L'Incontro: 2010 Manila's Best-Kept Secret Italian Restaurant

For my 26^th birthday, Person A and I had a quiet celebration at L’Incontro, one of the cozy-yet-sophisticated restaurants along Reposo, Makati. If the name is familiar, it was hailed as 2010 Manila’s Best Kept Italian Restaurant, 9 months after Tina Pamintuan took ownership of the restaurant from Gino Martinel, who had to go back to Italy. Ms. Pamintuan is the Le Cordon Bleu-educated restaurateur.

For quite some time now, Person A and I have our eye on Reposo as it is the location to a lot of interesting establishments: the LRI Building – home to one of the nicest furniture shops in the city, the Room Upstairs – a cozy coffeeshop we are very interested to try, Café Caruso and L’Incontro. My birthday seems like the perfect excuse to go a bit fancy on our dining experience.

L’Incontro didn’t disappoint. The place is not intimidating: it looks like a barn with its high ceiling yet the lighting is designed to give the space a sophisticated-yet-cozy place. Service is excellent and the menu is well-explained for non-serious-foodies like us.

We started with dinner rolls

served with butter,

salsa and herbs. 

The bread tastes fresh and warm from the oven.

Spaghetti Alio e Olio(PhP 410/180)

Fresh garlic toasted tossed in extra virgin olive oil , noodles and fresh Italian herbs.

I like the quality and how the noodles is cooked. Al dente. However, personally, the overall taste is not unique and can be had in any good Italian restaurants.

If you are wondering why there are 2 prices quoted, you can order a full plate or a tasting portion. If you opt for quantity, I suggest you go for tasting portion. If you want a feast, then getting the full plate should be in order.

Risotto Mushroom (PhP 550/220)

Wild mushroom risotto of oyster, shiitake, button and Portobello with black salsa tartufo.

This is one of the best mushroom risottos I’ve tasted. The rice is al dente and the mushroom-flavored sauce is divine. The taste is subtly good and the aroma coaxes the brain to say “yum” with every bite.

Blackened Chilean Sea Bass (PhP 1150)

Sea bass with truffle cauliflower puree, brown butter and celeriac puree. The dish comes with mashed potato.

Ever since Person A and I tasted this Chilean Sea Bass dish from Sala, 

we always consider having sea bass whenever the budget permits it.

Sea bass from L’Incontro is good; it’s not one of a kind good but it’s okay. The fillet is cooked nicely, the texture of the  meat feels nice in the mouth but nothing distinct.

I had water with my meal while Person A downed his food with beer.

Ballast Point Big Eye IPA (PhP 280)

This Indian brew is awesome.  It has that bitter beer taste but it has that fruity-lemony undertone as well making it very refreshing. This is available in some of the bigger grocery stores should you want to buy one.

We ended the meal with dessert and coffee.

Tiramisu (~PhP 250)

This is a classic take on the tiramisu. The espresso-soaked sponge cake is soft, and mascarpone renders the contrasting taste. I like it.

Cappuccino (~PhP 200)

Good real coffee.

Latte (~PhP 200)

Nice cup to end a meal.

In Summary

1. L’Incontro has one of the nicest restaurant ambiance. It exudes a warm, cozy yet sophisticated feel making it perfect for dinner date, business meetings and fancy meal with friends.

2. The food is good but I personally think that I can get the same taste from other good Italian restaurants. I didn’t find the taste distinct except for the Risotto. The mushroom risotto tastes really great.

3. Price slides to the expensive side which can be expected for a fine dining place ... all in all, it’s reasonable.

L’Incontro

207 Nicanor Garcia St.

1209 Makati

63.2.899.0635

Buon Giorno Tagaytay

Buon Giorno means “Good Day” in Italian. For most of us, it is an Italian Restaurant up in the highlands of Tagaytay.

It is situated in Cliffhouse, Tagaytay where you get one of the better views of Taal and the mountain breeze is biting cold at the right time of the year. Brrr….

After the massage, buying Good Shepherd’s ube jam, haggling fresh organic produce from the roadside vendor, trying to reserve a table at Amoroma (only to find out that lunch is served between 11-2 PM, we arrived at 2:20) and braving the impossible traffic in Tagaytay... not once... not twice.. but thrice!, we finally claimed our reserved seats at Buon Giorno.

It was already 3:00 PM and my head was spinning… I was about to faint from hunger.

Nahihilo na ako sa gutom!

Once I seated myself, I ordered a bowl of soup just to get me through the next minute.

Crema de Funghi (PhP 170)

Thick soup made from rich wild mushrooms. It’s like thick pumpkin soup but with the subtle taste of mushrooms. I can’t figure out why it has a sour aftertaste. Nonetheless, this is one good meal starter.

The four of us were so hungry that we polished the complimentary bread off before I was able to take a picture.

 Croquettes with Mozzarella (PhP 218)

Deep-fried potatoes outer layer, risotto-like inner layer and a core of cubed mozzarella. Since it is made from potatoes, the tomato sauce pairs well with this appetizer. I would love to have a melted mozzarella instead of a cubed one inside, but it doesn’t matter. It still tastes good.

Quattro Formaggi (PhP 365)

The pizza has a very thin crust and a generous serving of four cheeses: mozzarella, fontina, gorgonzola and  parmesan. It’s about 9” in diameter and is good for 4. It’s one of the better four cheese pizzas.

Pescatore Ala Puttanesca (PhP 308)

Fettuccine with seafood on spicy tomato sauce. I wasn’t big on pasta yesterday but my friends liked the dish. The pasta is al-dente and the spicy sauce adds the right tang to make it a good pasta dish.

Pollo E Funghi (PhP 302)

If you’ve read my food posts, you might have noticed that I like mushroom and I like risotto. So this is a natural choice for us. The rice is “al-dente”, not soggy. The broth/cream tastes of chicken, mushroom … very subtle… really really good. One of the good risottos in town. I can order this everytime I visit Buon Giorno.

Prime Rib (PhP 598)

Tender prime rib, served with mushroom, wine and gravy sauce. It has buttered veggies on the side. We had this well-done and it still is succulent, bordering juicy. Again, tastes real good. The sauce is just right, the flavors do not overpower the steak, it enhances the juiciness of the well-done steak. My favorite, this and the risotto.

We didn’t order dessert yesterday but during our last visit, we had some chocolate cake and tiramisu.

Molten Chocolate Cake ala Mode (PhP 168)

Thick, moist chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream. This is a good dessert when you’re not yet too full.

Coppa de Tiramisu (PhP 168)

Cake infused with rum and coffee, layered with mascarpone cheese and topped with grated chocolate. This isn’t your regular tiramisu slice and if I can remember it correctly, it has mousse-like consistency rather than the chiffon-like kind. This is a more versatile dessert… full or not.

In Summary

1. Buon Giorno is one of the better Italian restaurants. It’s worth the trip to Tagaytay. The food is great, the price doesn’t hurt as much and you’ll literally have a good day after eating in this restaurant.

2. The restaurant tends to get crowded (it’s so popular!), hence a reservation is a must. I don’t see this as a date place unless you come in during the low season. It’s good for family gathering and catching up with friends.

Buon Giorno Caffe and Bistro

4 Cliff House

Tagaytay

63.46.483.2102