Truth be told, the city of Tagaytay has turned commercial. I have always loved Tagaytay and am a frequent visitor since my college days and I am witness to the growth that the city has undergone. Used to be, there was just a trickle of dining establishments that line the main road, many of them serving Beef Bulalo (Beef shank stew)  as a specialty. These days, you will see many familiar restaurants like Yellow Cab, Dencio’s, Figaro, Cafe Breton. These places started out in Manila and eventually found a spot in Tagaytay City. It has become Manila that came with a 2 hour travel time and weather ten degrees cooler.

Places like Buon Giorno make all the difference. Although they have a branch in Mandaluyong, I feel that Buon Giorno simply complemented the place instead of breaking it. This is because it is ensconced in a retail complex called Cliffhouse which is easy to miss although there is a sign etched in stone in front of the place.

I first read about it from Anton and was only able to visit recently. We arrived too early for dinner but the long drive ahead of us made us decide to stuff ourselves so that we don’t have to worry about stopping for food on the way home. The day was actually too nice to lock ourselves inside the airconditioned restaurant so we asked for a table outside. The opium bed was inviting but it was too far into the corner to tempt us to actually eat there.

The air was chilly but our table was covered by the tops of the trees that were on the side of the hill and that made it bearable. The mosquitos though that flew around us were humungous! Their bodies were the size of flies and their legs were longer than mine. That made us decide to take the corner seat inside – same comfort, same coziness, no mosquitos.

The food was italian-inspired which won points for me of course. I took in the big plastic menu and let my wide eyes wander over familiar terms and dishes. Oooh soo many yummy things on the menu!

We had Croquettes with Mozzarella (Php 202) for starters. I love anything with cheese and Mozzarella would be one of my favorites. The croquettes were steaming hot crispy balls filled with cheese and smothered in fresh tomato sauce. Being used to the notion of – anything crispy means salty, I wasn’t expecting such a mild flavor for this busy dish. Maybe that’s the reason this was an antipasti, you just had to follow on with a tasteful dish to makeup for the blandness.

We also ordered Penne All Ariabiata (Php 286). Penne cooked with tomato-based sauce cooked with some bacon and spices. I have always loved this dish especially the one served in Cibo, but this one was more spicy than I am used to. It did not diminish its flavorful goodness though. So although my tongue was burning (I have low tolerance for spicy food), I could not help but eat and eat and eat it.

For pizza, we ordered a favorite – Quattro Formaggi (Php 330). I must say that restaurants try to serve this in many different ways, using a combination of different cheeses. The one from Buon Giorno used mozzarella, fontina, parmesan and gorgonzola. The first time I tasted blue cheese in pizza was at Cappricciosa. I have been a fan of blue cheese on pizza ever since. I just think it brings a different kind of tanginess to the pizza than regular parmesan would. This offered the same deliciousness I remember of blue cheese. The crust was thin and crisp, the tomato sauce, powerful and the cheese… yuhhmmm.

For dessert, we tried out Chocolate Pistachio Sans Rival (Php 207). It was described as layers of buttery wafers drizzled with pistachio nuts. I would have used rained on instead of drizzled as it was surprisingly topped with an abundance of pistachio nuts. The wafers were thin and light and so was the chocolate. It was a change from my usual dessert of "death by chocolate".

Despite all the hot and comforting food we ate, the one thing we could not forget was how comfortable the place made us feel. In fact, my friends and I were just planning to order, eat and then leave and had planned to be there for at most an hour or so. But we found ourselves talking, chatting, sharing stories that by the time we looked at our watch, three hours had passed. If not for the fact that our families were waiting at home for us, we would have spent three more hours just basking in the warmth the place gave us. Sigh. I would love to go back now. Its the sort of place you took your best friend to or your best love. Wink wink!

Buon Giorno
Unit 4 Cliffhouse, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay
Tel. No: (046) 413-2102

Well-known chef Margarita Fores opened Cibo more than 10 years ago and it now has about nine branches around the metro. In addition to that, she also now has the flourishing Cafe Bola and Pepato restaurants. It is no wonder that I go back regularly to the place that has nurtured my desire for truly delicious Italian cuisine.

Since I have been dining at Cibo for years and have only been blogging about food for just barely two years, I can only share with you my most recent dining experiences at this lovely place.

Spinaci Zola Php 200++

I mentioned earlier that my favorite antipasti is the Pate di Fegato. It is a chicken liver pate dip topped with fruity sauce and served with toast rounds. I am a fan of the local liver spread (Reno is the best!) but having tried pate has elevated my taste buds to seventh heaven. Even after my sister discouraged me from eating it as she says the creation of pate displays such cruelty to animals, I cannot help but have my favorite each time I visit Cibo.

