La Collina - Niles

I think it's a relatively new restaurant in the area here serving Spanish and other European food. We started with the Sangria (which they recommended) and it was a good beginning. Also the food tastes quiet yummy.

Ate there at the start of the year. Everything was mouthwatering. We had the fabada, cochinillo and many more. We also had appetizers which I cannot recall anymore. We were a big crowd we ordered a lot and they were all good.

La Collina doesn't only serve good Spanish/Italian food, they serve them as if they are home-cooked which makes you feel like each dish you eat is filled with so much love and that's the kind of restaurant I would always find myself coming back to again and again. At first look, you would assume that La Collina is a Spanish restaurant but they'd beg to differ because their dishes are a mix of Spain and Italy. The greatness of two countries in one place, what more can you ask for? We were first served some sangria. You can choose between red or white wine. I chose the red one but don't pass on the white one because it's actually pretty good and if I could finish two glasses, I'd order one of that as well. The Bruschetta (Php 290.00): had two variants. Some had artichoke and some had eggplant. I preferred the artichoke one because it was creamy but most of the people in our table preferred the eggplant variant. We also had the Blue Crab Ravioli (Php 495.00): which was absolutely superb. I love how the taste of the crab stood out and I don't think that's an easy thing to accomplish because crabs don't really have a strong flavor but in this dish, it was all you could taste and I love that. I can't remember the name of the stew we had but when I do, I'll come back to this review and update it but I just had to mention it because that was one of the most remarkable stews I've ever had. It was the very definition of home-cooked food and I just wanted so much more of it. However, the true highlight here was the Black Pig Cochinillo (Php 1350.00): I am telling you do not pass on this one because this is their specialty. Black pig is well-known to be the best kind of pork meat because of how tasty it is. The skin was so crispy and the meat was so tender, it'd make you go for seconds. My only suggestion is that they should serve this into smaller versions? Probably good for lunch meals or just for smaller tables. You'd also find your favorite desserts here such as the (Php 235.00): which was creamy and had just the right amount of coffee taste. There's also the Panna Cotta (Php 235.00): which everyone loved but I couldn't taste it much after having the tiramisu so a helpful hint would be to eat this first in case you order both. I've been recommending this place to lots of people after I've eaten here mainly because of the cochinillo. If you're feeling like chilling with your friends and going on a wine night with some good food, you should try this place out.

It was so relaxing and homey inside this restaurant. I like how the servers were attentive. It was easy to get their attention. You should try the Paella Mixta and Cochinillo. Their Cochinillo has a soft meat, and salty crispy skin that's easy to cut even just using a spoon. The meat was flavorful as well. Our group also love the White Sangria. The Fabada was hot, soupy, and meaty. It was tasty and I like it. For the desserts, I like their Panna Cotta. Their panna cotta is milky in taste and sweet.

I just had lunch yesterday at La Collina, a 6 month old restaurant serving Spanish/Italian cuisine. I went in early before my lunch companions arrived and had a chance to speak to the co-owner/head chef, Ms Anita and asked for some recommendations since it was my first time there. The nice and great thing about La Collina is that Ms Anita deliberately keep a small menu as she believes in making a few items using the best and fresh ingredients to be awesome as opposed to most eateries having an extensive menu with too many items done just mediocre. The food. We started with the gambas and the plump prawns paired perfectly with the warm slightly toasted bread. We also had the Gazpacho with was so flavorful with the pieces of chorizo sausages that gave it an added flavor dimension and I was soaking the bread to eke out the very last drop of the soup. It was that good. For mains, we had the Paella Mixta which Ms Anita recommend we get the charred bits of the rice at the bottom of the pan and the crunch of these bits with the soft flavorful rice gave it a delightful texture reminiscent of claypot rice I oft have back in Singapore. We also tried the braised lamb shoulder which was so soft you could tear it apart with nary more than a gentle jig of your dining spoon. It was melt in your mouth good with sides of roasted vegetable to accompany the rich flavored of the lamb. We also had to try their Linguine Vingole and It did not disappoint with the generous portions of clams tasting so fresh and sweet albeit I would have liked to have more sauce. For desert, we had the tiramisu which I always prefer to have at Italian restaurants but sad to say it was not the best i had and just so so to be honest. As per Ms Anita’s recommendation, we had the Panna Cotta and it was totally awesome. So smooth with the right amount of jiggle, not too sweet and simply slides down your throat so easily.. by far one of the best I had and I don’t even fancy panna cotta as a norm. We also had the Creme Catalana and it also not so sweet like normal flans as they use fresh milk instead of condense milk. This made it also very light and easy to eat. The overall ambiance of the restaurant was nice and the second floor has a private room that easily sits 16 or so, and excellent for parties or official meals. The second floor can sit about 65 pax and seems like a good place for private groups. I am also told that there is live jazz music very Friday night. Parking outside this street corner restaurant is ample enough for 8-10 cars but it can get crowded on the weekends. Overall, lunch was excellent and this shows as the Chef is careful about selecting her raw produces and ingredients from the best sources both locally and abroad and by keeping the menu small, she is focused on making sure it is all done well. I will definitely be going back to try the other items in the menu especially the Cochinillo Black Pig and Baked Spring Chicken (need to preorder both, so have to call in advance)... Thank you La Collina for a truly delightful gastronomical experience.. see ya soonest!