Two years later, this Vancouver restaurant is still the king of paella

When looking for good paella in Vancouver, one of the top recommendations is Casa Molina — and for very good reason.

Casa Molina is brought to us by Chef Javier Blanc of the much-loved Paella Guys, who won the title of making the second-best paella in the world at the 62nd edition of the Concurs Internacional de Paella Valenciana de Sueca. That’s all to say, the team knows what they’re doing when it comes to the Spanish rice dish.

As the name may suggest, the space is designed to elicit the feeling of entering a friend’s home for dinner. The unassuming exterior is easy to walk past if you don’t know what to look for. But follow the wafting aroma of paella and the sound of happy diners, and you’ll quickly find the restaurant.

But before we dive too deep into the paella, there are other tasty bites to get excited about trying — namely, the Croquetas.

An order requires a minimum of three pieces, and conveniently, there are three different variations to try, so obviously we had to try them all. This wasn’t our first rodeo at Casa Molina, having dined here before (and enjoyed one outstanding meal with Blanc at a special collaborative dinner in Campbell River a couple of months prior), so we knew these were going to be good. All three consisted of a delicate, crisp exterior and an interior of gooey, cheesy goodness filled with their respective offerings: jamón (ham), gambas (shrimp), and espinacas (spinach).

Marco Ovies/Dished

Casa Molina is also home to one of our favourite tomato salads in the city (and who can resist tomatoes during the summer). Titled Ensalada de Ajo Blanco con Tomates Asados y Atún Semicurado, this dish features heirloom tomatoes, confit cherry tomatoes, house semi-cured tuna, orange, pine nuts, nasil olive oil, and orange oil crumbs on a bed of ajo blanco — a sauce that is often called “white gazpacho.”

Expect a welcome freshness to balance out the richness from the Croquetas perfectly.

Marco Ovies/Dished

It’s also hard not to order the Jamón Ibérico when visiting. These thin slices of Spanish ham are cured for 48 months and come from a pig that is fed only acorns. Pair that with the Quesos Españoles — a chef’s selection of four different kinds of Spanish cheese, quince jelly, and rotating house-made jelly — for the ultimate Spanish charcuterie experience.

Now onto the main event: the paella.

We were a table of six when we stopped by, and our waiter expertly suggested we order three small paellas so we could sample a variety.

Paella here comes served in the pan it was baked in, alongside a wooden scraper to make sure you get all that delicious crispy rice baked to the bottom.

The classic offering (which also won the Paella Guys second place) is the Valenciana  — a paella consisting of Albufera rice cooked in chicken stock with green beans, green peppers, heart of artichoke, rosemary, and topped with chicken and rabbit. This is about as traditional as you can get when it comes to paella, and is worth the order — especially if it’s your first time at the restaurant.

The Mariscos (seafood) paella was also a hit at our table, topped with an impressive assortment of shrimps, squid, scallops, clams, and prawns (if you’re not sucking out the juices from the prawn head, then you’re not eating prawns right).

Valenciana paella (Marco Ovies/Dished)

But the star of the entire meal was the Arroz Negro, a paella similar to the Mariscos with prawns, shrimps, squid, and scallops, differentiated by rice coated in black squid ink for a visually stunning and umami-rich plate.

The one thing on the menu that comes close to rivaling the paella comes in the form of dessert — specifically, the Basque Country Cheesecake made with blue cheese. Don’t let the addition of the blue cheese turn you off from this dessert. The flavour is subtle, adding a very slight funky taste to the rich dessert that will make it unlike any other cheesecake you’ve had.

While it’s easy to focus on the food, where Casa Molina truly shines is in its service. Similar to the design of the space, staff here welcome guests as if the restaurant is their home (they even went toe-to-toe with my boisterous father, who is embarrassingly known to fluster even the most experienced of wait staff).

So if our math is correct, good paella plus great service equals a must-visit restaurant in Vancouver.

Casa Molina is open Wednesday to Sunday from 4 to 11 p.m.

Casa Molina

Address: 2211 Manitoba St., Vancouver

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