Pagliacci

Lately, I've been on a food run (evidence: consecutive blog posts about restaurants I've been at recently). I don't really have much to share about coffee nowadays. Ever since I got a coffee maker here, I've been to a coffee shop at most 3 times. And unfortunately, apart from Starbucks, CBTL, and other similar coffee shops, there isn't really anything exciting on the coffee front as of late.

Italian restaurant Pagliacci, which means clowns in English, is located across the cinema in Podium. I've been there only once before when it was still on the ground floor beside UCC Coffee. Back in 2001, my family was crazy about Pazzo in Powerplant, especially the spaghettini vongole there, that was until we heard rumors that the chef there, Chef Maurice, left to open his own place, which was Pagliacci. But a place where a plate of pasta cost Php 400 (around twice that of Pazzo's) was not really a place to go back to regularly. Fast forward maybe 5 years, the pasta here still cost around Php 400, but after factoring in inflation, I think this price is now quite reasonable. I'm glad we went back because I haven't had Italian food here or in HK (at comparable prices) that tasted as good as Pagliacci's for quite some time now.

From top:

1. inside Pagliacci

2. gelato stand outside

3. one of the best complimentary bread baskets around - It's not crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside as Colette in Ratatouille described the perfect bread should be but this will do.

4. home-made pasta with truffle cream and mushrooms - The pasta was al dente and the sauce was creamy enough that it does not turn into a soupy puddle at the bottom of the plate. I also discovered that truffle is a crop that often grows beside the roots of trees, but I'm not sure if this is the same truffle used in chocolates. The consistency is similar to milk-based cream but feels much lighter after eating.

5. mushroom risotto - This dish took around 20 minutes to be prepared. It was so naturally tasty from all the different mushrooms used and the rice was not soggy at all.

6. margherita pizza - This did not seem as special as the pasta and risotto but it was topped with a generous amount of mozarella cheese and was just heavenly when it was still hot.

7. me - This chain bracelet is my current favorite accessory. It's from the Jimmy Choo for H&M line and came together with the zebra print platforms. I only started wearing it recently as I found it a little too tough-looking at first, but I think it looks normal on my wrist after all.

8. Finally, eating gelato was the worst way to end such a beautiful meal. I got the panacotta (like leche flan) flavor which was too sweet, and the cone was just awful. Anyway, what I really want to show in this picture is the effect created by the lens where the subject totally stands out from the background. All pictures taken by me except for this and the previous one.