Going beyond paella

Names can sometimes mislead. You know what they say about a rose, by any other name…

"Names don’t run restaurants, people do," says Ramon del Gallego Jr., owner of Las Paellas Restaurant, to explain the shortened name of his restaurant. It is located at the Timog end of Tomas Morato Ave. in Quezon City, right at the rotunda dedicated to the Boy Scouts after whom the streets in the area were named.

While it retains its Spanish ancestry, Las Paellas today is an improvement of its old self. For one, unlike the usual white walls and red bricks typical of Spanish restaurants, Gallego chose to paint his restaurant’s walls bright red and yellow.

Moreover, the menu is not limited only to Spanish cuisine. Together with paella, cochinillo, callos and lengua, the charming and cozy restaurant, which can easily sit 45 to 50 persons, is also famous for another house specialty, its Than Long crabs. The ongoing "Mucho Caliente" summer lunch buffet promotion features oysters Rockefeller, baked clams and assorted shellfish, as well as chef Roberto Pengson’s éclairs, cream puffs and yema.

A selection of 16 dishes are laid out daily at the buffet table which includes, in addition to those already mentioned, the soup and salad of the day, assorted cold cuts, various croquetas, cochinillo asado (oven-roasted suckling pig, tender on the inside and crackling crisp on the outside), paella Valenciana, pasta, plain rice, seafood of the day, chicken of the day, callos ala Madrileña (stewed ox tripe), lengua Sevillana (stewed ox tongue with mushrooms and olives in rich red wine sauce), and that ever popular traditional Spanish dessert, canonigo. And, as if all that were not enough, you also get your choice of iced tea or fresh fruit shake, all at the reasonable price of P295++.

Most of Las Paellas’ satisfied customers are office workers and executives from various business establishments and the two biggest broadcast networks in the country, as well as families from nearby residences, which characterize the mixed demography of the area. They’ve been coming regularly since Las Paellas opened in 1999, just like the popular actor whom you’d often find seated at his favorite table at one corner of the restaurant. Restaurant manager Ray Lualhati and head waiter Johnny Cruz came from five-star hotels, and it’s the same kind of five-star service that you can expect from them and their staff at Las Paellas.

Despite the ever-growing number of new restaurants along the busy stretch of Tomas Morato Ave., Gallego remains unfazed with the competition.

"I don’t mind the competition," he says. "What’s more important is to mind the restaurant, to constantly improve, to innovate."

And this is where new chef Roberto Pengson expects to make his contribution. Only 22 years old and fresh from his studies at the California Culinary Arts Academy in San Francisco, Pengson brings the type of professionalism and system which he learned in the US to the kitchen of Las Paellas. These may seem like simple things but nonetheless promote efficiency, like the concept of mise en place, for example.

"It simply means, everything in its proper place," Pengson explains. "You don’t put two containers of rock salt side by side, for example. You put them in two separate places where they will be within your reach when you need them. You don’t put onions in the ref, otherwise, everything will smell like onions, including the dessert."

The thing he likes about his kitchen staff – one head cook, three line cooks and two helpers – Pengson says, is "the way they are so passionate about food."

Although they may have had more years of experience than their new chef, in fact, they are still willing and eager to learn something new every day.

"They are interested in the books that I bring to the restaurant," Pengson relates. "These are not just recipe books, but books about the history of certain foods and the scientific side of cooking."

He says he had been cooking since he was six years old, when he used to watch his mom working in the kitchen.

"She studied cooking in Barcelona before she got married," he relates.

Before he left for his studies in the States, he also did some catering.

"Sometimes, I’d cook for a friend and his date whom he’d be courting," he says. "He’d use my cooking to impress his girlfriend."

When he came back from his studies, Pengson remembers the first dish that he prepared for his family was a special lamb dish.

The other thing that impressed Pengson about the restaurant staff is the kind of respect that they have towards the Gallegos. Ramon’s wife, Tricia, is in-charge of catering and also operates two canteens in Alabang.

"It’s respect without fear," Pengson says. "Perhaps, it is also because of the way they treat the staff. They are like our mom and dad. They treat us like family. They listen and are open to new ideas."

Del Gallego was exposed early to the food and service industry, since his father owned and operated a diner called Arnold’s Diner. When he was still in college, studying management in San Beda, he was already a franchisee of a hotdog and a doughnut chain. He does his own sourcing and, recently, he returned from a trip to Gen. Santos City, which is an excellent source of fresh seafood.

"I insist on the freshness of our ingredients," he says. "You can have a simple recipe, but it’s the freshness of the ingredients that spells the big difference in taste."

Pengson adds, "Since the turnaround in our buffet table is fast, you are assured that everything is fresh, especially the seafood."

The "Mucho Caliente" summer lunch buffet promotion at Las Paellas runs until June 15. For reservations and catering inquiries, call 371-45-88 or telefax 850-88-24.