Davao City: Picobello Ristorante Italiano

Travels - this is one of the reasons why I love working with Digicon. It was Araw ng Dabaw (Davao Day) when we arrived at the southern province, so our usual lunch place - Kusina Selera - was full due to the people eating there while watching the parade in front of them. 

We walked a bit away from our hotel and entered Gaisano South Citimall,  an old, dark, and scary (sorry!) mall. I think it was at the dead end where we rode an elevator going to the 5th floor. There, Picobello Ristorante Italiano welcomed us for our first lunch.

Apparently, Picobello is known in Davao to be an affordable and delicious Italian restaurant. I like that the place is brightly lit (thanks to the natural light, too) and very spacious. There's a glass window back there where we saw the chefs cooking the pizza and pasta.

Lucky we are, Picobello was almost empty that lunch since most people are at the perpendicular street waiting for the celebrities to pass by. Look, it's AJ, Ace, Caren, and Jen seating so comfortably.

And now, we put their food to the test.

While waiting for our real orders, the staff gave us this Bruschetta as an appetizer. Good thing that it wasn't roasted too long, thus the bread not becoming too crunchy. Veering away from the usual Bruschetta with small pieces of tomatoes, cheese and garlic spread, Picobello's version was very simple. It has cold cuts on the left and super fine tomatoes-turned sauce. Simple as it may be, I really like how tasty it is when I paired it together.

Next is the Insalata Di Pomodori E Mozzarella (Php165) or simply tomato and mozzarella salad. Although I'm not much fond of basil, I love how it was mixed with vinaigrette as a thick sauce to the salad. The mozarella wasn't  much of added taste to me, but eating the tomatoes, sauce, and greens altogether makes it a good combination. 

Pictured above is the Rustica Quattro Formaggi (Php350) or simply four cheese pizza. It's a wood-fired pizza mixed with the staple tomato sauce and four cheese - Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Ricotta, and Parmesan. Since the pizza was freshly cooked, the bread was still soft and chewy. However, in terms of taste, I find it a bit too salty, but still palatable.

Here's Spaghetti Alla Marinara (Php230) with assorted seafoods, garlic, herbs, and rich-flavored tomato concasse (peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes). The pasta was just okay, nothing too awesome to remember. Aside from that it seemed like the seafood used has been in the fridge for quite a while, this pasta dish was a tad bit bitter for my taste. However, my friends liked it and in fact ordered another plate to share. Given the price and the serving size, and apart from the tiny bit of bitter taste, I can let it pass.

My favorite dish was their Risotto Al Funghi Ed Erbe Aromatici (Php170). It was just a very simple risotto mixed with mushrooms and herbs, but it was so full of taste, very creamy, and delicious! It was a bit too liquid-ish as compared to the risotto of my friend Jackie, but I love it!

Picobello Ristorante Italiano offers a wide range of Italian choices. They have the following categories and price ranges for each:

• Antipasti e Insalate (Appetizer and Salad) - ranges from Php130 to Php370
• Zuppe e Minestre (Soups) - ranges from Php95 to Php105
• Risotti e Paste (Risotto and Pasta) - ranges from Php170 to Php280
• Secondi Piatti (Main Course) - ranges from Php190 to Php480
• Steaks and Chops - ranges from Php500 to Php995
• Pizze (Pizza) - ranges from Php270 to Php350
• Beverages of soft drinks, juices, beer, coffee, alcohol - ranges from Php40 to Php170

Overall, Picobello is a restaurant I'd gladly go back to again since I haven't tasted a lot of their menu items. However, with the items I've eaten in my recent Davao trip, I can say they offer just average-tasting dishes - nothing extraordinary.

Picobello Ristrorante Italiano
5th Level, Gaisano South Citimall
Ilustre St., Davao, Davao, Philippines
Phone Number: (+63 82) 221-1696