Eating food that's too hot has never been a problem
People in the eastern side of Metro Manila know fully well that Marikina City has become a hotbed truly wonderful restaurants. FoodMetroManila has been to these places: Happon Ramen House; […]
People in the eastern side of Metro Manila know fully well that Marikina City has become a hotbed truly wonderful restaurants. FoodMetroManila has been to these places: Happon Ramen House; Murakami; Cookie Mug; House of Burgis; Salliano’s. And now I’m adding Grissini Ristorante to this list.
This stretch of road used to be just all grass and was quiet dark during the night time. Now there are several restaurants and an international school. The industrial side of Marikina is getting a much needed makeover.
Grissini has very chic interiors. Lighting is a big deal for me for restaurants because I usually eat out only during the night time. I also use a very old iPad mini whose camera is not great in low light settings. The lighting inside Grissini is exactly what I want: Bright LED lamps strategically placed over the tables.
I also love seeing brick walls and Grissini has several of them. The servers were all nice and will help you pronounce the menu items. Everything is in Italian though they do provide a description of each in English. They also sell some pastries out front, including some Italian macarons that I heard were good. They also sell coffee, big plus! #coffeeaddict
I read somewhere, I think it was in Looloo, that a user described the place as perfect for dates. Well I went here on a date with Haziel and just judging on the overall vibe of the place, I couldn’t agree more. However, I have mixed reviews about the food.
Red and White wine
You can’t be eating in an Italian restaurant without wine. Just don’t ask me which one to pair with which dish. I have no idea. The choice was just based out of pure preference: I like red wine; Haziel wanted to have white wine. We just bought orders in glasses; a whole bottle would be too much.
Carpaccio Di Manzo
Thinly sliced pieces of beef drizzled with olive oil and lemon. It is then topped with parmesan flakes and lettuce. I actually liked this appetizer. It was light despite being a full meat affair. Too bad it came after the pizza and pasta. Dang it! This always happens to me! Just once I want to actually start a meal with an appetizer please?
Al Prosciutto
The crust was a tad dry and hard. It was also a bit bland. Everything else, however, was perfect. The marinara you could tell was made fresh and works well with the creamy mozzarella. The prosciutto and arugula were added at the last minute so they won’t dry. They provide the nutty, peppery, and salty tastes that work well with the marinara and cheese. This looks really simple but is very good. Now if they can only improve the crust…
Ravioli di Spinaci
The filling is Spinach and Feta. The pasta pockets are topped with what Grissini just calls “cream sauce”. The “cream sauce” was a little bland. The pasta was a bit thick and chewy. The filling was good. It’s 220 Php for about four pieces of spinach filled ravioli, execution could have been better.
Risotto con Funghi
Risotto – It looks so simple and easy to make but it’s actually a very tricky dish.
Grissini’s risotto is not good. The rice was overcooked and mushy. It’s a rice dish; you have to get the rice right. It’s like pasta; the rice needs to have a little bite to it.
If the two previous dishes were a tad bland, this one was in dire need of seasoning. It also tasted milky. Risottos usually have butter and cheese, but I haven’t heard of milk before. At least the mushrooms were not from a can.
Ruminations…
It’s good to have a classy Italian restaurant in this side of town. They had a few misses, especially with that horrendous risotto, but it’s alright. Price range is not bank breaking but still quiet steep. Some people may love it but I just find it okay.
There are plenty more places to try here in Marikina. Do you have any suggestions for me? Leave a comment below or send me a note to my email ad or through any of my social media accounts. Stay hungry Metro Manila!
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