Picobello: Davao City

Davao is known as the manukan country, there's just chicken everywhere. Fried, inasal, BBQ and the list of chicken variations go on. I was already sick of grilled food, so we searched for an Italian restaurant. After calling a few friends, we ended up in the 5th level of the Gaisano Mall near Rizal, where Picobello was located. Picobello turns out to be a well established Italian resto in an inihaw dominated city. The place looks like an authentic pizzeria, and I was so excited as it is tucked away inside the rundown mall.


We started with their freshly baked pizzas. The crust was not thin, but it was soft and hot. We ordered two variants, a Four Cheese, and a Chicken and Olive one. Both were satisfying, though the Four Cheese could be better.




The Calzone was huge as you can see. Slicing through it was a pleasure as the aroma of the cheese and flavors burst out.


The pasta dishes were nothing special compared to the best Italian restaurants in the country. But what the heck? We were sick of Filipino food and inihaw, so this was an oasis meal for us. This spaghetti marinara dish lacked flavor, but the tomato was fresh. That saved the dish.


The Lasagna was juicy and the layers were generous.


The Gorgonzola Penne was too salty for me. All the servings for the pasta dishes are good enough for 2 to 3 people I think, great for sharing.


I still had to satisfy my taste buds, so I ordered one last dish, an Italian sausage. And this sealed my lunch. It was spicy, juicy, tender, meaty and had great flavors. Everyone dug in, so I was left with only 3 bites. I wanted to order more and chop it into pieces for me to take out to the hotel.


So when in Davao, head for the old Gaisano Mall. I passed by another Italian restaurant in downtown Davao (I think it was La Tegola of Cebu), but I wasn't able to try it. Picobello has a cozy atmosphere perfect for a sumptuous Italian escape in manukan country.

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 5, 2009 at 3:31 PM

    I lived in davao and let me say picobello is my favorite italian resto. We used to go there every Sunday afternoon. They've got a buy one, take one pizza promo from 2PM - 5PM everyday. Yum Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Island ExplorerMarch 30, 2009 at 1:47 AM

    Yes! That's why we started our meeting at 2PM!

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownApril 6, 2010 at 5:15 AM

    have you tried Antonio's in SM Davao? They serve Filipino dishes and they're just soo good. You might also like to try Claude d'Ville in downtown davao, i think it's in Bonifacio street..they have sumptuous steaks and the place is cozy and warm ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. fashchroniclesSeptember 3, 2013 at 4:10 PM

    The four cheese pizza is looking delicious! I also visited them again just recently and finally blogged Picobello. Hope you can check that here: http://davaofoodguide.blogspot.com/2013/09/picobello-italian-ristorante-long.html

    ReplyDelete

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