A very nice place to find wedding and event resources for Filipino weddings

I got a taste of Conti's Pastries for the first time during the Christmas season, when one of Tatay's customers sent an Almond Chocolate Sansrival (which I am not really sure if that's the name), Adobo rolls and the traditional Ensaymada. I though it was an ordinary dessert, but it was something I started to get addicted to.

According to Yahoo Travels, despite the name, and though it does serve good pasta, this is not an Italian restaurant. Managed by three sisters surnamed Conti, the restaurant features an eclectic mix of Filipino, European (the lengua estofada and calamari are winners) and a few Japanese dishes, along with sumptuous pastries and desserts, the house specialty.

I had never known Conti's until that day. And from then on I searched for the nearest Conti's Restaurant. Thank God for Trinoma...

We ordered: Philly Steak Cheese Sandwich, Russian Salad, Pancit Bam-I, Choco Walnut Torte

Since I don't know the name of the addicting pastry I ate the first time, I tried anything that looks and sounds interesting. Conti's Choco Walnut Torte is nice, but perhaps not for someone who is looking for a sweet torte. Maybe not the usual torte I get to eat before, but Kiko likes it so. Not too sweet, but not bland. Just fine. The texture is halfway being crunch and chewy, because of the fudgy chocolate in the middle. The icing is not an ordinary icing I used to know. Stretchy like a heated marshmallow.

Kiko had his all-time favorite Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich and this time with Russian Salad. According to him, Conti's Philly Sandwich is close to the real thing, and a first for him to have here in Manila. Meat is tender and juicy... very nice. The savory of pepper and salt are just fine plus the spice of onion and bell pepper kicking off at the end of each bite. Melted mozzarella flowing from the sandwich as you take the slices apart... Enjoy it with some home-made potato chips. Aren't you hungry yet?

Pancit Bam-I is a traditional dish in Iloilo. Stir fried vermiccelli (Sotanghon) and pancit efuven with vegetables and chorizo. The taste is rich, and goes very well with the fluffy dinner rolls it comes with (though personally, I am not into dinner rolls, but Kiko so liked the rolls, and he said those were perfect roll, being a baker himself).

The servings were somehow small, compared to other restaurants, but just enough to make you full... It's so heavy... Very filling, and tasty, which would make ask for more, but not at that very moment, but surely will make you come back for more.

The price is relatively okay, considering that our bill was less than 400Php. It's just like going to Pizza Hut or KFC. The only difference is, you get to enjoy each bite and it comes with a dessert.

The place is so cozy, may work for romantic dinners or family gatherings. They also have a function room for seminars or meetings. They play instrumental music (which makes me a little sleepy because it sounded like those we hear from baby classic music cd's) for a more relaxed ambiance. Plus, the bakery is just by the entrance, should you want to bring some home. The only downside of it is the resto's service is not really for the hungry, since the food is cooked to order. Not really a place to go if you are starving. Our Philly Sandwich was served after 45 minutes... quite a long time, isn't it. But in fairness to the staff, Customer Service is 5-star.

Generally, Conti's is one of the best restaurants we have been into and somewhere we can actually bring our friends to. It has been declared that we'll just to Conti's for food cravings if we are at Trinoma.