Txanton — Restaurant in Makati

A pet peeve for me now is the growing list of spanish restaurants whose claim to authenticity is a designated Spaniard at the front of the house. Since said man or woman is there, it allows said restaurant to jack up their prices, and at the same time lower their levels of quality, portions and even their service. You know which restaurants i’m talking about.

Fortunately Txanton rises above all of this. It doesn’t strive to be classy. It just is. This shrine to everything Jamon and delicious, will provide you with such an incredible dining experience. From the walls up on walls of wine bottles, to the various racks of ham, to even the huge humidor of cigars, to the impeccable service by the knowledgeable staff this place screams.. Sorry “whispers in a subdued tone” elegance.

But hey lets get on to the food. Let me get this out of the way: its bloody expensive, and rightly so. If you peek through the kitchen doors from the private tasting room, you will see this big bearded spanish man in chefs white, hard at work on your meal. No time to schmooze with the guests, he’s too busy making the best food that he can from his homeland. That’s the way it should be. Along with the ingredients, that’s where your money should be going, and it does.

Last night we started with the soup and the salad. Lets just say the various soups on the menu were so good, our whole party ordered seconds. The salmorejo, the sopa de ajo and the seafood soup (whose name escapes me). Man… The salad was also delicious with bits of crispy jamon to brighten the simple dish. The beef cheeks with the rice is already off the menu but worth requesting. incredibly tender meat matched with a fried rice using the same variant you have in paellas.

Don’t forget to go for the sampler of jamon, you will not regret finding the various nuances between the different pieces, as the staff explains to you which region it is from, and what the pigs diet was of which specific acorns.. The scrambled eggs with pork “sisig” was so subtle, fluffy and divine. The potatoes with pork which was also a delight. Yes you see the trend with the porky stuff. This is the high temple of swine. You should all bow your heads in reverence.

Ask your server to match all this goodness with the right bottle of wine. I would tell you mine but I’m being selfish and they might run out. Find your own darn favorite!

End with the glorious cheesecake. It was ethereal in its lightness but incredibly moist. Nothing like the Japanese perfection you are used too which is fluffy and sweet. This is just right in all of its attributes.

Bottom line: Go! But go for a special occasion, because the bill will hurt. Oh baby but it will...

My wife and I had high expectations for a good dinner when we contacted to make a reservation. When we were first shown to our seats and ordered six types of jamon and wine tasting, we asked if we could eat together. When our server asked if we wanted to order just this, we added that after tasting this, we would order the other main meals. However, the woman who served us said that we had to order two because the amount of wine was small, so we accepted and understood that we were ordering two wine sets. However, this was our misunderstanding (or her ruse), and only later did we find out that this was a complete set of 2 sets of 6 kinds of jamon and wine. When we felt strange and asked if this was a set of 2 jamon, only then did she reply that they do not sell wine sets separately. We are deprived of access to a variety of meals. We visited to hear about and try a variety of TXANTON's excellent meals, but we are very disapointed that our wonderful dinner was ruined by our ordering of duplicate jamon's. We ended up eating too much salty and greasy jamon, and it's difficult to replace a meal with just this. As a result, this was very disappointing with the server response you would expect from a good restaurant like TXANTON. However, since the taste of the jamon and the wine itself was as good as said, I am more disappointed and curious about the other main dishes. If there had been sufficient explanation and suggestions, I would have been satisfied by tasting a full bottle of quality wine and two or three additional main dishes instead of two sets of...

I love going to Txanton because it is one of the few Spanish restaurants that maintains the authenticity of its cuisine.

Their menu is extensive, always offering something new to try. I particularly love their new room, where they showcase the meats and cheeses—it’s a wonderful addition. The other side of the restaurant, where they store the wine, can be too cold due to the need to preserve it properly.

Here’s what we ordered: • Salmorejo: A refreshing and delicious dish. I would have loved a bit more jamón and some boiled egg as toppings, but it’s still a solid 5/5. • Carpaccio de Presa Ibérica: A beautifully balanced, healthy, and refreshing dish. Highly recommended. • Pulpo a la plancha: Served with a smooth purée and the full legs of the octopus. The portion size is very generous. • Tortilla de patatas: Almost perfect. It could have used just a touch more salt, but otherwise, it was fantastic. A recommended dish. • Costillas de cerdo Ibérico (Iberian Pork Ribs): Outstanding. The portion size is generous, the plating is beautifully done, and the flavor is excellent. The ribs are cooked to order, and the meat is incredibly tender. Highly recommended.

Overall, the experience was excellent. Txanton continues to impress with its commitment to authenticity...