A romantic eat-scapade at L'Incontro

Food, as they say, is the universal language of love. So, instead of flowers, say it with food on Valentine’s Day in an intimate dinner in one of the most romantic Italian ristorantes in the metro — L’Incontro.

L’Incontro, which means “the meeting place” in Italian, is so aptly named. The place feels homey yet sophisticated. It brings to mind an old, Italian farmhouse in the countryside with its high ceilings, wide spaces, and big windows. At night, the quaint resto breathes romance with its subdued lighting and soothing music playing in the background. Set the mood and match the sparkle in your loved one’s eyes with a glass of Prosecco while waiting for the antipasto.

“For Valentine’s Day, we will have special dishes that are quite luxurious — Italian fare you don't always have everyday,” enthuses chef Tina Pamintuan, L’Incontro owner.

L'Incontro will offer a very affordable "Truffle Flight," which is a tasting menu that features truffle products from Italy. The menu consists of Spaghetti Flambee with 24-month aged cheese wheel with tartufo bianco; Wagyu tenderloin carpaccio with tartufato, and Chilean sea bass with truffle cauliflower puree.

For the month of February, diners can also look forward to fresh foie gras terrine cannard by French chef Geoffrey Morgan de Rivery; and a duo of dark chocolate and gorgonzola cheesecake for dessert.

Well, these dishes aren't considered aphrodisiacs, but these will definitely get you in the mood for love.

THE LADY CHEF IS IN

Food aficionado, chef and restaurateur Tina Pamintuan has been introducing new and exciting dishes to the delight of L’Incontro diners since the day she assumed ownership in March 2010.

“I’m a certified foodie. I took up culinary arts simply because I love to eat. I was a regular client of L’Incontro and soon became friends with its former owner Gino Martinel. Needless to say, Gino offered it to me when he decided to go back to Italy,” relates Tina, who attended Le Cordon Bleu in London.

When the lady chef took over the resto, she introduced her own interpretations of the classic Italian dishes and made them taste even better.

“I’m not Italian. Most Italian restos have a chef/owner behind one that stays true to his region, which is great, but can be limiting in variety and flavor. Some poeple look for that and I don't feel like we're competing against each other because we all have a unique character. This makes me strive harder to find the best of Italy in different regions and bring that diversity and authenticity on the table by using the highest quality ingredients. I travel and eat out a lot. As a paying consumer, I understand what diners are looking for. What I do is share these experiences with the diners at L'Incontro," relates Tina.

L’Incontro’s menu was thus revamped, with new dishes added and old dishes spiced up with more quality ingredients, which Citibank VP for retail marketing Alma Gruenberg, program manager for retail marketing Mattel Luna and I got to sample recently.

The hot asparagus fondue with truffle oil perked up our appetites. The aroma of the truffle oil teased our taste buds to indulge some more even when the primo (first course) — Crespella ala Fungi en Tartufo and Pasta ala Vodka n Orrechiete shells — was already served.

A certified best-seller, the Crespella ala Fungi en Tartufo, a savory crepe with thin layers of Italian smoked ham, mozzarella cheese, topped with truffle cream sauce and fresh button mushrooms, tasted so good that we kept raving about it even after dinner was over. The cheese and ham simply went well with the buttery goodness of the truffle sauce. I heart truffle oil! It’s like a secret potion that can make an ordinary dish a gourmet delight.

The Pasta ala Vodka is equally to dine for. Perfect for vegetarian diners, this pasta dish is soaked in vodka-infused cream sauce with fresh tomatoes, Parmesan, and chili flakes. A bottle of chili oil comes in handy for those who want their dish uber spicy.

L’Incontro uses only the freshest vegetables, herbs, seafood, and meat products available on the market. They make their own pasta, bake their own bread, and source only the best ingredients such as high-grade extra virgin olive oil, cheeses, and balsamic vinegar.

Pasta dishes Pinoys love like spaghetti Bolognese and carbonara are also available, but the ingredients are upgraded so it’s naturally more flavorful.

“For example, instead of using supermarket bacon for our carbonara we opt for pancetta bacon. At L’Incontro, we don’t scrimp on the ingredients so diners get value for their money,” adds Tina.

THE SECRET IS OUT

Barely a year after chef/restaurateur Tina Pamintuan took over L’Incontro, the restaurant bagged the Best Italian Restaurant of the Manila’s Best Kept Restaurant Secrets Awards 2010.

“I was quite surprised that L’Incontro won the award for Best Italian Restaurant. Being nominated was such an honor already. I am happy and proud of what L’Incontro has achieved in such a short period of time. I am also blessed to have the support of the staff members who have been with the resto since it opened 10 years ago,” enthuses Tina.

The award, Tina adds, will serve as an inspiration for the L’Incontro team “to come up with more exciting Italian dishes for our loyal customers.”

MAKE EVERYDAY ITALIAN

L’Incontro launches its all-day menu today to cater to diners looking for a more casual, light, and valuable meal choices. Available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, the All-Day Menu features lighter servings that are easier on the pocket.

“L’Incontro is known as a wine and dinner place, and we want to change that notion. L’Incontro is also open for lunch and merienda. In fact, the All-Day Menu is a new concept for consumers who have different food choices during the day,” explains Tina.

People may have different budgets, and want lighter, faster meals for lunch. The All-Day Menu is designed for business executives, barkadas, and families. There’s free parking and valet, free Wi-Fi, and new coffee selections by Malongo coffee (sourced from different parts of the globe) in the afternoon.

And to entice the lunch crowd even more, L’Inconto launched the L’Incontro Lunch Card. It’s actually a stamp card. After four lunches, cardholder gets one complimentary executive lunch set on his/her next visit. Promo is valid from January 2011 to January 2012.

“L’Incontro is a place for everyone and anyone, no matter how much you spend or how long you stay; a place that you can frequent every day,” says Pamintuan. “You can spend P500 on a pasta dish or spend P1,500 per head. We don’t discriminate.”

As part of its All-Day Menu promotion, L’Incontro, in partnership with Citibank, offers the Fall off Your Seat promo. Diners can enjoy 50 percent off on regular pastas and pizzas from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. for 30 days (from a given selection of menu choices) from Feb. 3 to March 3 when they use their Citibank credit cards.

Starting March 4, 2011, Citibank cardholders can avail themselves of a 15-percent discount on regular pastas or pizzas (from a given selection of menu choices) until March 3, 2012.

“The Citi Dining Privileges is a program that gives Citibank cardholders perks at select dining places not only in the Philippines but all over Asia as well. We try to have representations from every price range category. So there are restos for the mass market as well as the affluent cardholders. We chose L’Incontro as one of our partner restaurants not only for their MBKRS award but because our cardholders enjoy dining here, too,” explains Alma Gruenberg, Citibank VP for retail marketing.

With Citi Dining Privileges, Citi cardholders can truly savor the joys of having the most rewarding card in town with their dates in tow.

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L’Incontro, located at 207 Nicanor Garcia St., Brgy. Bel Air, Makati City, is open from 11 a.m. to 12 midnight. For reservations, call 899-0635/8-9 or e-mail lincontromanila@gmail.com.