PIZZAS are playing the game at Solaire Resort North’s Trattoria e Dolci. During a tasting on Jan. 24, we got a spread of their pizzas and salads — but surprisingly, zero pasta.
“We wanted to focus on pizzas and salads here,” Sandro Alessandrini, director of food and beverage for Solaire Resort North said. “As opposed to Finestra, where we have pasta, has a little bit of a broader menu.” Finestra is Trattoria e Dolci’s fancier older sibling in Solaire in Paranaque, which serves fine Italian cuisine. A trattoria, by definition, is less formal than Finestra’s ristorante and is more akin to what the French call a bistro.
Well, since we didn’t have to save space for carb-heavy pasta that day, we had all the salads they could offer.
The Seared Tuna salad with artichokes, fennel, and green beans was crisp, light, and piquant, like a salad should be; while the Classic Beef Carpaccio with USDA beef tenderloin, arugula, and shaved Parmesan was surprisingly mild. The Caprese with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and basil tasted like it should.
As for the Calzone, we got a portion that was a bit too crusty (we were sharing with four), but that’s a problem I made for myself. The next belly-bursting serving with mozzarella, ham, olives, and mushrooms was worth it.
Mr. Alessandrini told us that their Stefano Ferrara pizza ovens come all the way from Naples (the birthplace of modern pizza). The result was a crispy crust (too crispy for our taste, but everyone else at the table disagreed) with some still-chewy spots, and the Trattoria pizza with Mortadella (pork sausage), burratta, and pistachio, was mild and satisfying. The spicier Diavola option, with spicy salami and chili flakes, might be a better crowd-pleaser.
From the restaurant’s Dolci side, we ended the meal with a thick chocolate gelato, made with milk and not cream; the traditional way, according to Mr. Alessandrini.
Most of the equipment and the ingredients in the restaurant come from Italy, down to their tomato sauce, according to Mr. Alessandrini.
“It’s a very fast-paced restaurant,” he said. “Pizza takes three, four, five minutes to prepare; and two to three minutes to cook.”
In the second quarter of 2025, Solaire Resort North is opening an “immersive” dining outlet (with performances and such), the last restaurant to be opened in the new resort.
Trattoria e Dolci is located on the Ground Floor of Solaire Resort North on EDSA, Quezon City, at Vertis North. — Joseph L. Garcia
