Dali Restaurante y Bar de Tapas

Dali Restaurante y Bar de Tapas is a newly-established Spanish restaurant, which primarily serves tapas. By the way, to those who are still unfamiliar with tapas (like me when we went here), these are Spanish snacks served either hot or cold.

 
AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

When we arrived at the place, the first thing I noticed was the fountain. I haven’t been to a restaurant with a fountain before so I thought that this was really cool and was definitely a refreshing change from glass walls and doors.

They also have an al fresco dining area, which doesn’t look as airy and vibrant as it is in the morning during the night. I guess this part of the restaurant has a lot of potential and would really look good during the day.

Of note, this place was named after a certain Spanish artist named Salvador Dali and I guess, because of that, the owners of the store decided to give the place an artsy feel by hanging a lot of paintings everywhere.

Apart from being well-decorated, the place was also very clean and everything looked new. However, I didn’t like the floor as it was just concreted in some parts. I would’ve been happier if the floors were tiled or carpeted.

Nonetheless, some parts of the restaurant are really worth noting.  For instance, The dining area has these huge hanging lamps with several candle-shaped bulbs inside, which give the place a Spanish feel.

The lighting, albeit dark, was very classy and warm too. And to our delight, some of the tables looked like barrels.

I believe that the place really had a certain theme. Everything looked Spanish-inspired and even the LCD television is framed as if it’s a painting.

The restroom area looked really unique too with these framed ceramic sculpture of two people dressed in traditional Spanish costumes. 

As this is also a bar, there is a wide selection of wines to choose from. However, I didn’t want to try any as I don’t really drink. I did hear though that their Sangres here are good.

FOOD AND DRINKS

In my opinion, the food here was very satisfactory and filling and all the dishes looked very appetizing. I can say that the establishment really pays close attention to the flavor and appeal of the food. 

French Bread (Complimentary)

At first, they served slices of French bread for free as an appetizer. It also came with a dip, which reminded me of Italianni’s restaurant.

The only difference is that the bread here is tastier and crispier than Italianni’s soggy and bland basket of bread. The salsa-like dip was also very good. I actually wanted another helping of it!

Queso Fresca (P 80.00)

Our first tapas for the day is the Queso Fresca, which is composed of Spanish farmer’s cheese with some basil and paprika, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

I’m not a fan of cheese but this was really good. It’s weird but every bite of this cheese made me feel so light and happy, I really had to smile. I think I now understand the meaning of “comfort food” after I tasted this.

Croquettas de Pollo (P 85.00)

We also ordered some Croquettas. To those who do not know what this food is, Croquettas is a small fried roll with a certain filling. There are many versions of this in Dali’s menu but we chose the chicken version.

This dish came with a dip, which was creamy and delicious and it looked so good with the lemon slice on it. I just felt though that there’s this peculiar fishy taste in the croquettas. I felt like eating tuna and not chicken croquettas.

Callos (P 295.00)

For the main course, we ordered some Callos. This dish is also popular here in the Philippines so, when I saw it on the menu, I ordered it right away. I was so glad I selected this because I thought that, among all the dishes we tried here, this was the best I’ve tasted. I almost ate all of it! It tasted like the tomato-based dishes my grandma used to cook for us when we were small. 

Lengua de Terez (P 300.00)

The second main entree we had was the Lengua de Terez. According to the menu, this is comprised of ox tongue (Lengua), which is braised in sherry sauce with mushrooms and olives. It also came with green beans and some mashed potatoes.

Honestly, the presentation of this dish was the most appealing aspect of this food but the taste, to me, was so-so. It was good at first because it tasted different but eventually, I started to taste more of the sherry flavor, which was really overwhelming. And it doesn’t come with rice! Of course, I’d understand that because I’m in a Spanish restaurant but I feel as if no meal is complete without rice. 

Plain Rice (P 40.00)

Hence, being an obligate ricevore and unable to order their specialty rice dishes (as they’re mainly composed of shrimps and I have seafood allergy), I had to order a cup of plain rice. As expected, this tasted like regular rice. There was nothing special here apart from the green herbs on top. This one looked plain (Duh, that’s why it’s plain rice!).

Garlic Rice (P 50.00)

The garlic rice was a different story though. This rice dish had more toasted garlic than Shang-ri La Hotel’s and it was very delicious too. What’s also noticeable is that it wasn’t very oily, which was actually good. I felt satisfied with this one but I still am sad that I wasn’t able try out the Paella.

Churros con Chocolate (P 135.00)

Finally, for dessert, we tried the Churros con Chocolate. This one’s divine. Just look at the plating! It was also served hot but because I had to take a lot of pictures of it, it got cold before we were able to eat everything! 

This one’s just a regular Churro (Spanish doughnut) which comes with a chocolate dip. It was so delicious, especially if dipped in the chocolate, but I advise that you consume this right away as it is not as good when cold.

SERVICE AND OVERALL SATISFACTION

The service here was fast and the waiters were so efficient. They served us water even if we’re not asking for it, they provided an extra seat for my friend’s bag, they seated us away from those who were drinking during the night, and they took photos of me and my friend when we asked them. 

It was a delightful experience and I hope it’s not just because  there were only very few customers when we ate here.

VALUE FOR MONEY

The food here is not really very cheap. The tapas are quite affordable but the serving size is small as they’re meant to be eaten as snacks only. However, the service was very good and the Callos was fantastic so I guess there still is some value for money here.

FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 4/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 5/5

Value - 3/5

TOTAL - 4/5

Dali Restaurante y Bar de Tapas

(02) 928 0971

40 E. Lopez Drive Cor. Sgt. Esguerra

Quezon City

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