August Specials at Aria Cucina

In case it's not obvious yet, I just want to say I really love Aria Cucina Italiana not only because of all the delicious Italian dishes they serve but also for the ambiance and great service. Last Thursday night, I went to an intimate dinner hosted by my favorite Italian restaurant to sample their August specials. It was a great night spent with wonderful company: my fellow bloggers Tara, Rowena and Lauren, and my colleagues Gerick and Marco and our boss Jenny.

Let me share with you photos of everything we filled our tummies with. I really hope you are prepared for the food porn that will follow ;)

Panissa con fritturina di pesce e maionese allo zenzero
Crusted chickpea polenta topped with piccolo fritto misto and ginger mayo
(P420)

Chicken, shrimp and tofu fried and served as appetizer. I especially loved the chicken and shrimp because they were tender considering they have been fried 'til golden brown. I cannot comment on the sauce because I don't eat mayonnaise, sorry, but I imagine this dish will be perfect movie companion as a more filling substitute to popcorn. 

Rotoli di pasta con pomodori secchi e ricotta su crema di porcini
Rolled fresh pasta stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, ricotta and parmesan cheese served with porcini coulis
(P450)

Don't be intimidated by the long name. Oh my goodness, this dish is just so goooood. This is, hands down, the group favorite of the night. All of us said we can eat this the whole night and not get tired of it. Just looking at the photo made me crave heh.

Panuozzo Casareccio
Freshly-baked dough stuffed with mozzarella, Italian sausage, eggplant and scamorza cheese
(P380)

This is not in the menu yet but this is another dish I highly recommend. No one does pizza dough quite like Aria's chefs can. I especially liked the melting mozzarella cheese. Think two thin pizza slices; very filling.

Polchetta
Oven-baked chicken roll stuffed with Italian spices and wrapped in parma ham
(P450)

This dish is served with potato slices. I don't know if it's just the batch served to us or it's really the way it is made, but I didn't like it as much as I liked the other dishes because I found the chicken roll a little too hard to bite into.

Semifreddo al Croccantino
Crunchy almond parfait with a hint of Grand Marnier
(P180)

There's always room for dessert ;) Good for sharing, this tastes and feels a little like sans rival. Smooth to the taste and the sweetness is just right, although Aria's mousse is still my favorite among the desserts they serve.

Frozen iced tea

I always choose this when dining there. I don't know, there's just something so comforting about having my favorite lemon iced tea, but with a "frozen" twist.

Mojito

I've been here several times already but this was the first time I ordered cocktails. I guess I was just in a celebratory mood that night heehee. I never liked beer and have always preferred vodka mixes or cocktail drinks, and when it comes to alcohol, mojitos are my favorite. I've already tasted mojitos from different restaurants but this one from Aria has got to be the best I've had. It was so refreshing and gave me just the right buzz. If there's one thing I can say, it's just that I wish Aria can also offer strawberry mojitos in the future.

I also had a latte although I did not finish it. I drank just enough to make sure I don't fall asleep in the cab on my way home. ;)

If there's anything this night taught me, it's that it's not wrong to be a little more adventurous when it comes to food. Whenever I dine at restaurants I always order my favorites, but maybe it's also good to try other stuff in the menu. You never know, but maybe you can discover other potential favorites you might like better than the tried-and-tested.

What a great night. One of my job responsibilities involve researching about Italy's culture and cuisine, and you know how much I wish to be an Italian in my next lifetime so you can just imagine how I am enjoying this task. Thank you so much, Aria Cucina and ARC.

(Disclaimer: All opinions provided here are my own and were not influenced by having Aria Cucina as one of our clients.)

"If most of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold

it would be a merrier world."

- J.R.R. Tolkien