Yummy Date Night

Date # 20: Friuli Trattoria

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We’ve always said that dates need not be in fine dining restaurants—they only need to be in a place with good food and a good ambiance. “Average food with someone you love is better than Kobe beef with an asshole,” our heading goes.

We’re glad to have encountered Friuli Trattoria because it gives just that—good food and good ambiance—for a very affordable price. I’ve been wanting to go to Friuli since the first time I’ve heard of it, and today Douglas and I finally did.

When we arrived, (which was around 2pm—past lunch hours) we were glad to see that there were a lot of customers. They occupied the entire first floor, so we had to be seated upstairs. I wouldn’t say the place is cramped, because that usually gives a negative connotation. I’d say the place is cozy, and gives a warm homely feeling. Most of the people dining were most likely students too, and the others seemed like residents from Maginhawa Village (where Friuli is located).

I didn’t mind the monoblock chairs—because this place isn’t about staying for hours on a comfy couch. At least the tiny room had relatively cool airconditioning, and a wall fan to go with it. Oh, by the way, we danced to the cool Italian music they were playing. \m/

We had a pitcher of Iced Tea (P60) to share. We were pleased with it simply because it wasn’t diluted. Not the most special iced tea out there, but very good for its price. It would fill around 4-5 glasses, to think that a single glass of iced tea would probably already be sixty pesos in other restaurants.

First to make its way on our table was the Pesto (P134). Its serving would be enough for one really hungry person, but it’s good to share if you want to leave room for the other dishes. Douglas would have preferred more pine nuts to give a sense of variety in taste and texture, and I probably would have preferred it with a stronger flavor—but we ate it all up. Not the best pesto I’ve tasted. We absolutely loved the garlic bread that came along with it, though—the crust was crunchy while the center was really soft. The garlic flavor was strong throughout. Exactly how I like my garlic bread.

Douglas and I don’t exactly have really big appetites—we can only eat one pizza at a time. But since we wanted to try a variety of flavors, we had our pizza split into two flavors. The serving is good for two, around twelve inches.

We like our pizzas leaning more on Italian style—with a nicely baked dough, savory cheeses, fresh herbs and spices. We don’t like too many toppings on our pizzas. This restaurant specializes in that kind, and that’s one of the primary reasons we went here for a visit.

We first tried out their Tre Formaggi (P169 for a whole). It is a three cheese pizza making use of mozzarella, cheddar and blue cheese. Mozzarella and cheddar are cheeses you can commonly find in your pizza. However, blue cheese in pizza is kind of rare—and that is what makes this pizza sort of unique.

Douglas and I really loved this. We loved the unique blend of cheeses and the infusion of the spices, which left a deep flavor in our mouths.

Our second flavor was the Margherita (P169 for a whole). We loved the former over this one, but the Margherita wasn’t bad at all. I loved the juicy touch the fresh tomatoes give—however, I wish the basil leaves had a more dominant flavor. I’m still glad we ordered this, though.

It’s sort of odd that the last to find its way on our table was the Toasted Ravioli (P125) when it actually falls on the antipasti list in the menu. I’m not exactly particular with that, though, so no bad feelings there.

This is perhaps our favorite from the things we ordered. Douglas had to double check the menu to see if it really was worth only P125, because they gave us six pieces. Each piece would be around the size of a human palm—they’re quite large. We loved the crunchy breading—we were glad it didn’t have a reheated texture and that it wasn’t too thick. It felt quite fresh—we wondered how they made it so crunchy and thin without it being oily.

The filling was another story—there was around a teaspoonful of ground beef within each ravioli. We found that the amount of beef was just right, and the taste was all the more better. They also had provided a small bowl of tomato sauce—and if you know me, I absolutely love tomato sauce. Especially this kind. We devoured everything wholeheartedly and enjoyably.

Oh, by the way… how come Friuli didn’t have dessert when we went there? :( We were excited to try their gelato out…

Overall Verdict: If Friuli had been located a walking distance from our school (Ateneo), I would probably be dining here often. Fair prices, good dishes… the trip going there was well worth it. We actually had to battle a heavy downpour of rain to arrive in Friuli, but in the end, I could say it’s all good. It’s better to come here in small groups, given the small place—so it’s really good for dates.

Friuli Trattoria #79A Maginhawa St. UP Village Quezon City, Philippines

(+632)4341416

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With and For Love,

Rina Caparras and Douglas Chong

http://mydailydoseofrina.tumblr.com

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