Brick Oven Goodness at Gino's Brick Oven Pizza, Serendra, Taguig City, Philippines

It takes a special kind of place to make us go on a carbo-loading binge on pizza and pasta. Gino's Brick Oven Pizza is one of those places.

We've been to their Salcedo branch before so for this visit, we decided to go to their Serendra one. With almost the same interiors but with more comfortable booths and shorter waiting time (since they accept reservations), it was a great start to our evening.

Browsing through their menu is actually a pretense; we already have our favorites. For this particular dinner though since we were a party of four, we left the additional pasta and pizza choices to the other guests.

It was unanimous; everyone was in the mood for Burrata.

Trying to at least keep it healthy, we got the Burrata Caprese (Php 405). A dish, no matter how simple, when served with the freshest ingredients will always be a hit. The luscious cherry tomatoes plus the herb-y flavor of the basil worked really well with the burrata and pesto. This was easily polished off by everyone.

Pictured is their Salted Egg Pasta (Php 225), our go-to pasta staple whenever we're at Gino's. The fettuccine noodles were well-coated with the salted egg mixed with cream and then topped with bacon bits and Parmesan cheese. The salted egg flavor is subtle, it neither overpowers nor underwhelms. I was actually looking for the added saltiness by the bacon but that was sorely missing. To make it a cheesier dish, ask for more Parmesan cheese. 

Pizza Afternoon at Motorino Pizza, Greenbelt 3, Makati Philippines

Having had the chance to try Neapolitan pizza & loving it, I was really excited about eating at Motorino. ;)

This used to be a different Italian restaurant. Hmmmm.. that seems to be the trend for this specific space in Greenbelt.  

Loved how the shiny ceiling & red lights connects with the wall painting; it makes you feel like you're really driving on the bridge. ;)

If you aren't into all that stainless, they have this booth. Here they keep it simple & woodsy. 

The HUGE oven where all the pizza magic happens! ;)

Anchors Away at Don Henrico's, Glorietta 1 Makati

Went exploring at the newly opened Glorietta 1 in Makati. With the old stores and new ones soon opening, this was definitely a place to watch out for. 

Dinnertime found us walking around the second floor and the choice was down to Sbarro and Don Henrico's. But with a large crowd and a long waiting list, it seems like Sbarro was set for another time.

Onward to Don Hen.

Their waiting area had this on display.

Starboard or Port?

After ordering looked around and took a picture of the fixtures. 

With the peepholes & metal lighting, it really felt like we were in a ship.

Here's the first dish that came out.

Don Henrico's Buffalo Wings 3 pcs (Php 380)

With it's delicious smoky aroma, you can't go wrong with Don Henrico's Buffalo Wings. These 3 pieces of chicken delight were well-coated with their very own BBQ sauce. My only worry before ordering was that the breast part might be hard to chew but the first bite was enough to soothe my apprehensions. Everything was juicy and tender! Definitely our favorite with or without the creamy ranch dressing. FS Verdict? Highly recommended.

Italian Dinner at Capricciosa, Greenbelt 3 Makati

There's no better way to start the week than some family bonding. Travelling from QC to Makati at rush hour is no easy feat. Thanks shobs! :p

Capricciosa, Greenbelt 3

Christmas was really in the air. From the outside to inside, Capricciosa was ready for 'Ol Saint Nick. 

Time Out at Tokyo Cafe SM The Block, Quezon City

To pass time (while waiting for the family to finish their fitting for the upcoming wedding), we found ourselves walking around SM The Block. 

With stomachs growling, we began hunting for new places to try. Nothing caught our fancy so we ate at one of our previous food haunts.

Welcome to Tokyo Cafe at SM The Block.

Tokyo Cafe, SM The Block

It was just as we remembered; bright and laid back. One slight problem, their A/C was on the fritz. On a hot & humid afternoon, this was not a good mix.

Katsu-Ju (Php 250)

Wanting to try something new, I had one of their Bento meals. Served in this quaint black lacquered dish pan, I slowly opened the cover.... drumroll please.... 

Three's A Company at Torch, Greenhills

We were supposed to meet at 1pm for a late lunch... what happened was a "lunner" instead (it's a combination of lunch & dinner, sorta like "brunch").  After fetching Jo, we arrived at Torch Greenhills by 3:30pm, all hungry & harassed. 

Hmmm... I wonder what that piece of paper is hiding....

Welcome

Bar

Wall Ornaments

Seeing Red at Aveneto Pizzeria Ristorante, Glorietta 3 Makati

 Get ready for another FoodStars low-down this time for.....

