#maniladining

Restaurants serving pasta are quite easy to find in Manila. What’s hard to find is a place that serves top quality, consistently tasting, authentic Italian dishes that would be hard for you to replicate at home. For all of those considerations, I go to Va Bene Pasta Deli. They use freshly made pasta and do not scrimp on ingredients and sauces. Serving portions are big and although not cheap, you do get every bit of what you pay for. 

I’ve never had a bad experience or bad dish in their Petron Dasmarinas branch. That explains my ten visits or so this year alone. Here are my favourites and my recommendations for when you should order them. 

For when you want a hearty appetiser, get the Bruschetta (PhP 420). It has wild mushrooms, Taleggio cheese, roasted onion, truffle oil, and Parma ham. It will be almost guaranteed you won’t have a shy piece left.

For a protein packed starter, try the Polpette (PhP 390). It’s traditional Italian meatballs in tomato sauce and served with ricotta cheese crostone. 

What I like about Va Bene’s version is that it’s meaty but not as heavy as other meatballs. One can say that’s because of the extenders used and might not like that but it’s very much to my liking. I need all the space I can save in my tummy for all the carbs to follow. The crostone served is also delicious; very creamy and a good pair to the tartness of the tomato sauce.

For when you want something indulgent, try the Veal Cheeks Ravioli (PhP 580). It’s served in mushroom sauce with veal juice and parmesan cheese. It is a rich tasting dish but balances being meaty and creamy so that you’ll still want your seconds. I reckon if you’re a beef stroganoff lover, you’ll love this dish. 

For when you want a classic cream sauce dish or something truffl-y, go for Organic Eggs Tagliatelle (PhP 440). It has Portobello mushrooms in white wine cream sauce and truffle oil. The first time I ordered this dish I was quite skeptical as white truffle sauces can be overwhelming. Again, Va Bene wins with their balancing of flavours. Make sure you have bread to finish off the sauce left. 

For when you want seafood order the Black Ink Tagliolini (PhP 440), with mixed seafood, marinara sauce, and light tomato cream sauce. Another one I was skeptical about! A lot of restaurants fail in capturing the squid ink taste in their pasta so I didn’t expect much from this dish. I was pleasantly surprised that I could taste the squid ink flavour albeit not too strong. The seafood were cooked well and the marinara sauce had the right amount or acidity for my taste.

For when you want an unconventional meaty dish, go for the Pappardelle (PhP 460). It has twelve (12) hours braised lamb shank, Italian sausages, semi-dried tomatoes, and black olives. Lamb in sauces as well as pappardelle is not commonly used in Manila so it’s worth a try. This will easily make you full so I suggest pacing servings with this one if you’re trying a couple of pasta dishes.

For something new, try Nonna Gnocchi (PhP 480). It’s served in white sauce with Italian sausages, Portobello mushrooms, prawns, and Taleggio cheese. Gnocchi are pillowy dumplings made out of flour and potato, and sometimes mixed with eggs, cheese or herbs. Making them is tricky and requires a lot of practice and patience. If done right they melt in your mouth but if done wrong can be rubbery or soggy. At Va Bene I enjoyed this dish and was happy with their surf and turf take in mixing sausages and prawns in the sauce. Another choice on the heavy side, I would recommend to pair this with a light starter or if another pasta dish, an oil or tomato based one. 

So what’s left after every meal I’ve had here? Plates with sauces wiped out! 

I’ve tried plenty pasta dishes here but haven’t tried any of their desserts. It’s mainly because after all that pasta, I couldn’t manage eating something sweet and paying more than PhP 200 for it. Maybe on a special occasion, I’ll get to try one. I also rate their wine and coffee. Plus points for letting diners try the wine before ordering.