Love at First Bite: Rico Rico

SM Aura’s food court is known to be a fancier version of your usual food hall. With more premium options to choose from, you’d have to shell out more cash for a meal. I wouldn’t mind spending a few extra hundreds if it means that I'd get a “good meal.” And that is exactly what I got from Food on Four’s new player. 
 
Hello, Rico Rico.

This new paella place caught my interest when it opened a few months ago. Vibrant colors and DIY paella were what caught my attention. And I grew even more curious when I found out that this brand is the brainchild of the group handling Las Flores and Rambla, restaurants known to serve superb Spanish dishes. But my schedule didn’t permit me to try this place sooner.
Thankfully, I was invited by a fellow blogger to attend Rico Rico’s food tasting event in celebration of the ongoing Madrid Fusion and I happen to be free that day. I thought to myself, “This is it!”

I was warmly greeted by JM of SM Aura who pointed me to the other bloggers taking photos of the paella we were about to try. And that was my first time to be acquainted with Rico Rico’s offerings. And it was love at first sight (and sniff).

Rico Rico offers six paellas and we were served the four bestsellers namely Marisco (PHP320, solo | PHP595, to share), Vegetables (PHP225, solo | PHP435, to share), Carne (PHP290, solo | PHP550, to share) and Negra 2.0 (PHP265, solo | PHP495, to share).

I first sampled Marisco which also happens to be part of the Paella Fiesta promo where diners could avail a serving for only PHP99 (or PHP150 with a glass of Sangria).

I loved everything about this dish. The generous serving of squid, clams and shrimps make it value for money. The paella rice used was great too. The slight tangy taste of it was simply addicting and  it definitely brought out and enhanced the taste of the toppings.

Carne was pretty good too. The chicken bits were tender and juicy while the pork chunks were a bit crunchy creating this wonderful contrast in texture.

Negra 2.0 left a lasting impression too. The dark plate of paella topped with chicken chunks, peas, egg, bell pepper and saffron aioli was so good that I had two servings of it. The squid ink taste was pronounced in the paella rice and it went beautifully with the toppings. Though I would still not recommend this on a first date to avoid you know what.

As an extra treat, we were each given a glass (or a cup) of Rico Rico’s Sangria (PHP99). At first, I thought that it was just some punch without the punch but it was actually intoxicating. In fact, I got a bit woozy after finishing my glass. But I guess it was because I was tired that whole week hence getting hit fast after a bit of alcohol.

Overall, it was a lovely lunch. I’d definitely go back for more and try Vegetables which I wasn’t able to sample last time. 

Rico Rico is located at Food on Four, 4th Floor, SM Aura Premier, McKinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.