Who: The restaurant is run by Chef Massimo Veronesi, an Italian chef who had worked in Europe before settling down in the Philippines.
What: Italian Restaurant with mostly classic fare.
When: Open for Lunch (12 to 3 pm) and Dinner (6 to 11 pm), Monday to Thursday and 12 to 11 pm from Friday to Sunday.
Where: 3F Central Square Building, Bonifacio High Street, 5th cor 30th, Bonifacio Global City (near the Cinemas). Other branches not reviewed are in Circuit City and a Petron Station (Edsa cor Pasay Road)
How: Service is great. The staff members were always attentive but also unobtrusive, which is a skill. In addition, they know the menu and can suggest dishes for the undecided. They are confident enough to suggest and accomodate substitution requests too. (Although as a chef, I urge you to not substitute unless absolutely necessary healthwise)
Most interesting dishes I liked:
Polipo – Thinly sliced Octopus topped with Arugula Salad in a Lemon Dressing, what’s not to love? It’s bright and fresh and the octopus is cooked well. Definitely a great dish to have to
pair with pasta.
Organic Egg Tagiatelle – I love the fresh pasta’s texture and its width and shape are perfect for the rich and creamy white wine sauce. Classic, well-made, comforting, it’s a hug on a
plate.
12 Hour Braised Veal Cheeks – Everything about this dish screams indulgence! There’s a raviolo with chicken egg and it’s runny and rich and the veal cheeks are fatty and tender.
The two combine for an unctuous dish, best paired with the crisp vegetables it’s served with. Sometimes, when you have a bad day, you deserve to be naughty and not apologize for it. This dish is the personification of that.
Why: The service was consistently lovely and they serve a host of (consistently) well-made, fresh pasta dishes. I love the simple but clean flavors. There are few places that serve Italian food that truly comfort me, and this (and Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza) are on the top of my very short list. There is a special place in my heart for places that do basics well and that’s why I will keep coming back here.
Deets: I visited the place 4 separate times, with different sets of friends each time and while I was recognized by the staff, I never received any special treatment (which is awesome) and I paid for each of those meals.