Sunday Lunch: La Nuova Pasteleria

Nestled in the neighborhood complex of San Antonio Plaza in Forbes Park is this small and unpretentious deli-style restaurant. Here in Manila, it’s not unheard of for a restaurant to last barely two to five years. That’s mostly because they are not consistent enough, serving great food the first few years, then deteriorating slowly thereafter. But since La Nuova Pasteleria has been around for over 30 years, I guess that would have to make it a class all on its own.

The good: (everything, basically)

Flat bread with tomato and chicken pate

Zuppa di Funghi (P271) Fresh mushroom soup. Not cream of mushroom (as what most restaurants serve), fresh real mushroom: clear and well seasoned with pepper and olive oil. I found it refreshing to have mushroom soup that did not taste like it came straight out of a Campbell’s can.

Spinacci Trifolate Sauteed (P385) Spinach with truffle cream in Porcini mushroom sauce. Easily a hit for an appetizer. The sauce was so rich and creamy, one could almost get full eating this alone.  

Spinach Pizza – with fresh tomato sauce, topped with creamy mushroom and spinach. Better than most vegetarian-style pizzas you’ll find around the city. It was mild yet flavorful at the same time.

Pepperoni Pizza with olives – authentic taste to something so ubiquitous

Pescatora e Salsa Pomodoro (P459) Spaghetti with seafood in tomato sauce. The tomato sauce was a great feature in this dish. Although I’m not a fan of seafood + pasta, this one makes a real difference.

Filleto de Salmone (P595). Salmon steak with scallop and shrimp in cream sauce. The star of the table, hands down. If there is only one thing you can order out of this meal, get this one. The salmon is perfectly baked and the shrimp and scallop were not bad at all. But what makes this dish insanely delicious is the sauce made of cream, butter, cheese, and some dill. The pasta with bell pepper on the side add a nice contrast to it. Ahh, heaven.  

For dessert, we shared a strawberry shortcake which the waiters gave on the house.

The verdict: I have no bad reviews for this place at all. Ok, maybe they could do with bigger space. And gelato. But that’s beside the point. This place serves authentic Italian food that’s cooked in the right, Italian way: simple, no frills, and delicious.  

Rating: 4.75 / 5

P.S. A far cry from the “World of the J.” no?

Café Breton

Having a three-hour lunch break is a much coveted prize over here at the World of the J. (Jologs, i.e. Sampaloc, Maynila). Thankfully, Timog, Tomas Morato, and Trinoma are just about a 30-minute drive away for a convenient food escape. What is unfortunate though is that a 10 am to 1 pm break does not leave us with very many options to choose from as most restaurants are still closed! (Just so you know, we had to wait 20 minutes outside the front door of this place before they opened)

Anyway, I’m sure many of you have been to Café Breton as it has been around for more than 5 years now. But I appreciate the fact that even after that span of time, it still manages to serve a pretty consistent quality of food that leaves one comforted at the end of his meal. I’ve learned that when one is hungry, it’s always best to go for the “tried and tested” rather than experiment. Breton is definitely one of those places where you can satisfy a hungry stomach with a reliably good lunch, snack, dinner, or dessert and not regret it.

The good:

 Café Breton has always been known for its crepes. For those starving, we recommend…

Galette Rustique (P182.50) – crepe stuffed with mozzarella and topped with bacon, tomato, and sunny side-up egg.    

Breton Mozarella Burger (P195) – Now I know this one’s on the “safe” side. But I just couldn’t resist a burger with an all-beef patty topped with creamy mozzarella, mushrooms, and lettuce. Plus they have a small lettuce, tomato, and onion salad on the side so that covers the go, grow, and glow don’t you think? If only their bread were homemade…

And if you’re incredibly hungry…

Try making your own custom galette (P400+) – You can basically put anything that what you want in here. Inside this crepe lies molten mozzarella, mushrooms, ham, egg, tomato (and all sorts of other stuff on an entire page of the menu I couldn’t remember anymore) with veal sausage on the side topped with onions. The crepe tasted incredibly rich and hearty from first bite to last. Pretty excessive I know. But you won’t want to eat another meal for the next 18 hours after this one.  

The verdict: Consistently good food and reasonably priced, what more can I say?

Rating: 4.5 / 5