Gotti's Ristorante - Budget Italian Cuisine for less than P250
As I reached the 24th mark, I realized that there are a lot of things that call for some celebration. I didn't want it "grand" as before, but what I wanted was to try something we haven't tried before. I looked up online, and I eventually stumbled upon Gotti's Ristorante. Italian is something close to my heart, so I looked forward to this dinner.
Casual and Simple Interior
The interior of this place is highly casual which I believe failed to match up with the food. My brother shared with me his uneasiness with the lack of space and the ordinariness of the ambiance. I couldn't help but agree. If the interior was more creative while still maintaining the friendly vibe, the experience dining here would have been so much better. Service was above satisfactory, but they were undermanned. This was seen from the fidgety movement as well as the tired look on their faces.
Okay, as for the food, we were able to select a lot of dishes. All thanks to the affordable prices since one dish averages at about P200. Unfortunately, some of the ingredients were out of stock which was downing, but we carried on and just shrugged that off.
Anyway, let's begin with the starters.
Caesar Salad || P155
Caesar salad was good. Greens were not intensely fresh, but the quality was sufficient. Also, the dressing was appropriate in terms of taste and quantity.
Mozzarella Sticks || P155
The mozzarella sticks had a generous serving. It was rightly crispy with a sour tomato dip. However, the dip lacked authenticity and didn't taste that natural.
Dirty Fingers || P130
The chicken fingers were better than the mozzarella sticks because the preparation was a notch higher. It was served warm and the taste was just right.
Creamy Basil Bacon || P160 - Regular || P225 - Large
The Creamy basil bacon was good as well. It has this pesto creaminess that is just light and easy on the palate.
Spinach Canneloni || P270
Spinach was creamy and cheesy. It also had this subtle mix of both sweetness and saltiness resulting to a great blend of flavors. Lastly, it was sufficiently cheesy making it a winning dish.
Margherita Pizza || P230
Pizza was light with balanced flavor. The sauce was harmonious and quite enjoyable. Crust was thin and cooked crisply
Bacon Pesto || P225
The Bacon Pesto pizza was amazing as it was cheezier than the earlier one with a light pesto taste but enough to tickle the palate. Great taste and quality!
Chicken Marsala || P230
Chicken marsala was excellent with its right tenderness and creamy tasty sauce on top. I liked this over the cordon blue!
Chicken Cordon Bleu || P230
Cordon bleu had this weirdness in its taste that was a bit off. There is this herb taste that is not fit for the overall taste.
Beef Stroganoff || P148
Stroganoff was excellent in terms of the taste and temperature, the only thing that pulled it down a bit was the lack of melty tenderness for the beef. Still, it was an enjoyable dish.
Take note that what I did was to just a small portion of each order. Hence, the opinion refers to the taste of one to teo bites only. As we all know, taste may differ depending on how much you consume. This is just a heads up.
Now, that practically sums up our experience. Check out the summary below.
Gotti's Ristorante - Overall Ratings and Summary
Note: Unshaded stars are equivalents of half-stars. The ratings apply solely to this dining experience.
Place ★★★☆
Taste ★★★★
Service ★★★★
Value for Money ★★★★★
Budget: at least P250 each for at last a group of 4 for a moderate to heavy dining experience
Gotti's Restaurant certainly did not disappoint, but I believe that there is a huge room for improvement. I see a good amount of potential making it a great restaurant to explore. Prices are well justified and dishes ranged from good to great. This restaurant is really something interesting to try!
Related Blog Post on Italian Cuisine:
- Top 10 Pizza Places in Metro Manila - my personal picks for the most delicious pizza in town!
- Pomodoro Pizza Kitchen in Kapitolyo - another affordable pizza place
Location: Ground Floor, Entertainment Mall, Mall of Asia Complex (MOA), Pasay City
Contact No.: (02) 552 7271
Store Hours: 10:00 am to 10:00 pm
Service Charge: None
