Finding Va Bene Pasta and Deli

Having built my career in the restaurant industry for 12 years, I have developed a love for Italian dishes. The search for restaurants that serves authentic Italian dishes is not that hard here in Metro Manila. But who would have thought you'll find one within the premises of a gasoline station in  Makati along EDSA? That restaurant is Va Bene of Chef Massimo Veronasi. He was a former chef of Mi Piace at The Peninsula Manila.  

I accidentaly came to know about Va Bene while watching The Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate" by Ms. Stephanie Zubiri.

Italians show their generosity by serving complimentary bread with chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic with parmesan cheese.

There was a slight downpour the night we came. So we ordered one of their soup. The soup was still piping hot when it was served. I love the earthiness of the wild mushroom accentuated by the truffle oil. The Zuppa had creamed portobello mushroom, porcini powder and truffle oil. We did not order antipastis anymore.

For our salad we had the Caprese. The mixed lettuce was fresh and not wilted. Capers worked its saltiness on the salad well. Black olives, buffalo mozzarella, lightly roasted white onions, sliced tomatoes on balsamic reduction was perfect to prepare us for our main dish.

Unfortunately pizza was not available at the time of our visit. We forgot the menu name of the pasta dish that  we ordered. It was like an arrabiatta sauce with calamares and the linguine was fresh and made inhouse. Va Bene prides itself with its handmade pastas. The dish was delicious and the heat of the chili was to our liking.

Our dessert is a personal favorite. How can you go wrong with homemade profiteroles filled with chocolate sauce with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and candied walnuts? 

We capped our dinner with a shot of Limoncello as after dinner digestifs. It is believed to soothe the stomach. We decided to have our coffee downstairs.

Overall the dinner was great. The food was fresh and never pretentious. It was straightforward rustic Italian. The food came out of the kitchen by course and service was not intrusive and pushy.   

Seating is limited in this branch at the Petron gas station. They already have another branch at BGC. We will definitely come back to try their pizza and other main dish.  



MAKATI BRANCH:  2nd Floor Petron Gas Station EDSA Cor. Pasay Road Dasmarinas, Makati City

Weekend Commute to Villa Escudero

I had the most wonderful post birthday celebration with my beloved Ceci. It was a trip to Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort. We took an early bus ride from the Buendia Ave. terminal. It was a smooth 1.5 hour ride from Manila to Tiaong. Approximately 98km away from Manila and 14km from San Pablo City. Main entrance is situated on the San Pablo, Laguna and Tiaong, Quezon boundary. But the actual resort is situated in San Pablo. A 10 minute tricycle ride would take you inside the resort. Cool breeze would greet you because of the lush vegetation in the area.

Arrival...
It was raining on and off the whole day but that did not dampen our enthusiasm. 
We booked for a day tour package. Actual cost per head is P1,450.00.

At the Boutique...
There were no shortage of boutique shops here. One was at the reception hall and the other is inside the complex.

Frolicking around...
There was plenty of time to waste. Photo opportunities here and there. Too bad there was a restriction to take pictures inside the museum. 

Our Ride...
Waiting for our ride at the "Wall of Fame". There was a replica of the defunct BLTBCo.

Lunch time...
What we really hoped for was the experience of having lunch at the dam feeling the flowing water on your feet. But the erratic weather forced everybody to have lunch inside the food hall. We had a good lunch. It was Filipino themed buffet.  The food came out exactly what we hoped for. Our favorites grilled pork "liempo", grilled tilapia, lechon manok and beef caldereta were served. There was a salad bar and vegetable dish, pumpkin and string beans on coconut cream. We had fresh pineapple and banana on sticks for our dessert. 

Ceci's plate

Gio's plate

Our dessert...

After lunch...
We went straight to the other hall where a cultural show takes place 2:00pm every Sunday that runs for almost an hour. The cultural show was grand and noticeably well rehearsed. The performers were composed of resort staffs. The dances were Muslim inspired an the music was performed live using "kulintangs" and other native instruments. 

Siesta time...
After our hearty lunch, we felt the urge to just chill and watch the afternoon and everybody else go by. Luckily there was a snack bar that serves fresh brewed coffee. We were lazy as a dog and would not want to move an inch. The cool breeze coming from the lake partnered with cloudy skies was the potent mix to make our eyes gloomy. "Give me a hammock", I whispered to Ceci.

Ceci likes frappes, I prefer Americano...

Salamat...
This was both our first visit to Villa Escudero and we enjoyed our day tour of the resort.

How to go....

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow."

-Lin Yutang