This was the nth time we were dining in a restaurant in Robinson’s Place, and we made sure we tried another one we have not been to before. After one round of evaluation, Louie decided to go Italian for dinner: Piadina Italiana. According to its website, “Piadina serves the best kinds of Italian cuisine.”
“Piadina” sounds weird to me and a quick reference from Wikipedia revealed that it is a type of flat, round and unleavened bread that traces its history back to the 4th Century. While Filipinos favor rice, Italians choose piadina as one of the staple food in homes and in restaurants, regardless of their social class.
I was not specially hungry that time but I get a hankering for something savory. Too bad, Piadina was not the one to match the cacophony of flavors I was aiming to have. Nevertheless, here’s my review of the food and establishment.
Review of Piadina Italiana (Robinson’s Place, Manila)
Ambiance: ★★★☆☆
After stepping inside Piadina, it became apparent that this restaurant, contrary to how its website promoted it, is not as hot as it’s supposed to be. We were the only customers. But maybe because the time at the clock read a little past 6:30PM, it was too early to judge. At the strike of 7PM, people came gushing to eat there. And yes, it was some sort of a gathering place for them.
The interior’s theme was all red. The couches were comfortable to sit on. The lack of decor might be their way of reinforcing diners to concentrate on their food.
Service: ★★★★☆
There were two chefs and one service crew taking orders and bills. They were quite fast and efficient.
Food: ★☆☆☆☆
As a starter, we had Grilled Mozzarella with Anchovies Sauce (PHp 140) which was like French toast with chewy mozzarella in between. The taste was subtle and it stood out only when I added a drop of chili sauce.
Next was Rimini Mare (PHp 380), a classic tomato-based pasta dish, served with piadina, a thin Italian flatbread made with white flour. I’ve shared before in this blog that I don’t like pastas with white sauce. Now I say that pasta with red tomato sauce that is not sweet does not also appeal to me either. Probably I have grown so much familiarity with Filipino’s version of spaghetti which is sweet that I detest anything that is not closely like it. The texture was okay though.
Another dish which saddened me was the piadina caponata with bell peppers, celery, eggplant, tomatoes, raisins, mozzarella and lettuce (PHp 170). This order came with cream of celery soup which also did not help to convince me that Piadina’s food and other offerings are any good. As someone who is a fan of cream of “some vegetable” soup and purees, I knew that Piadina’s version of the cream of celery soup was particularly a disappointment. It missed the mark by the widest margin, as it was too oily. The taste did not do good justice to the original celery.
Exclusive to those who are willing to risk their appetite to enter a relatively barren, personality-less restaurant with almost tasteless food, Piadina is the place to beat.
Price for Value: ★★☆☆☆
There’s no shortage of places to eat in Robinson’s Place. I think that my experience is enough testimony that you should not risk going to Piadina if you don’t want to waste money. Prices of food are not that affordable compared to the value of ingredients used, the presentation and the taste.
Piadina Italiana
2/F Robinsons Place Manila, Padre Faura Wing, Adriatico Street, Ermita, Manila
For inquiries, call (02) 567-6527
Update: This branch was already closed a few weeks after I published this post. 😐
Other branches:
2/F EDSA cor. Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City.
637-5809
Megastip, Bldg. A, Julia Vargas Avenue, Mandaluyong City
687-7345
4/F Food Park, 6766 The Enterprise Center, Paseo de Roxas cor. Ayala Avenue, Makati City
752-5019
G/F Paseo de Roxas cor. Legaspi Street, Ayala Center Makati City
752-5019
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
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