Quite a mouthful for a name of a resto and kilometric as well for IG posts and hashtags. Naturally I asked proprietors Sir Roberto and Chef Massimo of Va Bene Pasta Deli fame , what Trattoria La Piazzetta means? ” La Piazzetta because it reminds me of a small town square in the province. “La piazzetta ” means small square”
Serving simple and authentic Italian fare including the Napolitan method of making pizza , Trattoria La Piazzetta is casual and homey inviting diners to relax , unwind and enjoy la dolce vita .
Last Wednesday, we were privileged to have been invited for lunch at Trattoria. Along with 3 other foodies we enjoyed the following : 
ANTIPASTI
BURRATA P490
3 kinds tomato, exra virgin olive oil, basil pesto
organic arugula
When asked which region in Italy Trattoria La Piazzetta represent, Sir Roberto simply replied “all of Italy”. He emphasized that most ingredients in the restaurant were all imported from Italy. Yes including the burrata.
‘BURRATA is a fresh Italian buffalo milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella, while the ininside contains stracciatella and cream giving it an unusual soft texture ” – Wiki
This was a perfect summer salad. The red and green colors alone evoke images of plump juicy fruits ready to be picked and verdant leaves swaying in the breeze.
Indeed the 3 kinds of tomatoes were succulent with varying sweetness and acidity. It paired well with the nutty-bitter organic arugula, the made-from-scratch basil pesto and evoo shipped directly from that country nicknamed “lo Stivale/ the boot (wiki)
BRUSCHETTA RICOTTA P390
ricotta mousse, parma ham, balsamic reduction
An all in one meal, this is one among several favorites at Trattoria. The silkiness of ricotta mousse, the meaty texture and salty flavor of the parma ham and the sweet balsamic reduction married well with the baguette. Everything was made from scratch by the way
PASTA FRESCA (HOME-MADE)
BLACK INK LINGUINI P550
Crab,aglio olio style, lemon , sunny side up
Evocative of our favorite in Va Bene Pasta Deli , this home-made pasta was perfectly al dente and very simple.
The squid ink linguini itself is flavorful already so it married well with the effortless and straightforward aglio olio which consist only of garlic and olive oil. The sunny side up egg provided the color along with organic arugula. Do not forget to squeeze the lemon all over the dish for acidity, before your first mouthful
SECONDI DI CARNE e PESCE
GRIGLIATA DI CARNE P1450
Beef tenderloin, Italian sausage,lamb chop, grilled chicken
vegetable, roasted potato
My eyes lit up when I spotted the plate full of all kinds of meat. Happy carnivore me was delighted and quite excited.
The beef tenderloin was cooked perfectly medium rare. The Italian Sausage were flavorful. The lamb chops were tender and not at all gamey. The grilled chicken was incredibly moist and juicy.
I have to add how delicious the grilled eggplant and zucchini were too.
Every detail was perfect. This dish is worth every peso of its price tag . Moreover, it can be shared by 2-4 people. Btw, GRIGLIATA means a plate of grilled or barbecued meats
SICONDI DI PESCE
SALMONE AL FORNO P785
oven roasted salmon served with baked vegetables
Omg another winning dish and another favorite. The salmon was perfectly cooked, it was still moist and flaky almost melt in your mouth. Restaurants normally overcook their salmon but Trattoria’s salmon was spot on.
It was really a very simple dish. It’s success solely depended on the freshness and high quality of the ingredients.
I will order this again.
PIZZA SPECIALITA
MARGERITA P695
tomato, buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato,
parmigiana and basil
Sir Roberto (proprietor) can not stress enough what Napolitana Pizza means and how different it is from the American pizza we are familiar with.
The Napolitana-pizza making is so precious it won a world heritage status just last December.
Yes the art of Neapolitan pizza-making won Unesco World Heritage status under the category “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”
The quintessential Napolitan Pizza has a relatively thin, light and chewy crust with the exception of the sides which when baked, baloons like a tire. This has much to do with the yeast which they use only sparingly and the luxury of time to proof it ie overnight or even two days per Sir Roberto
The result is a very light pizza quite different from the dense pizza we know.
Trattoria La Piazzettas pizza is Napolitana from the ingredients, method and the world famous Valoriani oven shipped from Italy and supported by the Association of Genuine Napolitan Pizza
TIRAMISU P295
Classic Tiramisu with mascarpone cheese
I am not really a tiramisu person but Trattoria’s Tiramisu won me over. Maybe it was the mascarpone cheese. Whatever it is, I shall order this again.
CHOCOLATE PANNACOTTA P275
The pannacotta was so smooth and silky, I thought it was ice cream.It was so good, I almost did not want to share it hahaha.
SUMMARY :
If only for the authentic and UNESCO World Heritage Awardee Napolitana Pizza, TRATTORIA LA PIAZZETTA is a must try.
But we are lucky. Not only is their pizza a winner in my book, the Burrata, Bruschetta, Pasta, Carne and desserts were to die for as well.
The prices were fair considering the location, the quality of the ingredients, the top notch service and the authentic Italian recipes.
If you want a taste of authentic Italy sans the cost of plane fare and hotel bills, visit TRATTORIA LA PIAZZETTA direttamente.
TRATTORIA LA PIAZZETTA is located at Lopez Drive Power Plant Mall right along the side where Via Mare is. They are open from 11 am to 12 mn.