My daily routine after work usually takes me past Caffe Murano and Art Shoppe in Greenbelt 5. I’d always try to steal looks inside the shop, curious about the various Murano glass displays for sale. There are tables inside, with people having some drinks or grabbing a bite but I always assumed they friends of the shop owners or something. That’s why I was quite surprised when I received an invitation to try their food.

I’ve encountered Murano glass before—a friend once got me a pair of Murano glass earrings as a souvenir from his travels, but seeing Caffe Murano’s displays up close was a different experience. From accessories to larger art pieces, they possessed exquisite, attractive colors that surely draw the viewer’s eye.

Caffe Murano is a good place to catch up with friends, letting you leave behind whatever issues you may have with work, taxes and a credit score. Half of the cafe section is within the glass shop, so you can chat without being disturbed by distracting music. If you’d prefer to chill instead, the outdoor section has its own bar and mini-stage for live performances. Drinks are reasonably priced, especially when you remember that you’re in Greenbelt 5.

Rotch, Melo and I sat inside the shop because we needed decent light for photos and because we wanted to gossip a bit. We got a caprese antipasti platter—slices of tomatoes and mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and topped with some basil. Served on a bed of greens and with ripe olives on the side.

We opted to share a whole pizza as well. Our server recommended the San Daniele Ham with arugula, artichokes and gorgonzola. It sounded good so that’s what we got. The ham was a strongly flavored one, dominating the pizza. We thought it was like proscuitto. Only much later did I find out that it IS proscuitto. I learned something new!

Aside from the pizza, we also had the Ravioli Spinach. It was stuffed with spinach and ricotta, then dressed with a fresh tomato sauce. Served with slices of toast on the side. The pasta’s texture wasn’t as firm and as fresh as I’d like, but flavorwise, it was okay.

Rotch opted to try their gelato, which she claimed was good. I was reasonably stuffed (plus, I didn’t want to mix beer and ice cream) so I passed it up, but I trust her when she says it’s good. Especially since I found out much later that their gelato is supposed to be really good. My loss, I’m sure.

If you’re looking for something different in Greenbelt, Caffe Murano and Art Shoppe just might be the place for you, as it brings new meaning to “combining art and food.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 6:03 pm and is filed under restos & eateries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.