Finestra at Solaire Resort & Casino

Solaire Resort & Casino has several signature and casual dining restaurants. The first one I tried was Finestra their fine dining Italian restaurant.

I’ve seen pictures of Finestra from other blogs but it still didn’t prepare me for the beauty and grandeur I’ve only seen in other countries. I even overheard a few people comment that Finestra’s interiors were at par or even better than those in Hong Kong or Singapore and I agree with them.

From floor to ceiling it was evident that no expense was spared to line each surface with exquisite materials that haven’t been seen in the Philippine restaurant scene.

The views from Finestra was also unmatched. On one side was the swimming pool which wasn’t operational yet.

swimming pool

On another side was the Manila Bay.

You can choose the antipasti buffet for your meal or part of the lunch offer or as your starter.

antipasti buffet P1,460

For me the highlight of the antipasti buffet was the burrata (mozzarella stuffed with cream) and fresh mozzarella cheese.

As soon as the bread basket landed on the table I immediately chose the cheese bread since it looked the most appetizing of all.

I just love it when my instincts are right. The cheese bread was the most delicious bread I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant in the Philippines. The best bread selection for me is in L’Atelier Robuchon in Hong Kong but this was very, very close. We all loved the cheese bread so much that when we asked for more they gave us an entire basket of it.

The bread was warm, crusty, soft and very, very cheesy and I guarantee you won’t stop at one piece.   I ate 2 1/2 pieces. I really wanted to eat more but I was getting full already.

My dining companions were feeling guilty with eating so much bread that I teased them by saying this bread could very well be the best part of our meal. It turned out to be true.

cheese bread

The olive oil was excellent! It was very aromatic and fruity. I dipped my cheese bread in the olive oil and it was even better.

They used the finest tableware. Even the linens were imported from Italy. I really liked the red water glass.

I read from other blogs that the pizza is served unsliced in Finestra. I requested them to slice it before bringing it to our table and they agreed.

The only thing I liked from this particular pizza was the taleggio cheese used instead of the usual mozzarella. The cheese was creamy and smokey. The aged Parma ham was pretty good too.

prosciutto pizza P790

I didn’t like the thick and doughy crust. I did like the crunchy outer part of the crust. I didn’t even finish this slice of pizza.

I didn’t even try the marinara pizza without cheese. Our host ended up taking home most of the two pizzas.

marinara pizza P840

I wanted to order protein instead of my favorite carbs and would have ordered the lamb or veal but a friend advised me to try something else so I ordered the cioppino or seafood stew.

cioppino P2,020

I was the only one in our group of 7 who was relatively happy and satisfied. All the seafood specially the salmon was perfectly cooked. The clams were too miniscule to enjoy. The broth was too salty and spicy for me to drink but it was sufficient to season the fresh seafood.

In the menu this pasta dish was called “traditional fusilli” but since they wanted a more traditional pasta they requested for angel hair or linguine instead. The kitchen used spagetti chitarra or guitar string spaghetti instead. They commented that this pasta didn’t taste like pasta. It tasted like udon or something else. Two people shared this dish and yet more than half was left behind. They ate more cheese bread instead.

pasta with clam sauce P670

My dad had the lunch offer which included the antipasti buffet, Chef Salvatore’s specialty of the day which was a choice of pasta, vegetable calzone or lamb and dessert for P2,350.

All of us have never seen pasta tubes that big. Not only was the paccheri pasta huge it was also too hard. Again this was wrapped up to go. The next day I nuked it in the microwave and the pasta became more edible. The taste wasn’t bad at all but the sauce wasn’t enough.

paccheri with seafood in cream sauce

As beautiful as the restaurant was much has to be desired about the service.
Me to waiter: What dessert do you have?
Waiter: I don’t know, let me check.
Me: What flavors of gelato do you have?
Waiter: I don’t know, let me check.

Compared to other restaurants they don’t have a very long and extensive menu. I don’t think it should take that much effort for the waitstaff to KNOW what desserts and gelato they serve. On a positive note they were friendly and nice to look at. Just not well informed. Hopefully in time they will get into the groove and be more familiar with their work.

With that out of the way I am glad to report that my dad’s watermelon sherbet was very, very good.

watermelon sherbet

The coffee wasn’t to my liking. It was strong but didn’t have any aroma or body. The biscotti was good and chewy though.

coffee

The big question is will I go back again? Yes! I will go back for the cheese bread and a bowl of soup or the antipasti buffet. I might give the risotto a try but I don’t think I will be ordering anything else. I miss the cheese bread.

Finestra menu
antipasto buffet, starters & soups,  pasta,  risotto & pizzeria,  entree

Finestra
Solaire Resort and Casino
Entertainment City (Near SM Mall of Asia) Parañaque 
telephone: +632-888-8888
click here for the map and directions
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