Deja vu at McKinley Hill

Asneaky feeling of deja vu hit me the moment I entered it. Stained glass dome, high arches and a grandiose clock tower—was I back in Venice?

I was lucky enough to experience the Queen of the Adriatic early this year, on a summer vacation traipse through Italy. On my first encounter with the city, it wasn’t hard to see why Luigi Barzini of the New York Times might be moved to call it “undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man.” I don’t know if that’s true. The elegance and je nais se quoi of a place like Paris might beg to differ. The agony and ecstasy of a city like New York might beg to differ. And still, even a fellow Italian city like Rome—its history, significance, and drop-dead beauty barely contained by its structures—might make a bid for that title.

Venice has something though. Maybe it has to do with being partly submerged by water. Maybe it has to do with the canals and the romantic notion of going around in gondolas (an experience I didn’t particularly love, to be honest—give me a cab any day). “Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go,” the great Truman Capote once said. And it’s true—to be in Venice is to be drunk on love.

Stepping into Venice Piazza at McKinley Hill then that Saturday afternoon was unsettling in the way walking into a theme park version of New York is unsettling. Al-fresco dining, high arches, the clock tower, the stained glass dome—the place has a charm to it, albeit in a cotton candy kind of way. Walking in the Venice Piazza feels like walking through an Enchanted Kingdom version of Europe—and there’s something deliciously kitschy about that.

“If I could live in one city and do every single thing I do there, I would choose Venice. You can’t turn your head without seeing something amazing,” the producer Nile Rodgers once said. So finding the things that make Venice such a magical place appropriated for a dining destination in Manila is a bit of a guilty pleasure—you know it’s not real but it’s fun anyway. The way that eating cotton candy is largely unhealthy but deliriously distracting anyway.

Inspired by the grandeur of the Piazza San Marco, Venice Piazza at McKinley Hill is a perfect place to go for a quiet family weekend. Aside from the architectural flourishes—not to mention the land-locked gondola parked near the entrance—the mix of Italian, Mediterranean, and various other types of cuisine make it quite the charmer. The place quietly grows on you. There are pigeons to feed at the plaza. There are lovers holding hands near the fountains. And when the light hits it just so—or when the mall speakers unconsciously play an elegant jazz song—it doesn’t feel like you’re in Manila. You’re gone and it’s an escape—at least until you bump into a gaggle of teenage girls who are just so happy to be there.

The place’s culinary offerings are of course, up to par with its environment. While the usual suspects are present, there are a few surprises here and there. There’s a wealth of options for good ole Italian favorites like pizza and pasta—there’s the comforting warmth of Amici and the fresh-off-the-oven goodness of Uncle Cheffy.

From Italy, you can let your taste buds fly to Asia with a great selection of joints for those with a penchant for Oriental cuisine. There’s My Thai for those who fancy tasty dishes from the Land of Smiles and the Vietnamese noodle chain Pho Hoa, for those looking for scrumptious yet healthy soups and noodle meals.

Lovers of Japanese food will never feel out of place at Venice Piazza with Ramen Bar and Tokyo Café, both of which owning an extensive menu of Japanese dishes that will have them saying arigato with every bite.

For just about everything Asian, Little Asia is a definite winner with its mouthwatering fusions derived from different cuisine from all over the continent. Sping by Ha Yuan is also nearby and ready to entice every passerby with its savory Chinese specialties and fusions, while for seafood and best-tasting crabs in town, Red Crab Alimango House, as always, never disappoints. And not to be left out, there is also a great place to enjoy our very own Filipino dishes cooked the traditional way, Kuse.

Just when I thought I had my dose of Italy, I was surprised to find yet another destination that instantly took me all the way to one of the most loved and picturesque regions in this European nation – Tuscany.

With its rustic façade peppered by intricately weaved stones and the varying and colorful rooflines tailored to the smooth, lush rolling mountains, every gullible visitor could easily think that he is indeed in Tuscany.

While I marveled upon every gaze and with each step, little did I know that just behind the intricately designed walls and facade of these Italian-looking buildings lies McKinley Hill’s best-kept secrets – restaurants ready to offer me ‘La dolce far niente’ (the sweet art of idleness) and a whole new world of flavors.

As I strolled uphill, I noticed that this new restaurant strip is made up mostly of hole-in-the-wall restaurants. But despite their relatively smaller size, I had this impression that these joints are really that good enough to stand on their own and to draw people in this yet to be discovered dining place.

Choosing a restaurant was a bit harder than I thought, because just like in Venice Piazza, there were just so much choices thrown right in front of me. There’s the newly opened Sauceria, where one can enjoy healthy dishes made from fresh ingredients, and  this dainty German beer garden with lots of German beers, sausages, wursts and other mouthwatering European-infused dishes called Wursty Wursty.

It was a surprise to find Marciano’s, the steak-and-dinners place that first appeared in Makati, is also here. There’s also Terry’s Selection for your Spanish fix and the much buzzed-about L.E.S. (Lower East Side) Bagels for appetite-satiating New York-style bagels. A Canadian place called Main Street (inspired by the a neighborhood of the same name in Vancouver) actually sits right next to it, where you can enjoy a great selection of comfort food and Canada’s national dish, poutine.

And what could be more fitting than to find a Tuscan restaurant in this strip inspired by the same place. Trattoria Poggio Antico carries yet the most authentic Tuscan recreation I can remember – from its rustic interiors to its wide collection of Italian wines and cuisines, all worth your every penny.

After a while of breezing past through restaurants after another, I was grateful to find a place where I can finally relax and cool down. But with Planet Grapes’ impressive wine collection and quirky vending machine, even my tired legs could not stop me from exploring this great wine place, where one can enjoy wine without the drama and its peculiar yet cleverly good street food meets wine’ concept.

With all these great treasures, for the eyes and of course, for the tummy, I’ve just discovered, it was like Venice all over again, or should I say Italy. There is just so much to explore in these culinary sanctuaries, that everywhere you turn, there’s a slew of amazing surprises waiting.

Venice Piazza and Tuscany at McKinley Hill are just too good, too charming and too magical to be left unspoiled and undiscovered. And with the Holidays just around the corner, we might just have plenty of time.

* * *

This season, Megaworlds Lifestyle Malls ties up with The Philippine STAR for “Bedazzling STAR Moments,” a celebration of moments worth celebrating. Participants need to post their 300-500 word entries, including one captioned photo on the Facebook of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls. Check their Facebook account for more details or visit www.megaworldlifestylemalls.com. The winners get to receive Star Treatment Packages from the Megaworld Lifestyle Malls.