I have been living very close to Cubao for more than half of my life, but I haven't dined in Va' Pensiero yet, so during this accidental meetup with my food buddy, I finally grabbed the opportunity and suggested to try this place out.

This restaurant isn't really the cleanest and newest place on the block, but it, nonetheless, spelled warm and welcoming.

Their menu has an long list of Italian food, some I know and many others I don't, but we decided to just have some pizza and pasta during this light brunch as we went in really early and were not yet starving.  

Bread with Balsamic Vinegar & Olive Oil Dip (Complimentary)

The waiter first offered us some really nice, crisp, and freshly-baked bread before our orders. Their house bread was delicious! It's soft on the inside and very crispy on the outside. It was nicely baked, hot, and fresh-from-the-oven.

Pasta Montanara (P 350.00)

We had a really hard time picking which pasta to order because there were a lot of variants on the menu. But since I love eating meat, we settled for their Pasta Montanara. I did not regret ordering this dish as, apart from the fusili being perfectly-cooked, it contained generous portions of italian sausage and pepperoni salami. Its thin and flavorful sauce also does not hurt one bit. 

 

Tutta Carne (P 425.00)

Many of their expensive pizza offerings looked so enticing on the menu, but we didn't have enough money to shell out during this meal, so we just ordered a regular Tutta Carne pizza. To our surprise, the pizza was huge! It was a full ten-inch pizza.

This pizza was obviously authentic. It's not some generic pizza with a chewy crust and Del Monte tomato paste on it. It's thin, crisp, meaty, and lightly-sauced - just the way I like my pizza. And to top it all, it was cooked in a brick oven.

Of note, they really fire up the brick oven with wood.

Panna Cotta (P 140.00)

Satisfied with the first two dishes, we ended the meal with their Panna Cotta, which, to our dismay, looked very unappetizing with no garnish whatsoever on it. It was not even turned onto a plate and was still in its ceramic mold when served. It didn't look like the photo on the menu.

We weren't as thrilled to try this one out, but when we scooped our first spoonful of the pudding, we were surprised at how dense, creamy, and flavorful this panna cotta was. Indeed, looks can be deceiving! This recipe had a strong vanilla flavor, and I can tell that its cream base wasn't cheap. It's probably one of the better panna cottas I've tried, and it's leap years ahead of the worst and extremely overrated one from Red Garlic.

After the meal, we took the bill, paid for our orders happily, and went out feeling heavy and full. It was a wonderful and satisfactory dining experience, overall. If you're looking for some relatively affordable and authentic Italian food without the frills and gimmicks, this restaurant is a pretty decent option. 

FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 3/5

Food - 4/5

Service - 4/5

Value - 5/5

TOTAL - 4/5  

Va' Pensiero

(02) 912 8270

Unit 14 Araneta Coliseum, Gen. Araneta

Cubao, Quezon City. M.M.

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Gelatissimo Cafe

   
I am not really a fan of cafes located in malls because I hate the crowd. However, because of my craving for ice cream, I really had to get past the busy crowd of Trinoma Mall just to have a taste of the gelato they’re serving in this gelato bar. 
   

   

I had no other option as I’ve noticed that, because of my series of eating sprees, I have gained some extra pounds and I didn’t really want to pack up some more by eating more fatty desserts. I thought that this was just the perfect place because, as I’ve heard, the ice creams they serve here are fat-free.

AMBIANCE AND ENVIRONMENT

As usual, I went to this cafe with my regular food buddy (as I wanted to taste the gelatos she’ll order too). It was a very rainy day and it was a good thing that this place is located in a mall as we got to dry ourselves in Trinoma’s restrooms before we went here. 

When we finally reached the store, dry and all, I was instantly impressed by the shop’s interior because, for such a small café, I found this place to be well decorated and very refreshing. 

What’s noticeable is that the interior is predominantly red.

