Inside Cubao Expo is a charming restaurant that transports you to the land of pizzas, piazzas, and all things dreamy and romantic. I first heard about Bellini's from bloggers who raved about the authentic pizzas and pastas from Cubao's "best-kept secret." Friends would mention that they want to visit where John Lloyd shot his movie but I can never really relate, having never seen any of his flicks. Since I only visited Cubao Expo once during my college days, I was dying to go back and check out the vintage shops and finally eat at Bellini's.
It's tucked in the corner at the end of Cubao Expo and immediately, you'll notice the frescoes and intricately painted walls and 3D installations depicting scenes from Italy. I noticed most of the theme revolved around Pisa, but I forgot to ask Roberto Bellini where he hailed exactly from Italia. Maybe next time :-)
Speaking of Roberto Bellini (who obviously owns the place), he used to be a paparazzo and traveled here to cover the EDSA Revolution and that's where he met his wife, Luisa. We first saw him intently watching the news, which was Italian, and he turned around and greeted us with a warm smile and that Italian playboy-ish heartiness. He chatted with us from time to time and I would always love how he made my lola laugh with his jokes and stories.
Here are the pastas and pizzas we ordered, recommended mostly by our waiter. The menu is mostly in Italian and some of these dishes weren't listed yet, so we were pleasantly surprised with each item.
We started off with some freshly baked focaccia bread with an olive oil, parmesan, and black vinegar dip. Yum!
My mom loved these complimentary bread sticks so much that she asked for some to take home.
Since we were having a hard time choosing from the wide range of pasta, our waiter suggested we try the trio best-seller platter: we had the Spaghetti al Cartoccio--an olive oil based seafood creation that we all loved, the lasagna with meatsauce and eggplant that rivals my love for Cafe 1771's vegetable lasagna, and finally, my favorite--the Pasta Panna Prusciutto Funghi made of mushroom sauce, truffle oil, and Prosicutto ham. I cannot imagine how such simple ingredients made these dishes unforgettable.
For the pizza, our waiter suggested Roberto's latest creation which was not yet on the menu: the Garibaldina pizza. It was love at first bite! Fresh arugula, two kinds of cheese, and heaps of bacon and shrimp all in one perfectly thin crust pizza.
Because we're salmon lovers, we ordered the Al Salmone pizza and it was pure heaven. Imagine strips of smoked salmon covering an entire thin crust. I kept wishing they paired it with bleu cheese but the flavor was rich enough on its own. This is definitely an acquired taste if you're not fond of salmon.
When Roberto spotted me and my sister gazing at the cakes, he suggested that we try his orange cake if "we wanted something new". True enough, the huge slice of cake made me want to hug the old man. It was yummy! It's the perfect blend between zesty and sweet and the crust of the caramelized oranges were a refreshing change from the usual chocolate cakes. My lola was so hooked she bought a whole cake to take home. We can't wait to try his famous chocolate Obama cake next time we're there.
In between courses, my sister and I took the opportunity to take photos of the masterpieces on the walls. I can imagine the amount of passion and hard work they put into recreating scenes from Italy onto the walls and ceilings. Even the tiny details and the pop of 3D installations here and there will amaze you.
The area where we sat with one wall showcasing the wine collection.
A mini leaning tower of Pisa!!! So precious.
Life in Venice with a 3D bridge. This was our backdrop while dining.
After our meal, we were given complimentary sweet wine to top it all off. Now, it's time to learn some basic Italian and head back here to properly make the necessary Italian expressions while eating!
