I’ve been to Cubao a lot of times before but not in the area behind the Gateway Mall. It takes a weird idea to just do that.

Since movie theaters are not yet allowed to operate in Metro Manila (probably in the whole country as well), I and a friend decide to watch Luca on my laptop while dining in Bellini’s in Cubao Expo. The original plan was to dine al fresco (as we’ve been doing quite regularly a few weeks now as we do our regular weekend biking in Quezon City). But it turns out that the afternoon sun is scorching today. Since the restaurant is practically empty anyway, we take a table inside a room. The waiter leads us inside. We pass by a room painted with images of Rome and eventually reach another room at the western end of the restaurant. In this room, the walls are painted with images of Venice.

And then we order seafood-based dishes, just to keep up with the Italian riviera theme of the movie. We have Pizza Gamberi, which contains shrimp and Spaghetti Allo Scoglio, which contains “seafood without shells.” The Pizza Mediterranea oddly contains bacon rather than seafood.

The food is okay, though you could say the vibe is more of the selling point here.

The whole experience is amusingly kitschy and does scratch the travel itch a bit. It’s a charming space within Cubao Expo, which in itself is a nice diversion from the Cubao area in general.

Bellini’s
Cubao Expo, General Romulo Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City
+63289132550
+639173168765
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