When you enter Bar Pintxos Tapas Y Mas, an Alabang establishment specializing in Spanish snacks called pintxos, don’t expect a dainty dinner. Instead, ready your hands, come with a carb-hungry appetite, and grab a friend or two. A pintxos night shouldn’t be spent alone.
Sorry, excitement over these meats and breads precede what you might want to know first: “What are pintxos, anyway?”
For starters, this is Spain’s answer to the French hors d’oeuvre. It’s a small snack eaten in bars, popular in northern Spain particularly in the Basque country and Navarre. Now someone who goes for pintxos goes with friends: Eating this miniature grub means socializing amid picking out toothpicks from slices of bread and using them to stab the next snack of choice.
In a country like the Philippines where people are used to massive plates during social gatherings, you have to give this restaurant’s small servings a chance. They may seem modest, but true to their Basque roots, these dishes manage to give the locals big, bold flavors in little bites. Although gratifyingly simple, it’s possible to feel satisfied and full after a few rounds.
The restaurant appears humble, with Spanish imports lining its small, cold shelf and its specials written on a chalkboard that hangs from the wall. Even its main culinary brain and owner Mig Vecin displays as much humility as the interiors.
“I’m just a cook. A kusinero. I just love to cook. In our business, we import legs of ham. We slice it. We pack it. We send it to groceries and restaurants. All the scraps that are left behind, I would make a pintxo out of it,” he says.
You may first feast on the Gildas, the most famous one off the list. “[It’s] made of anchovy, olives, and pickled peppers. It’s what started all these pintxos in the north of Spain,” Mig explains.
Next, try the Escalivada that’s made of roasted pepper, eggplant, onion, anchovy, and a little balsamic vinegar. “It’s not Basque but a typical Catalan dish.” Add to that is another bestseller—a shocker to Mig—the Jamon-Allioli. “We just invented this. It’s just jamon Serrano and allioli. We just mixed it. It’s the simplest thing to do, but everyone loves it,” he tells.
For those who’d like to return to the familiar, pintxos aren’t the only ones available off the menu. There are the usual dishes like Gambas al Ajillo, Tortilla Patatas Chorizo, Pulpo a la Gallego, Chopito Frito, and the Chorizo Frito. Of course, all these tiny Spanish dishes wouldn’t be complete without vino. The bar serves special sangria that’s made with brandy and soda, and is set aside overnight to seep the fruits’ flavors.
If that doesn’t sound like a good breather, we don’t know what is.
Bar Pintxos Tapas Y Mas. G/F Gesu Building, Don Jesus Blvd., Alabang, Muntinlupa City. (02) 831-0065. For more information, visit their website.
Source: Beverly Dalton for Southern Living, “A Pintxo of This,” September 2015.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Segovia
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