Bellini's -- the hole-in-the-wall just got bigger

I've been holding back from sharing my errr our love for this hole-in-the-wall resto in Cubao. I've tried keeping it all to myself...but with some prodding from Ruy I finally decided to share this with you guys. Bellini's is an 8-year-old Italian restaurant old by Roberto Bellini, a former paparazzi. I know it sounds weird but it's true!! Here's the funny part, despite the fact that Bellini is Italian, it's actually Luisa (his Pinay wife) who created all the dishes. According to Bellini his mother was the one who taught Luisa how to cook. Okay, I just realized I'm divulging someone else's family info here...wehehhe.

Ruy has been craving for pizza but we've never gotten around to eating one as it's hard for me to eat in pizza parlors because I'm not into pizzas. We decided to finally give in to Ruy's craving and headed to Bellini's.




The great thing about Bellini's is that it's an Italian restaurant which offers people a whole lot more than pizza, lasagna and carbonara. I actually go to Bellini's when I want real Italian food...not the kind that's always drenched in canned tomato sauce like those in fast food restos.

Upon entering Bellini's we were surprised to see that it's bigger than how we remembered it to be. They have expanded and so the resto is now made up of 3 sections/areas.




We were immediately greeted by this waiter who surprised us with his command of the Italian Language....magnifico!! This waiter was not only very proficient in the Italian language he was also wonderful when it comes to his people skills and service. He immediately led us to the empty table and got our orders.

We started out with Melanzane e Mozzarella a la Griglia which is an eggplant dish. It's actually grilled eggplants brushed with a thin layer of pesto sauce and then covered by chopped tomatoes, bacon and melted mozzarella cheese. I ADORED this dish, past tense because I only adored it from the time I tasted it up until Ruy asked me for the price. It actually costs 180 pesos for 4 slices of eggplants!!! Oh lala...I think that's insane for something which was probably made with one piece of eggplant. I did love it so much so I'm now thinking of copying it at home.

We then had Pizza Napoli one of the few varieties of pizza I can actually eat. It has a paper thin crust which makes the pizza delightfully crisp. Each slice is so thin I actually suggested that Ruy put one on top of the other to make it thicker (what can I say, my husband's a growing boy and needs his serving of pizza...hehehe). This pizza is layered with tomato sauce, capers, mozzarella and anchovies. It's simple yet delicious. It doesn't fall into the trap of just piling on the toppings to make the pizza good. For 180 for an entire pizza good for 2-3 people, it's not a bad buy at all.

Pasta Tricolore a la Rustica. Naks. How authentic sounding is that right? I was expecting pasta in 3 colors but all we got was plain spaghetti. I'm still bewildered as to why it's named Tricolore. Now, useless trivia aside, this was an okay dish for me which became wonderful when drizzled with their special Olive Oil with Chili. 220 pesos




For our Carne we chose the Pollo a la Diavolo which is basically grilled chicken. The herb and chili were barely discernible unless you dip the chicken into the drippings. When I dipped the chicken into the drippings and drizzled the olive oil with chili over it....I was in love. Half a grilled chicken costs 200 pesos...almost like the prize of half a supreme chicken in Chowking...Imagine how affordable that is!

We ended our meal with a slice ofOrange cake. YUM YUM YUM. Served warm with crystalized orange peel on top...Writing about it now makes me want to eat some more...haaay. It might seem a bit pricey at 100 per slice but it's actually a very big and heavy slice. I have yet to finish one entire slice on my own in one sitting. (This is my current life goal...I've listed it as one of the things I have to do before I die)




Other favorites which we weren't able to order during this particular dinner (due to a small stomach and wallet size wehehe) are: Osso Buco Milanese, Rissoto al Funghi, Rissoto Fruti di Mare, Spaghetti a la Cartoccio and Panna Cota




For those interested, Bellini's can be found in the Marikina Shoe Expo in Cubao. It's right across the old Rustan's building, on the same side as COD.

p.s.
When you order their main course they give you a small glass with their sweet wine