As I stated in my previous post, my husband took me out on a date last weekend. But it wasn't just a date to the movies. He went all out and bought me a pre-movie snack -- Shawarma from Side Wok Shawarma at the Promenade in Greenhills; then for the movie he bought a bucket of cheese-flavored popcorn, a bar of Nestle Crunch, half a dozen of assorted cookies from Mrs. Fields, and bottled water to wash everything down :)
For our post-movie grub...he took me to one of my favorite Italian restaurants...Pasto (Italian Cafe & Dessert Bar). I really missed eating there. The last time we ate in Pasto, I was still pregnant with our Maia. And she is now 1 year and 3 months old!
But because I was sooo full from all the "snacking" we've been doing, I decided to forego the usual appetizers and ordered our favorites right away...pizza and pasta!
We usually "half-and-half" our order of pizza: half will be Di Carne and half Bianca. The Di Carne side is tomato-based and is all-meat. My husband's kind of thing. On the other side is the Bianca which contains assorted seafood and is pesto-based. I ALWAYS order the Bianca pizza because it's something new. Pesto always works best with seafood in my opinion. Plus, since Pasto pizzas are thin-crust, you get more toppings and your slice has more flavor.Our choice for pasta that evening was Frutti Di Mari (linguine, assorted seafood, olive oil and white wine reduction). It was soooo good, my husband decided to save the strands left on his fork for his last bite...thereby savoring the natural flavor and freshness of the seafood, combined with the olive oil and faint trace of garlic in his mouth. You think I mind? Nah. :)
Pasto may not be the only Italian restaurant in the Philippines but it sure is one of the best and one of the most authentic. It's ambience is cozy and comfortable. The service, very good. If you're thinking of paying a visit sometime, I would recommend the following must-try items in its menu:
Appetizers:
Calamares (deep-fried, lightly-breaded & yummy squid-rings) with Tartar Sauce
Crostini with Pomodoro Salsa
Salpicao (beef cubes sauteed in olive oil & garlic)
Soups:
Crema Di Zucca (creamy buttersquash soup)
Salad:
Cardini (Caesar Salad)
(I don't have any recommendation for Entrees as of yet. Haven't tried any from their selection. But will update this list as soon as I have the chance.)
Pizza:
Formaggi (4 kinds of cheese -- best eaten while still oven-fresh)
Pasta:
Alfredo (spaghetti, creamy parmesan sauce, grilled shrimps) -- not really a fan of cream-based pasta, but my mother-in-law swears by it! :)
Arrabiata (penne, smoked bacon, mildly-spiced tomato sauce)
Marinara (fettucinne, assorted seafood, tomato sauce)
Puttanesca (capellini, olives, capers, anchovies, mildly-spiced tomato sauce)
Vongole (linguine, clams, tomatoes, parsley)
And, my fave:
D'Accigue (penne, salmon cubes, anchovy flakes, mildly-spiced tomato sauce)
They didn't include this pasta dish in their new menu (Why!? Why?!). But the Pasto people will still make this for you upon request...yipee!! :) It's really good. The salmon cubes give the dish a rich taste and texture. While the anchovies give that extra "umph!"
So...BUON APPETITO, GLI AMICI!
