A Trattoria Worth Visiting

food at Va' Pensiero

From one great Italian restaurant to another. What can I say? We Pinoys just love our pizza and pasta.

Who could have thought a great Italian trattoria is located at the heart of Smart Araneta Coliseum and it's right under my nose until I learned about it from Twitter? I've been passing Va' Pensiero whenever I went to Gateway Mall but took no notice of it. The exterior looked dark and foreboding plus I found the prices quite steep when I checked it from the menu that one of the staff was holding while transfixed in front of the restaurant. But when a food blogger that I've been following on Twitter recommended Va' Pensiero when someone asked her where to get good eats around Araneta Center, my impression on this trattoria changed. Naturally, it piqued my interest and looked at Va' Pensiero differently. So one payday weekend, I decided to dive in and give this trattoria a try.

entrance

inside the resto

complimentary foccacia

Considering that it's a payday weekend (and a Friday night at that!), Va' Pensiero was almost alarmingly empty. Might be they draw crowd more during lunches or earlier in the evening. I went there already past nine that night. While waiting for my food to arrive, I was given complimentary foccacia slices and a dipping receptacle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a sprinkle of some parmesan. I was delighted with the warmness of the bread and it's pillow soft center. I only wish there was more.

cafe latte iced and kiwi shake

maccheroni al forno

piccantina pizza

I ordered two drinks for the purpose of having the Kiwi Shakes for the savory dishes and the Cafe Latte Iced for the desserts. But I ended up sipping the two drinks alternately even before my orders arrive. I liked the combination of sweet and sour tang of the kiwi shake. Although the strong flavor of the shake led to the downfall of the cafe latte iced drink which I found too watered down.

Intrigued by the name of the pasta, the Maccheroni Al Forno were short pasta noodles that were baked with Italian sausage on a tangy red sauce topped with mozzarella and parmesan. Add some chili flakes or chili oil over it relish be mesmerized as the flavor transcends to greater heights inside your mouth.

The Piccantina Pizza was a beauty to behold. The glistening top of melted mozzarella and tomato sauce was really mouth-watering. The pizza has already a slight zing to it with the inclusion of spicy salami and chili flakes. But if you want to amplify the heat (like me), you could doused it with some more chili oil or chili flakes.

panna cotta and tiramisu

I always order the Panna Cotta whenever I see it on the menu. Who could resist the quivery soft flan, cool to the tongue and wait until it diminish into nothingness. I liked the rose pink hue of this Italian flan. A very feminine dessert, I should say. And that the dessert was served on a clay-like pot that reminded me of the local palayok added more to it's charm.

I was already eyeing for the Cannoli Siciliani, a biscuit tube dessert with a ricotta cheese filling but I ended up asking for the Tiramisu. A dessert teeming with Mascarpone cheese and dusted with cocoa powder should made jumping up and down with glee but somehow this dessert fall short to my expectation of a divine Italian dessert.

As I finished off my desserts, I watched on the large screen TV propped on one wall a foreign channel that shows a concert that plays classical music. The range and intensity of the singer's falsetto voice was surprisingly soothing. As I scraped my panna cotta clean, I readied myself to go home. Already felt reconstitute brought about by a wonderful meal.

Unit 17, Smart Araneta Coliseum Circle
Araneta Center
Cubao, Quezon City

www.vapensierotrattoria.com