Last April 14, my mother dear celebrated her Nth birthday. Won’t announce her exact age in public or else, she might give me “the look”. Hahaha! I struggled for how many weeks, thinking over and over on what kind of gift to give her. For a daughter who wants to give back all the love to her mom, I wanted to give nothing but the Best. It took me more than 3 weeks to finally come up with an idea… to “cook” for her. If you really know me, you know that it’s not natural for me to cook for anyone. When I cook, it will be for someone special. To cut to the chase, I made her birthday special by preparing everything from scratch. I made the house look like a restaurant with the food, set-up, etc.

On the other hand, that is not what I’ll be sharing with you guys because I’m shy to show my dishes. Well if you’re my twitter follower, you probably saw some snapshots. Hehe! Instead, I would like to share with you one of her celebrations with our close family friends at Bellini’s.

More than 10 years ago, Bellini’s in Cubao Expo was established. It is a pioneer business in the area, a continuous success throughout the years in the restaurant business because of their remarkable and authentic Italian dishes. Knowing my mom’s taste, it’s a fact that she will never get tired of eating Italian dishes like pizza and pasta. To give her stomach enough satisfaction, I chose Bellini’s for her occasion. 

Focaccia with dip (Php 100) – First, I thought it was complimentary. But when I saw the bill, oops it’s not. 😐 I would rather get this as a free appetizer like in other Italian restaurants around the metro. Besides, the taste of their focaccia bread and dip – olive oil, black vinegar with cheese – is not that superb for me. 

Quinticco Pasta (Php 1,550) – Pasta galore! 5 kinds of pasta in one plate made us want to try them all. Out of the 5 flavors, what stood out for me was their Fettucine Pesto Mare, the pasta on the right with white pesto sauce with mussels on top. I usually don’t order pastas with white sauce, although this one is an exception because of the pesto mixed that made the taste more delicious. Plus, fresh seafood used as mixture solved my pasta fix. 

Aside from the 5 pasta dishes you see on the picture, you may ask the servers or chef of Bellini’s on what pasta choices they have for a plate of Quinticco Pasta.

Portobello con Arugula (Php 450) – The name speaks for itself; that huge mushrooms with rocket plant and thin slices of cheese on top. Balsamic vinegar is used as dressing for the salad. 

4-Cheese Pizza (Php 550, Large) – Mushy and cheesy, easily understood as four types of cheeses distributed on top of Bellini’s authentic thin-sliced pizza dough. Cheesy pizzas never fails me yet. I can imagine having a feast with this pizza and the 5-Cheese pizza in Amoroma. Slamming good! 

Bellini’s Special (Php 600, Large) – A mix of everything. I don’t like the idea of adding cucumbers to my pizza. I would rather have something more simple than an overload pizza like this. As they say, less is more. Haha! Sorry but I have to apply that principle to this pizza flavor.

Napoletana (Php 500, Large) – I had a taste of pesto on that day because this is my favorite out of all pizzas served. Again, pesto is used as an ingredient, together with cheese and tomato sauce. I love how simple and classic this pizza is. 

Bread sticks for everyone, the free appetizer. 

Mandy enjoyed the bread sticks, not eating them, but playing with them.

Reine took a shot of these cute acorn salt & pepper shakers. 

What I’ve been waiting for, sweet red wine in these little mugs. Free for all guests of Bellini’s! I wish I could have more of these red wine shots! Sarap lang! 😀 

Cheers to mom’s Nth birthday! 🙂

Orange Cake (Php 150) – After tasting the Orange Bacardi slice in Segovia’s, which will be featured in Breakfast Magazine soon, I always find myself attracted to orange cakes. Similar to the one in Segovia’s, oranges were candied, luscious as you eat it with their soft and moist cake. Those who were on the table agreed that I chose the best cake among all of us. Indeed, orange cake for the win! 

After Eight (Php 170) – My aunt Trina introduced me to After Eight chocolate when she went to England years ago. It was never famous in the Philippines. I remember I had to go to Duty Free or buy abroad just for After Eight. When I saw After Eight cake on the menu, I thought of Aunt Trina right away. It was very timely she was there. Seeing her reaction when I told her there’s a cake called After Eight was notable, with that smile of hunger. 

We didn’t make a mistake in ordering After Eight because it was out of the ordinary cakes. Ice cream cake with a striking resemblance to how After Eight chocolate really tastes like.

Lemon Sorbete (Php 250) – Cold and sour, plated as if it is also a piece of cake. 

Cassata (Php 170) – Reine’s Italian craving. She was so happy to know that Bellini’s serve Cassata. Oh simple joys! 🙂 A traditional Italian dessert containing candied fruits and nuts. Three ice cream flavors – strawberry, pistachio and chocolate. 

Missed our Venetian experience in Macau when I saw this painting. 

Paintings all over the place already give entertainment to guests of Bellini’s. After dining, you can’t help but take photos with the decorative and magnificent paintings. 

Thank you to my mom’s friends who came to her intimate birthday lunch. You really made her feel young during her birthday. Ironic but true! Especially when she hears the comments like, “Parang lang kayo magkapatid”. Oh, they were talking about my mom and I. Haha! 

Mom cheerfully celebrated her birthday in Bellini’s. Everyone had a delightful time mainly because of the food and European ambiance. Not the typical area my mom visits but I know she will ask us to go back and eat there more often. 

Cheers,

Location: Cubao Expo, Gen. Romulo Ave., Cubao, Quezon City, PH

Contact: (632) 913-2550

Budget: PHP400++

Rate: 9/10