I Missed You, Carpaccio!

Before Italianis and all other commercial Italian restaurants became popular, there was Carpaccio. It's a small restaurant along Yakal in Makati that serves authentic Italian food. I vividly remember the paintings on the wall. They were reminiscent of the gondolas in Venice and cobblestones in Paris. It was such a lovely little nook in Makati.

We would have some lunch meetings with our foreign guests there some fifteen years ago. Dens and i would also frequent the place during our anniversaries and other special occassion. It was my favorite Italian restaurant then. Years later, new restaurants popped up in Makati and i forgot about Carpaccio. Once in a while i would remember it but thought it must be pretty run-down by now.

Last Friday, Dens and i were on our way home and was stuck in flood and traffic along Yakal Street.  Fate has it that we were pretty much stranded in front of the old Carpaccio. We wondered about the place and decided to check it out for old times' sake. What greeted us was such a surprise.

The place has moved to the 2nd floor of the same building.  It has been renovated with much modern interiors. They kept the wine rack to retain its vintage feel but everything else was sleek and stylish. Though i have fond memories of the old place, I really liked the new vibe that they've injected to the renovated restaurant.

The second thought that came to mind when i saw the place was 'uh-oh, prices must have also sky-rocketed with the upgraded interiors.  But then again, i was happy to see that they have remained reasonable considering the service and the good food.

We decided to split a pizza and a pasta between the two of us. Our bill came up to P800+ which is not bad for the fine dining experience. To start our meal, they served us warm bread and different spreads.

This was followed by a complimentary lamb patty as an appetizer. I am not a lamb person but it was very tasty. I guess i was more floored by the fact that this was free! #ilovefreebies

And then our main course came. All pasta dish come in two serving sizes. You can order it in appetizer portion or the main course. We decided to just get the appetizer portion since we were already splitting an entire pizza between the two of us. It was a good decision since it turned out that the appetizer portion was plenty enough already. The size is similar to a single-serving pasta dish in other established restaurants.

Marinara Pasta

Al Frutti di Mare Pizza (Seafood)

After our meal, my old love for Carpaccio has returned.  i told Dens that Carpaccio is still my favorite Italian restaurant of all time. I am sure we will be back. Maybe we'll see you there too?

Here is the entire MENU for your reference.

 

CARPACCIO RISTORANTE ITALIANO

7431 Yakal Street, San Antonio Village,
Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel: (63) 843-7286 / 867-3164
F: (63) 892-9271
E-mail: dining_at_yakal@werdenberg.com

Website: http://www.werdenberg.com/carpaccio/index.html

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Date Night: Yomenya Goemon, Greenbelt

Every night, Dens and i would try to spend as much time as we possibly can with the kids. We would watch movies with them, tell them Bible stories, or play whatever game they'd want to play. But come Friday, we would take time out from our busy parenting schedule and have our regular date night.  It hasn't been easy sustaining this sacred night since parenting guilt sometimes gets in the way.  We'd often end up bringing the kids along or watching a movie with them at home.

One Friday night in March, we found ourselves sans kids in Greenbelt 3. We wanted to try something new and saw this interesting Japanese Spaghetti House that replaced the old Big Buddha restaurant near the parking building.

The place looked really inviting. There were a lot of people already so getting a table was quite a challenge. The waiter asked if we were okay to sit by the bar and we thought 'sure, why not?' this is something we cannot do when the kids are around.  

I found out that the restaurant is a franchise from Shibuya in Japan. The first Yomenya Goemon opened in 1976 and has now become Japan's 2nd largest food and beverage player with as many as 2,500 branches in their homeland.

They claim to have reinvented the way we eat spaghetti. True to the Japanese cultrue, you have to eat your spaghetti using chopsticks! One thing that i found unique is that they put poached eggs on top of the pasta once served. Mixing it makes for a creamier texture to the sauce. And as with most authentic Japanese meals, they also serve miso soup prior to the main course.

The prices are quite reasonable ranging from P200+ and up. They also serve pizza and other interesting dish that are beyond ordinary. Just writing about them and looking at the pictures makes me want to go back for more!

Here's to more memorable date nights and great finds! What about you? What's your latest food find?



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