 Aveneto Pizzeria Ristorante.

aVeneto Pizzaria Ristorante, Glorietta 3

By the colors alone, Aveneto was definitely invoking the Italian vibe. At 7:30pm on a Sunday, the place was packed to the rafters. Seems like business was booming.

Tables & Chairs

As you enter, you'll notice that no one will assist you to your seat. I'm thinking, is this like a fast food setup wherein you just sit anywhere you want? After several minutes of trying to get the waiter's attention, we finally got seated. First impression? Place was kinda cramped and the crowd was a bit noisy. Definitely not the place to unwind & relax.

VMS: Domino's Pizza, Pasong Tamo

While perusing around the net for new restaurants to try out, stumbled upon this flyer. Pizza for dinner seemed to be inevitable. :)

Domino's Pizza, Pasong Tamo

Talked to a certain Regina who was kinda helpful. The problem was that the Domino's website was not updated with the "new" prices. Yup, all prices posted had an increase of 50 pesos. Tsk tsk. You can hear in the background someone saying that "prices were subject to change".  Excuse me, that explanation is usually reserved for flyers & pamphlets that restaurants give away. The reason behind this is that they no longer have the option of updating or changing the printed prices. But in the case of prices posted on official websites wherein you are able to change it anytime you want, that reason is invalid. Hay... 

Disappointing start.

RR Part 2: Caffe Puccini, Global City Taguig

A long overdue RR of Caffe Puccini. This is the 2nd of 3 reviews. To be fair, we will be posting the 3rd & most recent visit soon.


Part One
Part Three


Date: Jan. 24, 2012
Time: 7:30pm

FS Note: Voucher-holders beware, the Puccini staff looks down on people who use coupons. Once you sit down, you'll experience firsthand that the servers are unfriendly & unhelpful. Also, they take their sweet time bringing service water. They made us feel so uncomfortable when they thought that we were only getting the pizza deal. It also took them forever to bring out the bread basket. Tsk tsk.

Lasagna Di Ragu (Php 385)

Being the beef lovers that we are, we took a chance and tried this dish out. Sadly, what came out was this small dish that looked unappetizing. After the first bite, it was enough to conclude that Puccini's version of Beef Lasagna had nothing special to offer. Sigh.

VMS: Brooklyn Pizza, Makati

Prepping up for a movie night, we had to order the perfect movie night snack: PIZZA!


We stayed away from this restaurant for the longest time because of a bad incident that happened before... IMPOLITE STAFF + UNHELPFUL MANAGER = THUMBS DOWN SERVICE.  


But we decided to give them another chance.

Brooklyn Pizza, Makati

As far as I can remember, Brooklyn Pizza was the first one to offer half pizzas for delivery. They were also the ones who pioneered the "different flavors on one pizza". 

VMS: Yellow Cab, Makati

Not wanting to eat heavy (since it's 11pm already.. yikes!), we decided to just order take out from one of our usual pizza places.

Yellow Cab

Before I go on to our pizza review, I would like to share some of the problems we encountered with Yellow Cab.

First instance: The delivery man couldn't find our house that he resorted to using the phone at our village's guard house. Tsk tsk. I had to talk to the guard and have him escort the delivery man to our house. Result? Pizza was cold. The sad part? This was not our first time to order delivery from this branch.

Another time, it was the branch itself that had problems. They called us up to ask where their delivery man was... . ummm there's literally no words to describe their incompetence.

Pinoy Pizza at Sandy's, Makati

We were scared to try out a new online coupon site but when we saw this deal, being pizza lovers we had to try this out.

Trivia: This pizza place is apparently owned by Gabby Concepcion's sister. 

Hidden in the outskirts of Makati, we welcome you to Sandy's Pizza!

Order Counter

As you enter, you'll notice that the place is a bit cramped. The order counter is just a few steps away from the door. It was a bit hot & stuffy but the staff immediately opened the a/c. 

Wall photos

The only decor you'll see are the pictures of celebrities posted on the walls. Other than that, the restaurant strictly employs a minimalist look. The empty wooden tables and chairs at 6pm was a disappointing sight.

Pizza Paradiso at Caffe Puccini, The Fort Strip BGC

This is the 1st of 3 reviews.

Part Two

Part Three

I'm going to be honest, I have never heard of this place before this was offered on an online coupon site. Being suckers for white cheese pizza, you had us at  Pizza Quattro Formaggio. :)

Caffe Puccini, The Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City

Don't let the exterior fool you. I was expecting a quaint, old-fashioned style of pizzaria but upon entering, the place was buzzing with activity. We arrived at 8:30pm and the place was still filled to the brim. Another example why making reservations are so important.

With it's orange walls, yellow lights and brick-walled ovens, it seem like you've just entered into a slice of Italy. O Sole Mio... :)