I rarely say this but really — everything about last night’s dinner at Aria Cucina Italiana with good friends was perfect.

view from the door

view from my seat (we had a table for four)

The wine list was very comprehensive. I would’ve splurged on a carafe but I’m buying new heels later. Shoes always wins. :)

Great Tail Semillon-Chardonnay Blend Bianco Wine, Php 200

Zucca e cannella, Php 260
Pumpkin soup with a hint of cinnamon and balsamic reduction

The soup’s perfect. Great cream, texture, and flavour balance! Everything’s married perfectly in my bowl good enough for two.

Insalata tartufata con parma ham, Php 480
A salad of grilled eggplant, lettuce, tomatoes, parma ham and smoked scamorza cheese tossed in a truffle dressing

Is the salad serving extra generous or what? It has all of my favourite savoury ingredients in one plate. I’m a happy camper!

Costata di Manzo, Php 850
Grilled rib-eye steak with your choice of sauce:
balsamic reduction, tomato pizzaiola or honey-whiskey sauce (pictured above)

I had a mental debate which one to get — lamb or beef, beef or lamb. We went for the grilled rib-eye because my date and I shared it and 250g-300g of red meat sounds reasonable to be split. The protein was grilled to perfection and my date & I just stared at each other on the first bite. Sure the look of love was there (cheesy!) but so was the lust for great meat. Everything in the plate’s SO good. So good I ordered another round of the oven-baked potatoes drizzled with olive oil and rosemary (Php 80). It’s definitely worth running 60 minutes more today.

Aria Cucina Italiana
Unit 205, East Superblock, 30th St cor 7th St,
Bonifacio High Street Central
Taguig City, Metro Manila
Philippines
(0917) 519-5368