Tuesday, February 28, 2012

C' Italian Dining Experience

I have read a lot of raves about this Italian restaurant near Clark. Their famous for their pizza-looking-but-even-better creation, the Panizza. Chris, their chef, revolutionized this masterpiece and the result is heavenly! People from Manila and neighboring provinces goes to the Angeles City just to dine in this resto. I am dying of curiosity. I must try it.

You see, I'm not an expensive eater. I take joy in discovering cheap finds and food is no exemption. With that, I had to find the right time to give in to my curiosity (I heard it's not very cheap to eat here so a normal day isn't just practical). Finally, thank heavens for the valentine's day, I can justify treating my husband a fancy dinner. 

C' Italia is just a few minutes drive from SM Clark. Upon our arrival, we were welcomed by their staff and seated on the air-conditioned area. We found out that you can have an option of eating indoors or al-fresco. The place has this classy and rustic feel. I wanted to kick myself for not bringing an actual camera so we have to make do of these phone shots, okay? I hope they can give enough justice to the place.

You will be greeted with their lobby's wall full of signed plates which were made by their satisfied customers.

Another section houses their wine selection, which can be ordered as well. 
The stone wall certainly adds up to the Italian ambience.



























Another arched door leads to this homey little lounge.
I wanted to try three of their famous dishes, a panizza, pasta and risotto. They have a wide range of selection when it comes to their panizzas. They even vary them from time to time whenever the chef discovers a new masterpiece. It was so hard deciding but we ended up ordering Panizza Kristina. Generally, their panizzas are all made from fine crisp dough with a blend of five different cheese and herbs, then the toppings makes all the difference. Kristina has bacon, ham, caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms. It comes with arugula and alfalfa sprouts. 

Complimentary baguettes with pesto and cheese dip, while waiting for our orders. 

Panizza Kristina. Ugggh, my mouth waters just by seeing this again!
It comes with arugula leaves and alfalfa sprouts. Salad and a pizza combined! These are refillable btw :)
Rolled panizza. I know, the photo looks blehh, but trust me, this is really really good!
Arugula, surprisingly, doesn't taste leafy at all. It's not bitter but has this very very delicate spice and nuttiness. The alfalfa, however, has this subtle earthy and grassy taste all by itself. But when all of them combined, they really compliment each other. 

Our next dish was the risotto. It was my first time eating this dish. I knew the authentic risottos are made of fish broth. I was never a fan of fishes. Maybe I can try that when I'm actually in Italy. I ended up ordering its nearest cousin, the prawn. It's called Risotto Antonio. It's a dish made of rice cooked slowly in broth (it has this lugaw consistency). Do you know the feeling when you're eating something delicious, you always save the best parts for last? Well, it didn't happen here. This dish has unbelievably generous amount of prawns that every time you scoop up, a prawn will always end up on your spoon. It also has some tomato concase, fresh basil, cottage and parmesan cheese. It's very creamy and has no over-powering seafood taste. In short... yummy! The serving is hefty too.

You're really heavenly!
Our last order was the pasta. We chose the Spagetti Con Frutti Di Mare. It is a blend of fresh salmon, mahi mahi, grouper, prawns, imported mussels with light virgin olive oil and pomodoro sauce. Talk about seafood hardcore! I can't believe I'm gonna say this twice in a single entry, but I am not a fan of fishes. I ate the mussels but I was not generally happy with this one. It was a personal preference. I took it home to my mom and it was a sure hit! 

Huge chunks of salmons, mahi mahi and groupers.
Now the verdict.

Taste: 10/10 
No question about that, it deserves every rave it gets. Their panizzas are must-try. I think I would go back every pay day just to try all their varieties.

Service: 10/10
Their staff are very attentive and well-trained. They know the menu so well that they even suggest an order if they saw you having a hard time choosing.

Ambiance/ Location: 7/10. 
The ambiance is perfect. The location, however, is not that strategic. If your commuting, you may have to take two rides to reach it (from Angeles proper). They also have limited parking spaces if you have your own car. 

Price: 9/10. 
Our total bill was 2800+ Php for three dishes and 2 drinks. Generally, each order averages around 800 Php. Is it expensive? Not really, considering the huge servings and the quality of ingredients they offer. 

Must-try? Definitely.
Will I try it again? Definitely!


*****
C'Italian Dining is located at 1210 Don Juico Avenue (Friendship Road), Clark, Angeles, Philippines
Accepts cash, Visa, American Express and Master Card payments.
Opens at 11:00am to 11:00pm every day except Mondays (5:00pm-11:00pm)

I have a copy of their menu if someone gets curious. 

2 comments:

  1. when i visit home i will definitely try this place :)

    Much support, Christia
    _______
    Looking for the Apple at Big Apple Express Spa from Christia's World

    ReplyDelete
  2. a must try...love the ambiance...thank you for sharing:)_

    ReplyDelete