Stuffed, Spanish Style

Been meaning to go to the Recto area to try this hole-in-the-wall Spanish resto called Ambos Mundos, which Jeryc (a.k.a. Gail) recommended. Haven't had the time, but I did get my fill of Spanish food yesterday at Splendido Taal. Had an event where we were fed a degustacion meal. We arrived a bit late and didn't quite get what "degustacion" meant, but at the end of it I figured it meant indigestion. We were stuffed!

From what I could gather, "degustacion" is a "tasting" meal, wherein you are given small portions of all these dishes to try. Doesn't sound so intimidating until you read the menu and find out that they'll be serving 17 courses! They were divided into seven sets, plus dessert:

First set
Batido de Sardinas (whipped cheee and Spanish sardines) -- excellent! I loved loved loved it! It was this pâté served with thin and crunchy pieces of bread.
Lacon (cooked boiled leg of ham dusted with Spanish paprika)

Second set
Pescado al Penalti (pan-fried fillet of white fish on mashed potato with chicken broth garlic and parsley)
Alcachofas Infanta Leonor (artichokes heart sauteed with garlic and chorizo)

Third set (Didn't get to try this though, so in reality we had "only" 15 courses)
Croquettas de Bacalao (fresh milk balls of salted cod viscaina style)
Gambas de la Esquina (sauteed shrimp with tamarind butter and basil)

Fourth set
Tigres Mijelleones (baked stuffed mussels sauteed with chorizo shrimp and crab fat)
Chorizo Splendido (pan-fried homemade chorizo)

Fifth set
Gambas de chef (sauteed shrimps with garlic and parsley) -- Issa liked this.
Callos de la Abuela (ox tail and ox tripe stew cooked the old-fashioned way) -- Coni liked this.

Sixth set
Sopa Seca (dried garlic soup baked eith egg yolk)
Ensalada de Pescado Dona Cecile (fish, apple, and pineapple salad)

Seventh set
Cuchinillo Frito (roasted marinated suckling pig) -- Chopped up the traditional Spanish way--using the edge of a plate! Then our host and the chef said a traditional Spanish saying (beginning with "Salud") before breaking the plate.
Paella ala Cristina (Spanish rice dish with seafood and meat)

Desserts
Tocino del Cielo (very rich egg yolk custard with caramel sauce) -- yum!
Biscocho de Naranja (traditional orange cake with candied orange peel)
Decadent Chocolate Cake (very rich and moist flourless chocolate cake with butterscotch sauce) -- Very rich and moist indeed!

After the meal, there was a raffle, and then we moved to another part of the clubhouse for...merienda! There were empanaditas which I didn't try, and Migas con Chocolate which looked mouth-watering. It looked like bread soaked in a bowl of chocolate soup, so I was expecting something like churros. Put a spoonful in my mouth and discovered it had meat in it! That was...interesting. I think it would've been better if the chocolate had been bitter or if it had been that Mexican chili kind. But it was really sweet chocolate, and the meat tasted like chorizo. And since we weren't warned, it was a bit...surprising.

All in all, one of my most memorable meals. But I won't be going to Ambos Mundos anytime soon!

Ate all of this for lunch! Had to skip dinner that night. Really.
Pics courtesy of Issa. Last pic is of the meat camouflaged in chocolate!