), Ortega (ox-tail kare kare), Castellano (crispy pata - a must try Filipino dish!) and Ciudad Real (again, LOL!) Could not get enough of the paella negra again so you know, I definitely enjoyed that.

We also ventured off to try new desserts, and I am in love with the Mango Torte! Mango, cream and graham crackers? Mhmmm.... love love love! I recommend this way more than the Quezo de Bola cheesecake if subtle sweetness and creaminess is more of your thing. Fun fact, one of our friends actually suggested we eat the mango torte and quezo de bola cheesecake together (as in, one bite of each at the same time) and damn, it was good. The combination of fruity sweetness and cheesy bitterness is pretty awesome, so do try that out too! My life has never been the same since that discovery...

Check out the rest of their menu here! Even the menu is uber colourful and gorgeous!

Price-wise, definitely worth it, especially since you can't go wrong with the food here. You can get your Filipino cuisine fix here, and heck, you may not want to leave. The ambience and decorations are also pretty top-notch, with the bright colours and little Filipino quirks like the ice-cream by the front of the restaurant. The staff is also pretty great, and they are more than willing to make recommendations that, man, they aren't wrong about. Hospitality, food and ambience? You will definitely not forget you're in the Philippines.

Corazon can get quite busy and because large groups do tend to reserve tables, I'd recommend you drop by just before peak hours so a) you get a table and b) you don't have to wait long for your food to arrive. Not to say that waiting times are uber long, but you know, if you're absolutely starving and can't wait to chow down on some Pinoy classics, well, come early.

Happy discovering!