La Grotta

I find myself looking for good dining nooks when I go around Makati by myself, and this time, I chanced upon La Grotta along V. A. Rufino St. (formerly called Herrera St.) in Legaspi Village.  As I entered, I vaguely remembered that Vicky, Monique and I had eaten there one night a few years ago, but the daytime ambiance seemed to be so different from the dimly lit atmosphere the place has at dinner time.  As I sat, I was treated to chicken liver pate, which I gamely finished despite concerns with my uric acid levels.  I rationalized this by boycotting the butter, and mixing grated parmesan with olive oil instead!

I chose the linguine alla Grotta; it was named after the house, so I figured it was the specialty.  Light cream based, with Italian sausage bits; it came to the table steaming hot, just after a short wait.  Noodles were cooked just right, gooey to the bite.  Portion size was just right for its price (around P450) but it's better if you eat to share with a group, since a lot of cream based pasta can get to be too rich to the palate for one person to handle.  For a meal with greater variety, I'd say you would have to prepare for some P800 per head at the least.

I like the simple interiors, and the service was quite fast and courteous.  However, the restaurant is really suited for the office executives travelling on foot, as parking around area can get to be difficult to find on work days.