Date # 24: A Veneto

Credits to OpenRice.com for the top left photo. Click on thumbnails to enlarge.

It is only natural for couples to have a desire to rediscover the restaurants they used to frequent as children. The promise of nostalgia that it gives simply puts one on a high. It’s a kind of sharing with one’s partner snippets of his or her past.

A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante is a childhood favorite of mine; it holds so many fond memories. When we arrived, I immediately knew what to order even without consulting the menu.

We opted for their Trinoma Branch since it was more accessible to us. I love the wooden furniture and the bright paintings on the walls. But this restaurant plays too much hip hop music—it doesn’t fit with the overall theme of the place.

Our orders came swiftly. We first tried out the Spicy Baked Mussels (P120). You’d be surprised with the serving considering the cheap price. It consisted of a plateful of mussels gorged in thick and spicy tomato paste, topped with chewy mozzarella cheese.

The mussels contrasted well with the sauce. I love how the cheese balances out the strong flavors from the seafood and the tomato paste. It’s good for two to three persons.

I have no idea if they changed the recipe for their Meatball Parmigiana (P230), but I remember it being more flavorful years ago. I wanted a more standout tomato flavor because it was a little bland. The noodles weren’t as al dente as we would prefer, either.

The fist-sized meatballs made up for the whole dish, however. It was seasoned very well, salty with a little peppery kick. For its price, it’s definitely worth it because it could serve three people already.

Their Nut Pesto w/ Chicken (P235) made the whole trip to Trinoma during our 3-hr break worth it. I love the different layers of flavor from the herbs and the oil, which all worked out to give an organic unity of sweetness and spiciness. I love that it doesn’t try to drown the diner with so many herbs, just the right amount to flavor the whole thing right.

It’s complemented well by the strips of chicken on top, giving another dimension to the dish—it reminded me of chicken nuggets, and I think that’s a good thing because it didn’t make this dish’s flavor too repetitive.

The Verdict: As you can see, we went here for their pasta because I’m not a fan of their pizzas. Although there wasnt anything specifically that special, its taste was actually on the better half of the Italian food found in the area. The servings were quite hefty, too. :)