The Comfort Food of Conti's Pastry Shop & Restaurant

If you've lived in Manila for at least a year, I'm pretty sure you must have heard of Conti's. According to their website, they started out as a simple family restaurant in Paranaque, but now have several branches all over Metro Manila. Isn't that the most ideal dream ever?

Conti's Baked Salmon

Anyway, today I come to talk not about their history but about their food.

First, we tried their Calamari, which is a very basic dish but is executed perfectly at Conti's.

Calamari

For the main course, we tried their ever famous Baked Salmon which I have heard so much about even before going there. The fresh salmon is topped with LOTS of cheese then baked until soft and moist and golden. The fish is juicy and flavorful and the creamy cheese gives a perfect balance to the dish. It's also served with a cup of paella. :)

Baked salmon

Paella that came with the baked salmon

We also tried their other main dishes such as their pastas. We tried two variants: Italian Supreme Pasta (Italian sausage, tomatoes, bell peppers with light cream in linguine) and Linguine in Pesto Sauce (rich green basil sauce served on linguine). I especially loved the Italian Supreme Pasta because the sauce was just so good, with a perfect blend of the tomatoes, bell peppers and cream. The Pesto linguine was also delicious but didn't really stand out.

By the way, please do not be deceived by the small-looking serving sizes in the photos. The servings were quite big and enough for around five of us to have a small portion each, just so we can taste every dish.

Linguine in Pesto Sauce

Italian Supreme Pasta

So after the main course, we move on to dessert! I was already quite full at this time but because their Mango Bravo is so insanely famous, I decided to get myself a slice. The photo isn't very clear and makes the Mango Bravo look quite messy (because I ordered it to go and so they put it in this cramped styrofoam box) but it still tastes fantastic. It is served frozen and contains layers of mangoes, cream, chocolate mousse, and a melt-in-your-mouth meringue-cake-thingy which I can't define. It's a very tall cake, too, so just one slice is already huge!

Mango Bravo

What makes Conti's really special is that you go there not to try out new and exotic cuisine but just to have a taste of traditional comfort food, from soups to seafood to pasta. In fact, visiting Conti's is like visiting your grandmother's house, where you get to eat all of your favorite foods at one place. This is actually the first time for me to visit Conti's, but I'll be coming back for sure.


Conti's Pastry Shop and Restaurant
1C-17 Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Tel. No: 856-2352 to 53; 901-3486
http://www.contis.ph/

Branches: BF Homes Commercial Center, Parañaque City; Connecticut St., Greenhills; Serendra; Trinoma; Greenbelt II; Alabang Town Center; Katipunan Ave.