Food review: Trattoria Gourmet

My friends and I were catching up on gossip that I barely paid any attention to the food, unfortunately. This is going to be a short post because what I really want to do is show off Tatin's photos! (You can read about her camera and lens here and here.)

The word trattoria, according to Wikipedia, means an Italian restaurant that serves comfort food, normally in a rustic environment. So it's quite ironic to find the restaurant at the fifth level of Shangri-La Mall, near the MRT exit. Nevertheless, you do find some peace and quiet if ever you find yourselves inside the restaurant, with the warm glow of its lighting, walls, and tablecloth. I doubt you'd feel the same if you were seated outside with the heavy foot traffic in this section of the mall.

I've always had the impression that this restaurant was pricey. This was probably because during the few times I ate there, I only managed to get soup, which at P200 and served in a tiny bowl, was overpriced to me. This time though, with five friends who shared all meals, our bill amounted to P360 per person, excluding drinks but including taxes. We had a lot of leftovers but I have to note that we ate like the French—we only had several small bites.

Again, all photos by Tatin. I forgot to take the receipt home, but all dishes are in the range of  P300 to P400.

Bread with pesto and pâté dips, with compliments of the restaurant.

The dips were smooth to the taste and almost underwhelming, which I suppose is a good way to introduce rich courses.

Boscaiola (pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, salami, bacon and cheese)

With all those ingredients, you just know this is going to be a hit. I like thin-crust pizzas but this is one, while a few millimeters thicker than paper-thin pizzas, smartly complements the heavy meat that are the toppings. The tomato sauce is on the sweet side so this is very family-friendly.

Three kinds of pasta: penne with three cheeses, spaghetti mare monti with pesto, and meatball pasta.

I'm getting hungry just seeing this picture. These to me were the highlight of the meal, with the pesto taking the gold medal, and the three cheeses and meatball pasta tied in second place. I thought we made an excellent choice in selecting these three—I liked how they were wildly different in their richness.

Lasagna

This was beautifully presented—the sauce around that pile was still bubbling in heat when it reached our table. It was creamy and easily melted in my mouth and I think it immediately captured the warmth of this restaurant. Pam raved about this dish, while it was only okay for me and Jill. Jill found it too rich, like it was almost ulam or good as main course. In my case, it had a sourness that confused my palate and contradicted the creaminess of the dish.

Trattoria Gourmet

5/F Shangri-La Plaza Mall
EDSA corner Shaw Boulevard
Brgy Wack Wack
Mandaluyong City

+63 2 637 2784