Marciano's Fancy Interior and Its Pizza + Pasta
Replacing Bistro Rouox, Marciano's is one of the newest addition to the restaurant line up in Greenbelt area. It is known for pizza, pasta and steak, and it is one of the popular restaurants among the whole Sumosam group.
Sophisticated interior of Marciano's
One of the striking things you'll come across here in this restaurant is its highly inviting interior. The portraits on the wall add a touch of sophistication to its already cozy and classy ambiance. Further, the lights put emphasis on the beauty of interior making it great for family occasion or intimate dates.
It's more common to come across restaurants with good interior along the stretch of Greenbelt 5, so it was refreshing to see something magnificent along three (i.e. Greenbelt 3).
Lack of appeal of the menu
With the classy-yet-quaint interior of Marciano's, I couldn't help but get excited with what they offer. Unfortunately, this was not sustained when I came face-to-face with its unappealing menu. Frankly, I started to cast doubts when I reviewed the menu including the photos of the dishes. Something within me, gut-feel maybe, tells me to back out. However, for the sake of exploring something new, I still decided to go for it, and surprisingly my intuition was right.
House-blend Iced Tea || P100
The house blend iced tea was sweeter than what may be necessary, but it managed to be within the acceptable level. It was nevertheless citrusly-refreshing (if such word exists).
Broadway Meatlovers || P638 - 16"
This meatlover pizza was a sheer disappointment as it was not exactly "meaty" the way we expected it to be. Just by taking a look at the photo once again adds confirmation to this claim. Although I must admit that I liked the subtlety in the taste and the balanced saltiness from the cheese & meat, I didn't find it sulit considering the high price of the dish. Also, the crust was tough further pulling away the enjoyment.
Legally Blonde Baked Ziti with Gorgonzola || P578 - Family
Perhaps the only dish I greatly appreciated, this Baked Ziti had a great blend of flavors in the sauce with its refreshing creamy-tomato overall. Further, spices danced well creating a harmonious exquisite taste. It was admittedly noteworthy, but then again pricey.
Jenny Humphrey Truffle Mushroom Risotto || P348
This risotto lacked the beauty and appeal to make it drool-worthy, and when it comes to taste it totally paled compared to Mama Lou's risotto (read more). The truffle essence was there but the texture (i.e. larger grains) was a bit distracting. Taste-wise again, it was fine. You may request for some grated parmesan to sprinkle on top to make it great enough.
Prosciutto Arugula with Grilled Pineapple Pizza || P428 - 12"
The arugula on this pizza was prominent yet has this subtlety that binds the flavor. This created a wave of enjoyable bitterness mixed with the sweetness of pineapple. Totally better than the "meatlover".
Carbonara || P308 - Solo
Apologies for being harsh on this one, but this was the death of carbonara, as far as I am concerned. Carbonara that have more cream of mushroom rather than cream itself just tips the scale. Texture was ugh, and the taste totally forgettable. If you have the same preference as mine, avoid this one.
Joey T'ubbiani Meat Lasagna || P578 - Family
This lasagna is what we can call a lasagna for meat lovers. Each bite explodes with a good share of ground meat. Cheese lovers may feel the lack of balance as it was more meat than pasta, but still it was able to capture the traditional lasagna taste.
Strawberry Cheesecake || P288
This cheesecake caught my attention with its "almost perfect" level of sweetness (mostly borrowed from the Oreo crust). Also, the texture had a good mix of fluffiness and creaminess. Overall, it was interesting enough.
Marciano's - Overall Ratings and Summary
Note: Unshaded stars are equivalents of half-stars. The ratings apply solely to this dining experience.
Place ★★★★★
Taste ★★★
Service ★★★★★
Value for Money ★★☆
Budget: at least P450 each for a moderate to heavy dining experience
Marciano's (Greenbelt Branch) certainly makes a great candidate if ambiance is on top of your priority. The modern sophisticated interior allows you to just savor intimate moments you'll have here. Unfortunately, dishes didn't match this "sophistication", as the taste fell short of expectation together with the seemingly overly simplistic appearance. If not for the great service, our experience could have been totally mediocre. I guess this is one of those moments where great service saves the day!
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Marciano's
Location: 2/F Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City
Service Charge: 10% before VAT
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