Toni & Sergio — Restaurant in Taguig

I did not love it here and certainly don’t recommend it for big groups. I brought my family here, there were nine of us, 3 of which are kids.

I picked the restaurant because it was fronting the Grand Canal. It has very good ambience and I think that’s really the only take I have here.

The waitress was completely unhelpful. I was asking her for suggestions what best to order for big groups. She showed me this menu for bundles which I didn’t like and asked her what combinations I can go for, sans pizza because the children have pizza all the time and I’m tried of pizza. The only good thing she suggested to me is the paella. Their paella is a bit salty. No matter how many ways I posed my question her answer is always “ay wala na po.” The menus posted here are outdated by the way, their paella is now p850.

I asked for something soup-ish and of course she said “wala.” Wala pong ganon. So I read their menu and decided on Marmitako and guess what, that is soup-ish. Small pork cuts, about 5 pieces of it with olives, bell pepper, potatoes stewed in tomato sauce something. She didn’t even tell me they serve it with steamed rice. I don’t know your restaurant but I’m willing to try it so help me out. I realize today with this restaurant that it’s hard to plan out what to order if your waiter is unhelpful so I am truly grateful for the ones who helped me order for me and my family. Marmitako cost p690 which is totally not worth it.

The waitress also informed me they don’t serve table water. They do serve iced tea pitchers, almost half of it is froth. Wow. For p200 per pitcher. You get a lot of it in froth. You can buy their bottled water at p70 each. A small one.

Pasta servings are not good. Mama Lou’s and Banapple would serve better. Ragu Bolognese and Pasta Pomodoro cost p420. No value for money.

Their pork knuckles is very good, thank goodness for this. Mind you, waitress did not suggest this. It’s a good thing my brother arrived and ordered it. But honestly, at p1,050 - I know other places that serve it just as good for a bit less than that.

So anyway, this experience made me realize not Italian restaurants are good. The only good thing I got from this is it’s location, and the ambiance of the Grand Canal.

They do take...

Food may have been great (we had pizza, paella, drinks & desserts) but I'm dragging down the points coz of the worst staff. I recommend that you change your wait staff including the incompetent manager named Jane.

We went there to enjoy as a family but right off the bat, they said we cannot sit where we chose to sit because it's reserved. So we asked where we can go & they said we should sit "outside". We were already contemplating leaving the resto coz it was hot outdoors when the mgr. said we can stay " pala". Okay... shouldn't the mgr. already have estimated the seating capacity from the moment the 30-diner reservation was made?

Relieved, we then sat down & perused the menu. Then we waited for a long time for any of them to take our orders but no one came. And we were at a spot where they can't even hear you when you yell so logic would dictate that one of the waiters should already be on standby to accommodate that area's dining needs. So I had to send my son to them just to inform them that we were ready to order.

Then we ate. As I said, pizza and desserts would have been good & the paella ok but the whole management and wait staff inefficiency dragged the whole experience to the drain.

And then we asked one waitress (that we chanced upon) to bring our desserts and no surprise there, she did not come back -- for a very long time. And so I sent my son back to them, this time, for our desserts.

I wasn't having anymore bad, inefficient, zero customer service so I asked for the mgr.

Sure, she apologized but she did not know what to do. The mgr. looked lost. She said that she will train her staff and so I asked, "Oh, so they aren't already? That explains a lot." I asked for the service charge to be deducted but I don't know if they ever did. The prices of our food remained the same. Plus the mgr. left us and never showed herself again.

If ur HQ is even reading this, let go of or re-train your manager and staff. The absence of customer service repelled us forever from your resto (and could potentially drive away other customers),...

Last weekend, craving for some proper hearty lunch, we decided to drop by Toni & Sergio, an Italian-Spanish gastro spot that serves up authentic offerings that fit perfectly the theme of their physical location at the Venice Grand Canal Mall. Specifically, it sits just right across the Canal itself, simulating for customers an idyllic Venice-themed dining experience that we simply couldn't resist! You have the option to either dine indoors, where you can see how their pizza are made from scratch via their open kitchen, or outdoors, where you have a full view of the Canal, complete with the gondolas being rowed back and forth by singing boatmen (they actually belt out Italian songs)!

Now seated and ready to dine, we ordered, for starters, their Golden Risotto: a buttery, subtly cheesy treat that conditions the palate for a rich and flavorful meal! Then adjacent to it, taste-wise, is their beautiful Osso Buco, with its tender, cross-cut beef shanks on a bed of Risotto (also the golden variety) and soaked in that signature tomato white wine sauce! We also made time for a plate of their Mushroom and Chorizo Saute, which is balanced out by the glass of full-bodied, darkly fruity Cabernet Sauvignon they served!

Oh, and just when you think that the meal's over and done with, we also had their herby Baked Sicilian Prawns, which come with rice and a side of vegetables! And then for dessert: the delectably sweet piece of work that is the Cuppola di Cioccolato! Think of those famous champorado domes that melt into the sticky rice when you pour warm milk on, but instead of milk, one pours hot caramel syrup, the melted shell revealing mousse of varying kinds, from chocolate to mascarpone! An appropriately sugary post-meal treat!

Honestly, being at the Venice Grand Canal Mall, we can't think of any other restaurant in there that suits more perfectly the feel and theme of the place! So to Toni & Sergio, with our shoddy Italian, we say: "Bella Ciao!" But also: "Arrivederci!" ("Until we...