We’ve eaten a few times at the fairly new Venice Piazza in McKinley Hill, the latest restaurant strip to open near the Fort. I hear the whole complex has a Venetian theme and there will even be those faux gondolas in the future. It all sounds exciting, but the restaurants we’ve tried on this strip has so far been wanting. Old Vine Grille was a costly disappointment and Stackers burgers weren’t really as juicy and tasty as one expects to be. I am forever waiting for Ristras Mexican Grill to open, mostly because San Juan is a long drive from where we live. But the Ristras branch in Venice Piazza is taking so long to be unveiled.

It was good that hubby’s gut feel led us to the doorsteps of Harry’s Bar & Italian Restaurant, a small trattoria by any standard but very much welcoming with its white chairs and multi-colored plate setting. Silly me even had to ask the server if the resto had any sister-companies and his mention of Trattoria Gourmet (in Shang-ri La Mall) and L’Opera (in The Fort) certainly made us decide to finally sit down for dinner.

The menu wasn’t a long one, and if one prefers to take the hassle out of ordering, one can just opt for their current promotion – four courses for P600, plus free brewed coffee or tea.I think this price is reasonable enough, considering how expensive it is to dine in a “good” Italian restaurant.

So yes, this is what hubby had for his four courses:

Verdure alla Grilla or Grilled Vegetables in balsamic dressing for the antipasto. The zucchini and eggplants that went with this salad were roasted just right.

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