Last Thursday, Gus surprised me at the office by popping into the elevator on my way down. Apparently, he was already waiting for me outside, I just didn't know so I didn't look for him. I was so surprised when he barged into the elevator as it was closing. After a ton of hugs and awws, we got off the 2nd floor and walked around.
He was having a really bad day so I decided to feed [have lunch with] him. We walked around SM North Edsa for a while, looking at stuff, at the same time, scouting for a good place to eat at. We went through all three SM buildings -- The Block, Main Mall, and Annex, before finally deciding to eat at Las Paellas in SM Annex. I figured he'd probably want some clam chowder to relieve him of the negativity he was feeling since he really likes clam chowder. I wish we'd eaten at The French Baker instead. Read through for the why.
When we arrived at the restaurant, we were given a booth. We looked at the menu again to finalize what we were ordering. Since it took us a while to decide, we first ordered some soup since we both had decided on that earlier. Gus ordered Clam Chowder in Sourdough Bread, while I ordered their French Onion Soup.
When we finally decided on our main course, it took quite some time for one of the waiters to get to us. When he finally did, we ordered Roasted Black Angus for Gus, and Chicken Al Ajillo for me.
It was a good thing we ordered the soup first since we were a bit hungry already. A few minutes after placing our orders for the main course, our soups arrived. One of the good things about our soup was that it was really hot. It's soup, it's supposed to be hot, but I've had experiences wherein the soup was lukewarm. At first, Gus thought the clam chowder had just one piece of clam. There were other seafood in it like shrimp and oysters, but he didn't taste as much clam in it so he thought it should've been named seafood chowder instead. Thankfully, he found the rest of the clams at the bottom part of the bread bowl. But.. Here comes the bad part. Gus had to ask the waiter to add hot water three (3) times to his soup because it was very salty. I had a taste of the soup too, and I'd have to agree. It was indeed salty. After adding hot water the first time, it was still salty so Gus asked the waiter to add some more until the clam chowder lost its creaminess and had a more broth-ish texture. The good news is, it wasn't salty anymore. :) We also thought the clam chowder was a bit overpriced. At P118 for just the soup, plus an additional P58 for the bread bowl, I'd have to say. We've tasted better clam chowder at a cheaper cost.
Clam Chowder
(P176)
My French Onion Soup was a delight. It was covered in bread and oozing mozzarella cheese. It was also very hot. The cheese was melted every time I took a sip of it. It, together with the bread, neutralized the strong flavor of the soup. Just the right combination for any French Onion Soup. Only if.. It wasn't that salty. Yes, my soup was also very salty. It was just less noticeable to a level because it had cheese and bread in it, enough to cover some saltiness. But as I took a sip of just the soup itself, it was oozing with flavorful spices and a ton of salt. It really was good soup, if only it weren't that salty. >.<
French Onion Soup
(P118)
The Chicken al Ajillo was good. The sauce complimented the breaded chicken cutlets, and the chicken was tender. The vegetables on the side also complimented the chicken but, the breading was too salty! I found chicken pieces without and/or less breading and it tasted so good with the sauce and hot rice. The other chicken pieces with a lot of breading, not so much. All you can taste is the saltiness of the breading. You'd have to "skin" the chicken pieces to enjoy the whole dish and prevent your kidneys from failing due to the saltiness.
Chicken al Ajillo Meal
(P158)
Gus's Roasted Black Angus was also like my chicken dish. The beef was tender, the presentation was okay, but it was also very salty. And for P238, I recommend you get the meal instead. The meal is a bit smaller in quantity, but it is enough to fill you. Plus, it comes with a free glass of iced tea at P158 only. The regular serving is just a bit bigger than the meal, nothing special.
Roasted Black Angus
(P238)
We don't know if the chef had a problem that day but everything was just salty. The soup, the food. Good thing our iced teas weren't salty. Even the waiters in the place looked salty. They definitely weren't at their best serving the customers -- no smile, no politeness. Our waiter even asked if we wanted to bill out already, we weren't even done yet! Whew. The worst part was.. We saw this big spider slowly coming down from the ceiling, hanging on its web! Gaaaah! Gus and I are terrified of spiders. You could just imagine the look on our faces when we saw that thing hanging midair.
This lunch out was definitely a downer. It didn't help Gus feel better at all. Heck, it made me feel bad. I think we just wasted 3/4 of a thousand to crappy food and service. They say there's a first time for everything, right? Well, here's our first experience at some crappy food. I feel really bad. The food had so much potential but the saltiness just ruined everything.
To the management of Las Paellas, SM Annex, if you do get to read this, please address our concerns above. You really have great food but the saltiness level is just too much. Also, please train your attendants to be quick-to-respond, respectful, and cheerful. Good service is always a plus in every dining experience. :)
Price Range: P300-350/person
2.25 out of 5 for Las Paellas
Las Paellas Cafe
2nd Level, SM City North EDSA - Annex,
SM City North EDSA
North Avenue cor. EDSA
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Phone Number: (63 2) 332-2966Contact details courtesy of: http://food.clickthecity.com/b/HQ32913
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