January 28, 2018. Andre and I have just discovered the most amazing Italian Trattoria in Silang. With red bricks, yellow stucco walls, and windows lined with green wooden shutters, the interiors of Trattoria Mario Mio reminded me of our family trip to Italy. The rust-colored ceiling with wooden beams was lit by hexagonal beveled glass lamps. Pretty Machuca black and white tiles gave life to the otherwise charcoal tiled floor. We were late for our 1pm reservation because of gnarled Alfonso traffic due to road repairs, and we were worried they would be closed. Happily, they were open from 11am to 10pm, and we were ushered to a table by the window, overlooking a vegetable garden. Kim, our amiable waiter, explained that their salad veggies are harvested from their garden. Truly farm to table freshness!
Andre noticed the bottle of Kalamancello on the table and asked about it. Kim explained that it was homemade, adding that it was delicious. We made a mental note to end the meal with a sip of Kalamancello.
The chefs, originally from L’Opera, did not disappoint. It was an authentic Italian experience, starting with the funghi tripolati, or assorted mushroom sautéed in garlic and olio extra virgin di olive on a bed of lettuce and spinach with balsamic on the side. We had zuppa di fagioli which was not on the menu. It was a hearty version of minestroni but with beans.
For his entree, Andre had the scallopini di vitello al marsala or dutch veal tenderloin in homemade marsala sauce. He nodded approvingly as he had his first bite of the veal. It was really tender, he vouched. And the marsala sauce was delicious.
I opted for the rotolini di bronzolo con zucchini, or rolled seabass in zucchini and shrimps with sautéed fresh vegetables in olio extra virgen di oliva. This dish immediately reminded me of Cara as we would search for restaurants serving rotolini while we were in Italy.
The tiramisu was too good to miss and so I broke my diet. We capped the lunch with Mario Mio’s homemade ice-cold kalamancello. It was definitely the perfect meal for a rainy Saturday afternoon. We loved it, and decided this is one place we can keep coming back to.