Ristorante delle Mitre: Catholic-themed establishment for the faithful

The Papal visit made me wonder: “Is God a foodie?”

Two biblical verses offer contrasting evidences to the importance of food and taste. While Matthew 4:4 states that “… Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (NIV), Matthew 5:13 counters by saying “… But if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

While it's hard to determine if our Creator does indeed have cravings like the rest of us, the next best thing would be observing Pope Francis's reaction to the Filipino food served to him during his five-day visit. (As Vatican Radio showed, he cleaned his plate.)

And for folks looking for dining options near the vicinity of Intramuros or Luneta, they can drop by one establishment with religious roots (and patrons).

Named after the traditional and ceremonial headdress of bishops, Ristorante delle Mitre, right across the San Agustin Church, not only serves a wide range of culinary fare but also sidelines as a museum of historic photographs and artifacts relating to the Catholic Church.

To keep up with the Catholic theme of the place, items on the menu are either named after church officials or are recipes from priests and nuns. Owned and managed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), patrons would be glad to know that part of the proceeds of Ristorante delle Mitre go to feeding the poor and less fortunate.

I have a brief history with Ristorante delle Mitre. My family used to go to this restaurant 10-12 years ago for dinner. It will be interesting to try new dishes beyond the paellas that we used to order frequently.

Separate bowls of pumpkin and vegetable soups served as starters. While my companion, a native of Las Piñas City, enjoyed the creamy and hearty taste of the pumpkin soup (P88) named after Jesse Mercado, the Bishop of Parañaque, it was quite the opposite for my serving of the vegetable soup (P88).

I personally do not know Camilo Gregorio, but the vegetable soup named after the Bishop Prelate of Batanes needs a lot of improvement. Aside from the lack of any visual appeal, the heavy use of sodium in the stock was a turn-off to my palate.

The soup, with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and onion, should have tasted as close to the best of what mother nature has to offer; but was unfortunately drowned by the salty stock. Aside from the obvious solution of lessening the salt content, another remedy is to either serve the soup with bread or add pasta to balance out the flavor.

I admit to being a laing convert for only a year and almost always order the Bicolano specialty whenever available. I thought that the Crispy Laing (P158) with coconut cream sauce would have the gabi leaves fried or toasted, but it turned out to be traditional laing wrapped in lumpia skin before being deep-fried.

The soft texture of the stewed gabi leaves and coconut milk was perfectly complimented by the fried lumpia wrapper. While a tad oily, the dish named after Gilbert Garcera, Bishop of Daet, Camarines Norte was a solid choice before the main course was served.

Monsignor Gary Formoso’s Pork Medallion with Mashed Potatoes (P258), the main course of the evening, was unfortunately a letdown. Several factors prevented what should have been a great dish from achieving its true potential. The meat and mashed potatoes were prepared and cooked excellently but the sauce, the one element that brings the two together, was another case of a heavy use of salt.

While the portion of pork tenderloin could have been bigger given the price, the way the sauce was seasoned easily overwhelmed the entire dish.

The decorated tomato that served as garnish to the dish could also have been replaced by a roasted one. The raw garnish, while not a burden to eat, was not as good as an oven-baked tomato, with its intensified sweetness, would have been.

If only the Tre Pasta di Maghi (P218) tasted as good as how we read it on the menu. The Carbonara was too salty while the Pesto tasted too “rose-watery” for my companion’s liking. The only winner from the trio of pastas attached to Ambassador Hector Villarroel’s name was the Pomodoro, whose light, tomato-based sauce was a delight to eat.

We ordered the Silvanas (P158), hoping that the frozen cookie dessert would somehow be the saving grace of the evening. Named in honor of the Archbishop of Manila, Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle, an order contains six cookies, though one Silvana is enough to conclude a four-five course meal.

The current staff might have taken the saltiness message of Matthew 5:13 to heart too literally for my liking. That said, creativity of the dishes and quiet ambience of the religion-themed place deserve positive points. — BM, GMA News

Ristorante delle Mitre is on Real Street in Intramuros, opposite San Agustin Church.