It was a short stay in Venice on our Italian trip last year but I can still remember this restaurant. We arrived at lunch in Venice and were looking for somewhere to eat. We sat down in one of the popular cafes near the San Marco’s cathedral but the waiters seem too busy to assist us so we just left. We then decided to look around first then while walking in a busy alley an Indian looking waiter called out “Pilipins, Pilipino?” he asked us among the crowd as we walked by. I looked at him and said “Yes”. We were famished already and I just didn’t hesitate and followed him inside a filled restaurant and towards a narrow staircase to an upper level dining area.
There was an oriental looking waitress taking orders from an Asian family when we arrived and a South American family was also there. The waitress was nice as she took our orders and a kababayan, a Filipino waiter also assisted us and gave us our drinks. I liked the gold patterns on the wallpaper and the side lamps on this quaint space. It gave it a touch of elegance. There was also a chandelier on the ceiling.
We ordered the carbonara because I wanted to taste an authentic one where the sauce is made of egg yolks and cheese. We also ordered the seafood risotto, caprese salad, old cuts meat platter and for drinks, I ordered a peach flavored drink. The carbonara was creamy and filling and the caprese salad with its plump tomato slices and fresh mozzarella cheese was refreshing.
The cold cuts platter (sorry I forgot the names of the meats) had good flavors and were not salty, surprisingly. Delicate and thinly sliced, it went well with the bread and crackers they also served as appetizers.
But the highlight for me was the seafood risotto. It tasted like the rice was steeped in shellfish for a quite a while that it brought out the flavors of the sea once you tasted it. The clams, shrimp, bits of crab and mussels tasted fresh too, maybe because Venice is near the ocean.
For dessert, we ordered two flavors of gelato for my son and a tiramisu for me. The tiramisu was soft and creamy with a good balance of flavors of coffee, cocoa and mascarpone. Not too strong flavors and not too sweet as well. It was a delight in every spoonful and a good finish to a fine meal.
Between the three cities we visited in Italy, Rome and Florence included, I think my favorite would have to be Venice. Obviously, I like it because it is near the ocean. I liked the seafood risotto I tasted not only at Leone D’ Oro but also in another Venice restaurant. The seafood was quite fresh too. I also liked visiting the opulent Doge’s Palace and watching the sunset with the gondolas in the background. I hope to visit Venice again.
