Pasta at Va Bene | Tel Wanders

Italian food is one of my weaknesses and although it may be true that everyone can whip out pasta dishes, not everyone can make them very well. That is why when I hear or read that an establishment is amazing at serving Italian dishes, I always want to give it a try. In Va Bene?s case, it took me probably more than two years and an earlier planned dinner that did not push thru because it closed, to satisfy my curiosity.

My friends and I were all set for a pho-night. I do not eat Vietnamese food that often but from my last experience, I liked those noodles very much. Thus, the disappointment when I drove by our target Vietnamese restaurant and read that it was indeed closed and transferring elsewhere. It was probably serendipitous since we ended up at Va Bene. At 8:30 p.m., it was full but thankfully, I only had to wait for a couple of minutes to get seated.

I noticed though that the place was cramped. There was even an instance when the glass of the person 2 tables from us got tumbled by the bag of another customer, accidentally of course. But that was really because the tables were so close to each other.

Anyway, even if I have not started ordering (because sometimes friends make you wait, ya know?! ), I was served with crostini with tomato salsa in olive oil. It was a pretty good gesture not to mention quite a good appetizer to have.

After a while my friends arrived and ordered the Arugula with Chicken Salad (Php 390). Aside from leaves, it had roasted onions, chicken and caramelized apples in balsamic dressing. I love arugula. The bitter hint of the leaf always goes well with cheese and vinaigrette. As for this salad, I did not end up being a big fan of. I did not like that the dressing was too sweet (for me at least). I found it weird tasting even with slices of chicken on top of it. I would probably go for another salad or soup instead next time.

Up next was the Rolled Spinach Cannelloni (Php 390). The pasta was slightly too soft. Although, the dish was creamy with tomato sauce generously flooded the dish which I loved. The smoked ham inside was mild in taste or might have been overpowered by the flavours but this sinful dish is quite worth the calories.

As we found ourselves still wanting to eat further, we ordered the Black Ink Tagliolini (Php 390). It was squid ink pasta (take note, not on it, which I found pretty ingenious ) with seafood marinara in light cream sauce. The marinara had that slightly salty and mildly sour flavour but was well complemented by the squid ink. I loved this dish. Oh, and the pasta was al dente.

For dessert, we figured we would ordered the Homemade Profiteroles (Php 190). These were cream puffs with caramelized walnuts, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chocolate drizzle. Sadly, it was not something that made my palate excited. It was sweet (as expected) but creamy. This was alright but not really something I would go back for.

Overall, it was a pretty good experience except for the really tiny space of the establishment. I like my space, especially when I am eating so I find it difficult to appreciate food when I feel cramped. Anyway, I have limited knowledge on the prices of the Italian ingredients but I cannot help but feel that the dishes were overpriced, especially considering the relaxed casual ambiance. But, if you have pasta cravings, it is still a pretty good place to go.

Va Bene Pasta Deli
2nd Floor, Petron Gas Station, EDSA Corner Pasay Road, Dasmarinas Village, Makati City
(63 2) 5569442; (63 2) 6227373; (63917)5503817
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Tags: canelloni, makati, pasta, profiteroles, salad, tagliolini

Source: http://telwanders.com/2012/11/pasta-at-va-bene/

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