Gran Caffe' Lavena - Taguig

Caesar salad made with leaf lettuce not romaine and topped with bacon but no mention of bacon on menu...imagine the surprise the vegetarian diner had. Minestrone soup with a sour element...I thought Italian soup not a Filipino soup. No water, no bread served. Coffee machine broken. Never again.

This cafe in the middle of the brigde look inviting.So we decide to lunch there.Our order was set lunch: corn soup, lasagne and strawberry cheese cake.Soup and lasagne were mediocre but dessert was a catastrophe. Cake wasdry and hard. Pehaps been two weeks in the fridge. We could not eat it so we askyoung waitress to change it. After a while we got piece of soft cake with cream on top.One piece but bigger. I ordered also cup of coffee which was dark rost and tasty.Service was slow but waitress friendly and helpful.Cafe was decorated by Italian kitsch lamps, Murano chandeliers and cristal glasses.

The main advantage of this restaurant is it sits right on the bridge and has a view of the "Grand Canal". And it is quite spacious inside with "feeling lavish" interiors and decor, some of which are for sale like the Murano jewelry and glass pieces. It does feel a little overboard though with its waiters and waitresses decked in 17th century clothes and wigs. Pasta was so-so...the place is more about decor and ambiance rather than food. But desserts were good especially the Tres Leches cake.

The ambience is good. Their live singer & costumes for the waiters make it a classy place.However, the menu is quite limited.Service is sadly poor. If you order pasta, it can be served quickly. But it's served earlier than the soup which makes you have an inverted meal of sorts. Meals with rice are not in the menu but are apparently available. Serving for rice meals are quite small. Mushroom soup is salty. Blueberry cheesecake lacks richness.For its price, not worth it at all.

A little taste of Venice in Taguig. The staff is very hospitable. Unique experience. Great value for money overall.