"Paladar"
is a beautifully appointed restaurant located at the MultiPlaza Mall,
next to the Felix B. Maduro department store. Delightfully hip, yet
warm and welcoming, this modern, upscale restaurant provides fine
dining to both exhausted shoppers and gourmands alike.
My quartet
of hungry compatriots started with a selection of soup, salads and
appetizers. Sadly, the salads were, for the most part, disappointing.
The ingredients were fresh and appealing, but lacked any seasoning
or flavor. The chicken on the Fried Chicken Salad ($7.95) was truly
delicious, but the base of Romaine greens, corn, almonds, and red
onion needed something to lift it up. The menu says it comes with
Ranch dressing, but it was absent in the salad we were served. The
same can be said for the Caesar Salad ($5.95). Instead of a rich,
tart flavor, this one was bland.
The disappointment
of the salads, however, was quickly extinguished by the arrival of
the Thai Chicken Coconut Soup ($6.50). This delightful mélange
of coconut milk, tender bits of chicken and mushrooms was accented
by the subtle hint of cilantro and lemon grass and was delicately
delicious. The thinly sliced Salmon & Grouper cold appetizer ($12.95)
was excellent. While the menu states it is supposed to be for two,
it served four with ease. The fish had a rich, smoky flavor and was
an instant favorite. The hot appetizer, "Parmesan Mussels"
($7.50), was a succulent au gratin dish featuring imported mussels
and Parmesan cheese. The mussels were fresh and plump, the seasonings
perfect.
Paladar
comes into its own, however, with its main courses. The Gnocchi In
Four Cheese Sauce ($9.25) was al dente, potato dumplings nestled in
a rich cheese sauce, placed under the flame to bring it all to a bubbling
finish, and served still simmering. This dish disappeared quickly.
As did the Imported Tuna ($15.95), a large tuna steak quickly grilled
and served rare with almonds and a Basalmic butter reduction. The
only thing that could have moved this dish from excellent to superb
would have been a wasabi butter topping instead of the tomato butter
that was served.
The oddly
named Steak Grapes Chutney ($12.95) turned out to be a thick, very
nicely grilled steak served with a "sweet & sour grapes sauce".
While something was obviously lost in translation, the grape sauce
was, in reality, a rich chutney-flavored sauce that paired wonderfully
with the rare steak. Definitely something I would order again. The
same goes for the Portobello Mushroom Sandwich ($6.95), a delicious
vegetarian sandwich served on a toasted bread roll, accompanied by
crisp fries.
The
true smash hit of the evening was the Lobster Risotto ($24.95), a
perfectly prepared risotto concealing large and abundant chunks of
rich lobster meat with squid in ink folded in. While those unfamiliar
with the exotic may shy away from anything like squid and octopus
ink as an ingredient, they do themselves a disservice. This was a
truly superb dish...something any chef would be proud to serve.
Paladar
has a richly varied menu featuring seafood, poulty, pastas and meats
...basically something for every taste. While the salads at the start
was cause for minor alarm as to what was to follow, the remaining
dishes rescued the evening with aplomb. Paladar is a fine choice for
an evening out and deserves its growing reputation as a destination
restaurant.
