Cubao Expo's Bellini's: Still My Favorite Italian Restaurant

After a bad food trip day, all I want to do is go back to my old favorite, hidden Italian Restaurant in Cubao Expo - Bellini's.


Last November, my friends, Kiwee, Fred and I went all the way to Manila in search of the best xiao long bao and burger only to feel disappointed from both restaurants. We felt so defeated until a cup of coffee from KaffeCaffe saved the day. 


However, later on in the day, Kiwee and I started feeling weak and we both blamed the extremely oily burger that we had ingested earlier. We then started craving for our old time favorite restaurant, Bellini's. We've always loved Bellini's and we felt it was the best restaurant to go back to to have a "cleansing" food session.

So right after visiting Libreria Bookstore, we immersed ourselves to the soothing and calming effect of the romantic ambiance of Bellini's. The story of Bellini's, after all, is about a great romance between an Italian and a Filipina. You can immediately feel it as soon as you enter this quaint restaurant. 


With live Italian music playing in the background and hand-painted painted walls and ceilings, it's hard not to feel the love of the couple behind this authentic Italian Restaurant, Roberto and Luisa.

Roberto used to be a paparazzi in Italy as evidenced by the numerous celebrity photographs displayed on the restaurant's walls. During 1986, he was assigned to the Philippines to cover the EDSA Revolution. It was in Malacanang that he met his future wife, Luisa. 


After living in Italy for 10 years and raising three children, they went back to the Philippines and opened their own cozy Italian restaurant, Bellini's. Roberto is in charge of making everyone in the restaurant feel at home, while Luisa, having mastered the art of Italian cooking, is in charge of the kitchen.


All of their food, from their pastas, sauces, breads and desserts are baked fresh in Bellini's; thus making it the best restaurant for our "cleansing" food session. 

Complimentary Bread Sticks (Php Free!)

We simply wanted a light meal that would help wash out the "energy-draining toxins" we had incurred from the day so we ordered a salad and a pasta dish. While waiting for our orders, we were served complimentary tall crunchy bread sticks. Yaaay!

Grilled Mixed Salad (Php200)

After a few minutes since we finished the bread sticks, our Grilled Mixed Salad was served on a festive red platter. What I really love about this salad is how simple and light it is. With just a light oil based dressing, the salad cleaned the palate very well. I also enjoyed the natural sweetness coming from the caramelization of its ingredients, especially that of the white onion rings. This is a definite must try. :) It's simple, quiet but naturally flavorful. 

Gnocchi Verdi Pomodoro e Basilico (Php280)

Shortly after, the Gnocchi Verdi Pomodoro e Basilico or their Spinach Gnocchi with Tomato and Basil arrived on our table. Similar to the salad, this pasta was also very light. Its tomato sauce was light and it blended the spinach and basil flavors wonderfully. The gnocchi had a very soft, thick and chewy texture which I was very fond of. 


I've tried better pasta dishes from Bellini's but this was a nice pasta choice for our cleansing intent. 


So despite having a failed food trip day, our day still ended on a high note because we went back to one of our first loves, Bellini's. Not only did it cheer us up, it also cleansed us from our food exploration with its fresh salad and pasta. And with such a lovely ambiance, Bellini's served as a great reward for us for being so daring with our food choices that day. 


There's really nothing like going back to your old time favorites. :)

More Info on Bellini's:
Address: Cubao Expo, Gen. Romulo Ave., Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Map: Click Here
Menu: Click Here
Budget: Php350-500/head
Contact Number: (02) 913-2550
Operating Hours: Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm


Other Cubao Expo Related Posts:

• Your Life As Art: Photo Memories on Wood
• Cubao Expo's Future National Artists & Their 15 Tips for Aspiring Artists 
• Cubao Expo's Mogwai Cinematheque: Taking Movies to a Different Level
• Cubao Expo's Alan's Grill: Let's Talk Art, Grilled and Filipino Food 
• Cubao Expo's Libreria Bookstore: My New Happy Place

~It's the little sweet notes everyday that matter. :)~