The entire store was also very clean and the chandeliers inside gave the place a more elegant air.  It’s also worth noting that the chairs and benches here are very soft and comfortable to sit on.

Also, the walls at the far end of the shop have some patterns and illustrations printed on the surface, making them more interesting and, to complete the cafe experience, there were several Christmas songs playing in the background while we were happily eating our gelatos. 

Overall, I was fairly satisfied with the place. My only qualm is concerning the acoustics of the shop. This is probably not a very good meeting place as it can get very noisy inside, especially if there are many people.

FOOD AND DRINKS

There are plenty of gelato flavors to choose from in the shop, ranging from the common fruity flavors to the specialty ones. It was so hard to pick which ones to order.

Thankfully, we were allowed to taste some of the gelato flavors before ordering a full scoop by requesting the staff to give us a small sample on a plastic spoon. 

After the tasting, I and my friend both decided to have two scoops of gelatos. I tried their Panna Cotta and Lemon Cheesecake flavors and my friend had a combination of Chocolate Truffle and Forest Berries. By the way, a scoop of gelato costs P 110.00 and with just P 50 more, one could get two scoops already.

Panna Cotta & Lemon Cheesecake (P 160.00)

This was a slightly boring combination as both of these gelato flavors are light colored and they look pretty much the same. My friend said that my pick didn’t have any personality at all but I liked this combination anyway. 

Panna Cotta 

For me, this is the best flavor we’ve sampled for the day. It was very light and just had the right sweetness. It felt like I was eating a slice of cake or some chilled Creme Brulee without the unnecessary fat content. No wonder, it’s a bestseller. Look at how it appears almost sold out!

Lemon Cheesecake

This was sweet and creamy with a light lemony flavor. I didn’t enjoy this much at first try but it easily became my favorite after a while. I just love how the flavor of the lemon blended with the sweetness of the gelato. It felt like eating a real cheesecake!

Chocolate Truffle & Forest Berries (P 160.00)

My friend had this weird chocolate and berry combination, which, according to her, had more personality. However, it was a little over-the-top for me as the Forest Berries flavor was very strong and tangy and the chocolate was dark and smooth. It was, to me, two completely different flavors clashing against each other and they’re both overpowering.

Chocolate Truffle

The chocolate truffle gelato was nice and smooth and it felt like a deluxe chocalate ice cream flavor. There were tiny bits of chocolate truffles in the ice cream, which added a distinct texture to this gelato. It was very satisfactory.

Forest Berries

Hands down, this is the prettiest gelato flavor in the entire café but don’t be easily lured by the looks of this cutesy ice cream.  This is certainly not for the soft and delicate as this one’s pretty strong and tangy and it definitely has a certain kick! However, when I mixed it with my panna cotta, its strong flavor was somehow neutralized, making it more pleasant and tolerable. 

Overall, the gelatos were fantastic and I definitely want to come back to try out the other flavors. I thought two scoops was just not enough! Next time, I’m sure to grab three gelato scoops! 

SERVICE AND OVERALL SATISFACTION

We were definitely satisfied with the service of the shop. When my friend was sampling some of the flavors, the staff was very friendly and accommodating (even if it took us  a while to decide on the ones we’ll have for the night). The waiters were also keen on wiping the tables right away so that the store appears neat and clean all the time. Of course, we weren’t expecting topnotch service as this is not a fine dining restaurant. Nevertheless, I think the staff’s performance met our expectations.
   
VALUE FOR MONEY

The gelatos may be a bit expensive but there certainly is value for money here mainly due to the overall dining experience we had in the cafe. The other food items sold in the shop are also fairly priced.
   
FINAL SCORES

Ambiance - 4/5
   
Food - 4/5
   
Service - 4/5
   
Value - 4/5
   
TOTAL - 4/5

  
Gelatissimo
(02) 915 - 9997
4/F Trinoma Mall (Garden Area)
EDSA cor. North Avenue,
Quezon City, Philippines

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