Samba: The Finest Peruvian Food in Manila
After craving for some great grilled octopus in Manila, I’ve been let down way too many times by restaurants that make it too chewy or tasteless for my liking. For all the times I’ve ordered octopus from any place in the city, there was only one place that I knew I could go to without leaving disappointed – Samba at the Shangri-La at the Fort.
Missing the days when I would be in BGC often because of my work in a telco, going to Samba was like reminiscing the times that our start up had not yet launched and the world was a lot simpler. While Peruvian food isn’t as common and commercialized as Chinese, Korean, Mexican or Japanese food, it is quite distinct and memorable.
While I’ve never been to Peru yet (but it’s definitely on my list), I’m definitely grateful to Chef Carlo Huerta Echegaray for bringing the flavours of his country here to adventurous foodies like me. Since opening in 2016, Samba has inspired me to search for similar flavours and always call me back when I crave for guaranteed great ones.
Peruvian cuisine is hailed to be one of the best inherently fusion dishes with flavours coming from not only their indigenous populations but also European colonizers and immigrants from Asia and West Africa. They use a lot of aji amarillo (a special kind of chili) and aji rocoto (a flaming-hot pepper) with various other spices. Peru is known to have some of the greatest horticultural diversity on earth so it’s no surprise the kind of magic they can do with the ingredients available to them.
Part of me wishes there was more color to the place but the ambience is itself with its bright, classy interiors. I loved the beachside energy from the pool area that for a moment took me out of the hustle and bustle of young city living. The customer service in Samba is impeccable. Great, pleasant staff who were able to answer all of our questions and who were very attentive to refills and plate cleaning.
And while I came here for their classic Peruvian food, their Tres Leches cake is also one of the best I’ve had in Metro Manila. Milky, sweet and flavourful, it ended the meal with a kind of happy energy that my partner and I carried all the way to the meetings we had to go to afterwards. I definitely had a great meal for dinner and will be going back here again!
Samba
Address: Level 8 Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila, 30th Street corner 5th Avenue Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City Philippines
Store Hours: 11:30am–2:30pm, 6–10:30pm
Telephone Number: +632 8820 0888
Email: slfm@shangri-la.com
Website: https://www.samba-fort.com/
Facebook: Samba, Manila
