Dining Snippets: Wobbly Pan x Tsujiri x Trattoria La Piazzetta
WOBBLY PAN
GAMBAS (P349)
Wobbly Pan doesn't really sound Spanish; however once you find out that it prides on serving paella, its name starts to make sense. Wobbly Pan is still quite under-the-radar despite being situated in the al fresco row of restaurants welcoming shoppers in Shangri-la Plaza’s Main Wing for some time now.
PATATAS BRAVAS (P220)
Not only are its price points considerably friendlier than most Spanish restaurants, they even offer affordable lunch sets which come with individual paella servings. Its Gambas, for example, may be one of the cheapest I’ve eaten in the Metro; yet it can easily compete with its fancier counterparts in terms of flavor. Capitalizing on some killer garlic action, this dish will definitely whet one’s appetite. Its Patatas Bravas serves as a perfect filler as it comes with a skillet filled with crunchy potato cubes drizzled with sour cream and served with a ratatouille-like sauce. Warning: this gets addictive!
SALPICAO PIZZA (P490)
An interesting fusion dish was the Salpicao Pizza. Served as a thin and crisp flatbread, it didn’t need to be overloaded with toppings to boast of its powerful flavor. I definitely enjoyed this dish. Sad to say, I can’t say the same for their version of classic Spanish favorites such as the Paella Valenciana (P680) and Iberian Chicken (P390). The prized portion of any paella would be the crunchy toasted rice that sticks on the skillet; however, instead of soaking all of the flavor of the skillet; their tutong merely tasted burnt.
I loved that its Iberian Chicken came as an individual serving of a quarter leg (as most require a whole serving of chicken). However, that’s about the only good thing about the dish. Despite being slow-baked, its meat wasn’t incredibly tender nor did it come served with a tasty garlicky olive oil base.
Wobbly Pan
Level 1, Street Scope, Shangri-la Plaza, Ortigas, Mandaluyong City
Date of Visit: December 17, 2017 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua, and Jem Chua
TSUJIRI
SHIRATAMA MATCHA SUNDAE (P265)
My first cup of matcha soft serve in Tsujiri was its Tsujiri Sundae. Although I enjoyed the soft serve itself, the toasted rice at the bottom of the cup, registered as having a burnt taste on my tongue, was a total nuisance for me. Fortunately, after taking more time to carefully review its other varieties, I found the perfect sundae cup for me, the Shiratama Matcha Sundae. Its green tea soft serve ice cream is layered with some red bean and is filled with just the right amount of mochi. The cup isn’t as overloaded with toppings compared to others; but I think it’s the best way to enjoy one’s matcha as the toppings complemented it rather than overpowered it.
Tsujiri
Date of Visit: November 10, 2017 with Jem Chua
TRATTORIA LA PIAZZETTA
One noticeable feature of Trattoria La Piazzetta would be the brick ovens it proudly flaunts to its diners. One sight of those beauties and I immediately crave for pizza. Looking at its pizza list also gets a bit overwhelming since it boasts of an exhaustive list.
PIZZA METRO (P945)
A treat for indecisive diners, the restaurant offers the Pizza Metro, which allows you to choose up to three flavors for your pizza. Our gigantic pizza spread consisted of the classic Margherita, the Tartufina ( topped with truffle cream, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and salami slices), and the Rinforzo (topped with ham, sausage egg, and mozzarella). We didn’t expect that it would be this big; but it definitely makes its price reasonable. Unfortunately, the pizza desperately lacked pizzazz. It failed to possess the beautiful smokiness brought about by the brick oven. Flavor-wise, it was also overall mediocre.
BURRATA CON RUCOLA (P495)
Fortunately, it was only their pizza which left us disappointed. Everything else we ordered on the menu were definitely satisfying. Its blemish free Burrata came with a bright white hue and a melt-in-your-mouth goodness which is perfectly balanced by fresh arugula leaves.
TORTELLI AI FUNGHI (P435)
The Tortelli Ai Funghi could definitely compete with Va Bene’s seemingly untouchable pasta masterpieces. Although not as indulgent as Va Bene’s Prawn Cappellaci and Veal Cheeks Ravioli, the Tortelli ai Funghi offers delicate cloud-like pieces which come with the tastiest mushroom filling that marries perfectly in the rich cream sauce it comes with. We paired this with the restaurant’s perfectly tasty Porchetta (P485) and its amazingly tender Stinco di Agnello (P895) I’m definitely looking forward to sample its other offerings.
Trattoria La Piazzetta
Powerplant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City
Date of Visit: December 24, 2017 with Wilson Chua, Lily Chua, Jared Chua, and Jem Chua
