La Porchetta - Eat Live Love - Italian

Ciao Lettori!!

Time for some tasty Italian food!

Quick Review:

Hello hello food groupies! How's your Christmas holidays going? Any special plans? Oh, what's your Christmas menu like? We'd love to hear from you! Leave a comment at the end of the blog and tell us about your Christmas food plans. In the meantime, check out our review for La Porchetta (Italian restaurant), recommended by our good friend John Dexter Abaya. (He also bought us three pizzas as a treat! yum!) Enjoy!

Kaka's meal: CALABRESE TORTELLINI ($15.80)
Italian style salami, red capsicum, olives, onion & chilli in a Napoletana sauce and tortellini pasta

Ciao food groupies! Actually, I've been to this restaurant a few times already [The first time was actually Tata's birthday!]. Unfortunately, I've always experienced not-so-good service whenever I go. But that didn't stop me! I've always loved pasta dishes, so I try different kinds of pasta dishes every time I go here. This time, I had the Calabrese with tortellini pasta. And I'm glad I did! So far, I can say that this is the best dish I've had. If you have a tolerance (and liking) for spicy food then I recommend you try this spicy pasta dish. For me, it was the right level of spicy since I was still able to taste the other ingredients (salami, capsicum/bell pepper, olives and onions). Just a reminder though, if your tolerance level for spicy food isn't that high then this might not be a good choice. [This was too spicy for Tata] Anyway, the pasta was cooked just the way I like it, not too soft that it becomes soggy and not undercooked that the folds in the tortellini are hard. Their service that day was better than my previous experiences, so that's a good point for La Porchetta staff. Waiting time for the food wasn't that long too. However, I would recommend that they "pimp" their interior just a bit. You know, to make it feel more Italian-y. The setting inside the restaurant was just like any other restaurant so that kind of gave out an ordinary vibe to the place. As I always say, ambiance is everything! [No, I don't really always say that. But it is important to me.]

Verdict: I would definitely come back to try more different pastas and pizzas! If you're ever craving gourmet pasta dishes then you should definitely try La Porchetta! I'm not Italian so I wouldn't really know what authentic Italian dishes taste like, but I can say that their dishes are delicious and worth it. I ordered the entree size and it filled me up - and I eat a lot. Two thumbs up for La Porchetta today! :D

I know my quick review says meh, but in all honesty my tolerance for Italian food is always high. Pasta is a huge weakness and I'm easily pleased. <3 However something that enhances the food itself is always the service and I've been here plenty of times (sometimes they like me, sometimes they want me to leave as quickly as possible). It's the vibe they give you, like they are waiting for you to finish your food. Anyway, the food was always great and yummy, so no complaints there. I told you I'm easy to please.

Tata's meal: MUSHROOM SAUCE RAVIOLI ($11.40)
Freshly sliced button mushrooms cooked in a tempting cream sauce with freshly grated Parmesan on ravioli

However, this time around, I didn't mind the service. They were polite and maybe not as welcoming as those new restaurants. I've realized that it's not that they don't like me, it's just that they are not the warmest bunch, but it's fine. I ordered a ravioli with mushroom sauce. Perhaps this was my mistake! I chose a pasta that would've been better eaten with red sauce. So once I got it, I did not like my meal and I didn't even finish it. I even gave half to Dexter.

The sauce was fine, it was the ravioli that I didn't like so much. The beef inside was so mushy it felt like I was eating mush.

My mushy Ravioli. :(

If you can see from above, it doesn't have texture (I expected a chewy sensation), so it felt very unsatisfying. On the other hand, it could simply be my fault for ordering a less acidic sauce with it, opting for the lighter taste of the mushroom may account to its failure to satisfy me. Which is why I can't really give it a boo and looking back I actually did enjoy the other food Dexter provided. (Pizzas - See below - YUMMM!)


Verdict:
So La Porchetta, for now my experience was a Meh~, but I will come back again with a better prepared order in mind and hopefully will result in the best experience possible!

Wait! There's MORE!!
You can't go to an Italian restaurant without having pizza! Our friend Dexter bought 3 pizzas for our group. Here they are:

SUPER SPECIAL ($14.70)
Tomato base, mozarella, ham, anchovies, mushroom, olives, capsicum & hot salami

VEGETARIAN ($12.50)
Tomato Base, mozarella, mushrooms, olives, capsicum

FOCACCIA RIPIENA CHEESE ($14.70)
Mozzarella, garlic, basil, and olive oil

Needless to say that these pizzas will own those fastfood pizza you get delivered any day! Thanks Dex!!

(L-R: Tata, Dexter, Kaka)

Ciao food groupies,

P.S. To all you Filipino food groupies out there, check out Noel Bautista's personal blog to read about his experiences living here, in New Zealand. Who knows, maybe his blogs might entice you to fly here and witness the beauty that is New Zealand!


Want to eat here as well? Restaurant details are below!

La Porchetta
51 Hobson Street, Auckland CBD
Visit their website to learn more about their menu.

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