Terraza Martinez — Restaurant in Taguig

One of the best restaurants in Manila hands down! Food - This was a 10/10 lunch. We were literally BLOWN away by most of the dishes.

🌟 The salmon bomb really delivered. Bold, layered flavors that lived up to the name. ⭐️ The carpaccio of trout was pristine and fresh, with every ingredient contributing to the balance. It served. ⭐️ The baby eel with egg carried a lovely smokiness that made it rich yet comforting. ⭐️ The spinach, gorgonzola, and onion croquette was so satisfying, the onion gave a really sharp lift to the earthy filling inside a really crispy shell. ⭐️ The scallop was perfectly cooked, tender and soft, though a little less garlic would have let its natural sweetness shine. ⭐️ The gambas rivalled what I had in Spain but my friend said it was the best gambas she’s ever had. For me, a firmer sear would have added more texture and elevated the sweetness of the shrimp more. ⭐️ The one-piece seafood ravioli was a highlight, it had a delicate exterior and really delicious filling with a great aftertaste. ⭐️ I liked the apple crumble a ton! It was light, crispy, and fresh 🍎

Overall, the meal was just outstanding 🤯.

What we’d skip next time:

The Iberico Ham Croquette was tasty but less memorable than the other dishes. The Paella with Meat and Marrow was hearty, but the flavor reminded us too much of Pepper Lunch. Next time we’d go for the Paella Negra instead~ The lava cake was OK, I hate to say it didn’t taste so far from other lava cakes. The cheesecake was really good too, but it lacked something cold like ice cream.

Atmosphere 💙 The space is spotless, with design details that feel intentional and refined. I loved the color palette choice shared across everything - from the plates to the way the walls were painted. The whole place gives off an affluent, coastal European vibe with a touch of Balinese warmth. The energy feels really relaxed but so elevated. 🫶🏽

Service 🙌 Staff were genuinely friendly and attentive, which added a lot to the experience. We came around lunchtime on a Saturday and found a table inside easily.

I’d definitely come back!!! Can’t wait to try their...

TOO EXPENSIVE. Price for me does not align with the food and service I experienced

There are many things that need a lot of improvement on and I have not experienced the best service that this restaurant can provide.

Gambas Al Ajillo. This is served with complimentary bread but I felt I was deprived when I asked for a couple of more just to devour the umami from aiole. We were told we need to order another set of Gambas to receive a bread. At worth php 680 for 6/7pcs of gambas, I dont think asking for some couple of bread is too much. Customer satisfaction and retention should be number 1.

Paella. Order 2 kinds of Paella: Paella Valenciana con Alcachofas Frescas and Paella de Cangrejo Azul. It says in the menu that each order is good for 2 but seems to be only good for 1 to 1.5 after mixing. The servings looks too much, but can be deceiving. Additional comment to Cangrejo Azul. The restaurant doesnt have any CRAB MALLET. How am I supposed to eat the crab claws when you serve it on top of the cangrejo azul? The restaurant could have offered to open it for us but they didnt go beyond that. Too many meat inside those claws were not eaten and wasted.

Chistorra y Chorizo Picante. This was good but had so much resemblance with Vigan longganisa.

Martinez Nachos. We did not finish, could have been more generous to carnes and cheese.

Churros con Chocolate. Too sugary, it tasted like the local philippine bread bicho bicho. You could have sprinkled powdered milk/cinnamon instead of sugar. That would have made it more authentic.

Almond Gimlet. Ordered this but felt there was something wrong. Instead of almond syrup, I tasted and smelled more of cinnamon. Instead of lime, there was a pipino(cucumber)

Saving grace that I enjoyed were Gambas al Ajillo and Bombon.

The restaurant should see to it customers table (used glasses and plates) are cleared. It was messy for me to see empty glasses still laying on the table.

There was only one toiler for genders. I dont think that was okay given the number of tables and seating capacities of the restaurant. Having only One toilet is so...

Great food, very nice interior, and friendly staff

Would’ve actually given a 5 if it were not for all the iberico entrées being unavailable during our visit (Sunday afternoon). Kinda got disappointed.

But in any case, we enjoyed all the food we ordered:

Bombas de salmon curado y trufa — generous truffle cheese inside the profiteroles; honey works well with the cured salmon giving that sweet and salty taste

Croquette de calamares — this is actually my favorite from all that we ordered. Very savory and unique filling!!

Calamari plancha — cooked right and is paired with a good dip! Since it’s just an appetizer in the menu, the squid is not that big

Paella de vaca — good paella; flavor is nothing extraordinarily distinguishing. We really liked the US hanging tender that comes with the paella though. It was cooked the way we like (pink center!) and goes really well with the paella. Also, as for the quantity of the paella (we all love our rice right hehe), paella serving is good for two but not sufficient for three (and I think that’s okay, just order another one lol)

We also got two iced teas — one peach and the other berries and ginger. Both were good and refreshing!

Service is also good, the waiters do their best to attend to you asap. Thanks also to Ms. Diana for helping us out with our orders.

The restaurant is really nice too! My brother (who I dined with and who does not really give much attention to this) noticed how nice the restaurant interiors are. It gives that beach resort restaurant vibe but elegant and fitted for the city.

We’ll be back to try their other paellas and the hot/cold appetizers. Perhaps the iberico also if...