You should definitely try our Chicken Valdostana. That was the staff’s quick reply as we asked for Stregato Gelateria’s best-seller. Valdo-what? We didn’t really know what it was, except that it’s chicken. And really, you can’t go wrong with chicken, especially something as fancy-sounding as that.

STREGATO GELATERIA’S GELATO BAR

It was the first day of Bataan’s Pawikan Festival tour. We left Manila more than four hours ago and were now quite hungry. Our first stop for the day as we reached the province’s capital, Balanga City, was for food.

GALERIA VICTORIA MALL WHERE THE RESTAURANT IS LOCATED

VIEW OF THE RESTAURANT FROM THE MEZZANINE

The restaurant is located on the ground floor of an unpainted neo classical-styled mall at the center of the city. Its two-storey mezzanine interiors depict a somewhat outdoor-park feel. Faux brick walls, plastic tree leaf, patio-type furniture, and even bench swings where one can actually eat. The whole mish-mash is actually quite overwhelming, there seemed to be too many things happening on so little a space.

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CUTE NOTES FROM CUSTOMERS

We tried sitting on the swing, but it was a bit uncomfortable so we switched to one of the other tables—the surface of which was plastered with notes from Stregato’s customers. It has everything from famous quotes to actual love letters, quite an interesting way to pass the time while waiting for our orders.

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CRISPY POTATO SKINS ~ PHP 68.00

For starters, we munched on their Crispy Potato Skins. It was surprisingly good, the baked potato skins were very crisp, well-flavored and goes well with the sour cream dip. I wished we ordered the loaded version though which has an additional bacon and cheese toppings.

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PAN FRIED HERBED CHICKEN WITH GRAVY ~ PHP 178.00

We didn’t wait that long for our main orders to arrive, Pan Fried Herbed Chicken with Gravy for me and Chicken Valdostana for C.

Prices are, surprisingly, slightly on the high side for a restaurant located in the province, but serving size is quite generous—not only does meals come with rice, but veggies too. On my first bite of the pan-fried chicken, Stregato’s prices immediately justified itself, the meat was tender and strong-flavored, while the gravy added more zest to the dish.

CHICKEN VALDOSTANA ~ PHP 190.00

The valdostana, composed of pan-seared chicken fillet topped with smoked ham, melted mozzarella cheese, spinach, and potato pancake on the other hand has a much subtler flavor. It comes with cream sauce and rice. While it was also quite good. I prefer the former than the latter though.

SOLA DRINKS ON MASON JARS ~ PHP 58.00

Stregato Gelateria doesn’t have much in the way of unique cold drinks, so we simply ordered Sola. They’re pretty generic, but the restaurant did take effort in presenting them nicely on colorful mason jars.

GELATO ~ PHP 70.00 (SINGLE SCOOP) | PHP 120.00 (DOUBLE SCOOP)

And of course, we were not about to leave the restaurant without trying their gelatos. They have a pretty extensive selection, more than 18 flavors in fact, but I’m not really adventurous when it comes to these. I asked for a couple of scoops of their mocha espresso and it didn’t disappoint. This is a gelateria after all.

~ THIS TRIP IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE BATAAN PROVINCIAL TOURISM

Stregato Gelateria
Address: Bonifacio St., 1st Floor, Galeria Victoria Mall, Balanga City, Bataan
Contact Number: (047) 237-2003
Opening Hours: Everyday, 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
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GPS Coordinates Map: 14.679500, 120.541298