For our 10th anniversary,
my girlfriend and I are both looking for a restaurant wherein we could celebrate with
our family and friends. On a rainy Tuesday
night, fresh from typhoon Gener, we trooped to Cubao Shoe Expo at an Italian restaurant called Bellini’s. We would sometimes
hang out in the area and we'd pass by the restaurant; but since
we're not really a fan of Italian food, we haven’t tried dining at Bellini’s.
I went inside once out of curiosity and the room smelled like an old kitchen and mold. I went out as fast as I could.
Last Tuesday night was different because we're on a hunt for a venue. As we entered the
restaurant it smelled like an old moldy kitchen again. A waiter greeted us and we were led at a room at
the back. The walls are decorated with paintings. There was a heavy downpour and from the window, I could see
raindrops. It was quite romantic.
As we sat down, the waiter gave us the menu. We had complimentary bread sticks while waiting.The menu was all in Italian so I asked the waiter for the English translation. I ordered the seafood pasta in
tomato sauce (at 300 Pesos), then, Bellini’s special pizza (topped with sausage, pepperoni,
cucumber, tomatoes, eggplant and onions) (at 350 Pesos) and a glass of iced tea
(at 60 Pesos). My food was delivered on our table within a few minutes. The
pasta was inside a foil guaranteed for freshness. It was good; but since I like my food spicy, I asked
them for a hot sauce and they gave me a small bottle of olive oil with some chili peppers in it. Truly Italian! My girlfriend ordered grilled steak with a vegetable
side dish and garlic rice (at 450 Pesos); she had Bellini's own concocted red wine (at 80
Pesos a glass) it was really sweet and it tasted like Dimetapp according to
her. For me, it tasted like sugar. She really wanted to try the house wine from
Italy (at 180 Pesos a glass). She preferred the latter. For our dessert, we had
the tiramisu (at 150 Pesos) it was really good. We were both
so full. The total bill including tax amounted to 1,600+ Pesos. In Philippine standard, it's quite pricey but it's worth it. The service was good and the food was sumptuous. We will definitely go back. We still have one more place to visit before making our final decision.
