Receta Restaurant Review: Pasta Roni
We stumbled upon an article that listed the 10 underrated restaurants in BGC. (See post here.) Since choosing for a place to have lunch every Friday (which happens to be our “lunch out day”) has started to become a struggle, this list helped us discover some hidden gems in BGC. The first restaurant from the list that we got to try was Pasta Roni.
Pasta Roni is literally a hidden gem. Unlike most restaurants that are located in a building’s façade, Pasta Roni is concealed at the second level of Commercenter Building. We even had to ask the security guard how to get to the restaurant. And when we reached the second level, we felt like walking along the path of hell. It is a parking space and we could feel the heat coming out from the restaurants’ exhaust system. But then again, they say that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. Pasta Roni is a testament to that. =)
We really had a hard time choosing while scanning the menu. Imagine five hungry, indecisive girls who wanted to get every single thing from the menu. “I want this… I want this too… Oh wait, I changed my mind… I’ll get this instead.” We didn’t let go of the menu even after we placed our orders which tempted us to call the waitress and change some of our choices. But we decided to stick with our initial orders. Ke gulo! =))
We asked the server what their bestsellers are. She mentioned one kind of pizza and four pasta dishes. Dahil madali kaming kausap, in-order naming lahat! :p
Spaghetti with Meatballs is a pretty straightforward dish, right? I have tried different versions of it from various restaurants. But even before it was served to us, what’s written on the menu already caught my attention. It says that the meatballs are 90% lean 100% all-meat. All- meat?! No breadcrumbs?! No extenders?!
Spaghetti with Meatballs PHP170
We all agreed that the meatballs are to die for! Each moist and juicy meatball is bursting with nothing but pure awesomeness. It was as if my taste buds were being caressed in my every bite of the meatballs. Judging by the way that the red sauce looks, I was expecting it to be sour. But surprisingly, the sauce has the right balance of acidity, sweetness and tanginess.
Another recommendation we got from our server was their Sausage Arrabiata - penne pasta in chili pomodoro with grilled sausage. This was specifically my request because it has everything I want in a pasta dish – penne pasta, sausage and chili!!!
We were surprised that the sausage was not chopped into small pieces. But I think that this is a clever idea because the sausage retained its juices. It was oozing out as we were cutting it. We all loved the smoky flavor of the sausage. The sauce tastes almost like the one in the spaghetti, but this one is spicy. The sauce is spicy. The sausage is spicy. I. WAS. SO. HAPPY. :p
Sausage Arrabiata PHP199
I am not really the biggest fan of oil-based pasta. Most that I tried are either bland or too overpowering. But I’m glad that I got to try Pasta Roni’s Spicy Tuna Spaghetti.
It’s nice that the pasta is not swimming in oil. Believe me, I’ve witnessed a lot of horrible executions of oil-based pasta dishes. =)) This stood out among all the oil-based pasta dishes I had tried before because of two things. First, it’s spicy. That’s a no-brainer. :p And second, the olives, capers and sun dried tomatoes added a different kind of kick. These three produced a symphony of flavors - three elements with three distinct flavors working hand in hand to make my palates really happy. :p
Spicy Tuna Spaghetti PHP180
We also got to try a cream-based pasta dish. This Fettuccine Carbonara may look so plain and simple at first glance. It’s just pasta coated in white sauce with bacon bits, topped with parsley and a slice of crispy bacon. But looks can be deceiving. It may look unassuming, but this will surely surprise your taste buds. The creamy sauce perfectly coats the pasta. The sauce has a hint of sweetness, and we all concurred that it’s not overpowering. And oh, do I need to tell you about the bacon?! Nah! You probably know that anything with bacon becomes more delicious. =)
Fettuccine Carbonara PHP170
Each pasta dish is served with two slices of toasted bread. I believe they use whole wheat bread. More often than not, the toasted bread on the side remains unnoticed. But even the bread was so good! It has that distinct grainy and nutty aftertaste.
Finally, as recommended once again by our server, we got to try their Italian Sausage Pizza. When I got my first slice, the girls started laughing at me as I kept on checking the crust. (I actually have the weird habit of smelling and visually inspecting the food I eat. Haha!) I told them that the crust looks like whole wheat because of its color.
They use thin crust which paves the way for the toppings to stand out. The bell peppers are sweet which only means that they use the freshest ingredients. The sauce, sausage, cheese, vegetables and crispy crust played their respective roles very well to please my palates.
Italian Sausage Pizza PHP295
The best part of our first dining experience at Pasta Roni is the fact that we only paid PHP1,014!!! The food is undoubtedly good. And I loved the casual ambiance of the restaurant.
We arrived at Pasta Roni before noon. A few minutes after, the restaurant was already full. That slowed down the service a little bit. With more people discovering this hidden treasure probably because of the article from spot.ph, the challenge now is for the management to make sure that their service is fast and efficient. Because when it comes to the quality and affordability of their food, Pasta Roni already scored a bulls-eye! =)
Pasta Roni
Level 2 Commercenter Building
31st Street corner 2nd Avenue,
Bonifacio Global City,
Taguig City
All opinions expressed here are my own. Just because something worked for me does not necessarily mean that it will work for you too, the same way that I don’t post selfies just because everybody else is doing it. Everything on this blog, unless otherwise stated, belongs to me. Plagiarism is stealing. And the Bible made it clear that thou shalt not steal. =)