Las Flores

Valentine’s Day? No problem! There’s a new restaurant in Podium (yeah I’m gonna need a long time to finish all of them especially now that I only go to the office once a week haha), Las Flores. It’s just right beside the huge entrance to the mall, tucked neatly in its corner.. which is probably why you’ll also miss it. Not to mention they have these homey white doors that separate them from the mall, like their very own mini entrance into their lavish interiors matched with high ceilings and modern contemporary design.

I was seated on a table for 2 with mismatched chairs, one cushioned and one just a brown, bare, wooden chair. I looked around and found another table with the same setup. I’m thinking they could easily have swapped the chairs, but hmm.. maybe they wanted it that way? The ceiling was high and on my right side, they had this chandelier dangling, couldn’t resist to take a shot of it of course. In front of me was their full bar, and as if their bartender got the invisible message I sent, he went out of the bar and opportunity presented itself and I was able to take an unmanned bar (ding ding ding!).

My order was received by one of the servers. I ordered the Solomillo de Ternera, which is basically a 180g) Mulwarra (Australian) Tenderloin steak topped with Maldon salt and served with seasonal vegetables in EVOO. Yum! But before that arrived, this pretty little thing was given to me by the restaurant owner/manager, I think, and she said it’s a complementary appetizer. When I sliced through it (of course I wouldn’t eat the whole thing without knowing what it was), it was deep fried squid ink! I knew well not to show my teeth to anyone that passes by my table, the server kept asking if I wanted water haha! I’d just nod and smile or murmur a “yes, please.” From their menu, it’s probably the Pescadito Frito, a deep fried medley of shrimp, sardines, and squid with mayo.

So, when my plate came, asked for a medium well btw but they gave me a medium (thank goodness because of the cut), it was so Instagram-able haha! It was constructed a little to the side of the plate, leaving some good negative space around the plate which actually forced you to look at the steak more. Judging by the meat, it looked succulent and tender and when I had the first bite, the salt enhanced the overall taste. Delicious! I think I saved some for until the last bite lol yeah, holding on to those crystal flakes til the very end. The vegetables could have been done better, they were a little on the soggy side, but thank goodness for the EVOO. They had marble potatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, string beans, and red bell pepper. I liked the cherry tomatoes the best.

Verdict: 3.5/5
I like the ambience, steak, my chair, and the service. It was a pleasant dining experience and worth another visit. They had several items in the menu that were not available, maybe they really wanted me to get the steak because hey, it’s Valentine’s Day after all.