Often during my visits, I order the cream based pasta’s as I can never have this at home. I can’t, mostly because none of the members of my family like cream or make a point to even avoid cream based dishes for fear of gaining on the pounds. My favorites from their menu include: Penne ‘il Magnifico which is penne pasta cooked with gorgonzola, porcini mushrooms and cream; Penne al Telefono which has stewed tomatoes, mozzarella, white cheese, basil and cream; Linguine alla Ghiotta which is served with mushrooms, bacon and cream.

Recently, I have turned to trying out their tomato based fare. Partly because I have eaten my regulars more times than I can remember, and also because I wanted to try out something new.  I have also detached myself from the fruity pate and allowed myself to be convinced to order the Spinaci Zola. The waiter told us some sob story about someone who started eating it at a very young age and is still eating it years after. It was THAT good. And it was. The dip was made from a mix of spinach and gorgonzola cheese and served with toast rounds. Being made of cheese instead of minced liver meat made it more tasty.

Spaghettini alla Bolognese Php 220++

The Spaghettini alla Bolognese was indeed different from the many I have tried in various restaurants. First I do not really like spaghettini noodles as I feel it leaves me lacking in substance (too thin for my appetite hehe). The beef ragu sauce was more saucy than beefy so although I liked it, I doubt my hubby will.

Linguine di Valentino Php 300++

But the Linguine di Valentino was utterly delicious! It was made with crab meat, stewed tomatoes, chili peppers and cream. At first I was hesitant upon reading that it had chili peppers but my friends teased me about being such a coward so I gave in. I did not regret it. The sauce was full of flavor like it was slow cooked until all flavor was sucked out of the ingredients. It is at times like these that I sometimes wish Cibo had huge servings.

Oh and did I mention their fresh fruit shakes are to die for? Most famous of their offerings would be the Red Grape shake which I always order. But I was also able to try the Strawberry shake which is just as refreshing but not as yummy as the Red Grape. Now am salivating.

Cibo
2nd level, Glorietta 3, Ayala Center
Makati City
Tel. No: 892-3963

The place was… shall I say trying hard? It appeared to want to look more high end but ended up about 10,000 steps short. The sign at the entrance said "Please wait to be seated", but no one greeted you at the door so my husband just charged in and picked the nearest table there was.

We were given thick laminated menus that were neither chic nor cheap.  The selection though was interesting. There were several choices for appetizers, salads, pasta and pizza. Everything sounded delicious even though the pictures on the menu were far from enticing. It may have been to my husband though, because he ordered enough for 6 people (we were only 2).

We chose the A Veneto Family Platter, the Baked Zitti with 3 Hungarian Sausages, and two sliced of pizza – Bacon Cheeseburger and New England’s Best.

A Veneto Family Platter – This barkada appetizer included french fries, onion rings, breaded crabsticks and chicken wings. It came with catsup and sour cream for dipping. The first piece I tried was one of the onion rings. It came big, round and floured. Someone though forgot to put in seasoning and the whole thing just tasted like fried flour. The sour cream did wonders so it was bearable enough for me to wolf down a couple. The crabsticks tasted… well weird and soggy so I stopped at one piece. The fries tasted like the frozen one I buy at the grocery for my kids or those that are cooked by Potato Corner using a turbo broiler. The saving grace of this dish is the chicken. It was fried crisp and salty and doused with chili sauce. Yummy.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza – Large, thin and oh so bacon-ly. It might have been my love for anything bacon but this pizza tickled my fancy. I am embarrassed to say I finished every last bite. It was thin. It was sweet. It was salty. It was soo yummy.

Baked Zitti with 3 Hungarian Sausages – The dish came very hot and oozing with cheese. That was about it. You could have eaten 3 spoonfuls and not notice anything. It was that forgettable and disappointing. My husband kept nibbling trying to find some sort of flavor. I advised him to eat some sausage with the pasta and it worked. He said it indeed tasted better. I still beg to differ. The sausages added flavor to the dish, but it could not hide the fact that it lacked taste and quality.

I no longer tried the New England’s Best pizza. I thought if that was New England’s Best, I do not want to imagine their worst. The pizza looked like a bigger version of a Greenwich pizza, only bigger. Tsk tsk.

You may think I am being too harsh and I do not mean to be. But naming your place A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante, one would expect some sort of authenticity in your establishment. There was nothing authentic about the place. It was all store bought and assembled. From the sauce which tasted like canned tomato paste cooked and seasoned, to the canned mushrooms spread on top of the pizza, to the fries, and even the black pepper. We saw the servers earlier spooning black pepper into McCormick containers from a big pail of black pepper (not sure if it was generic or just tons of McCormick black pepper in a pail).

Ok I will say one good thing about the place. You get what you pay for. The dishes are served and priced enough for sharing. To me, it was more a like a casual place where you took your friends if you want to and save money. The place feeds hungry diners and that’s about it. If you wanted to eat pasta or pizza and enjoy it, why not just go to TOSH. Its got a simple name but delicious food at least.

A Veneto Pizzeria Ristorante
Ground Level
Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. No: 818-3090

Over time I have acquired a liking to green salads especially the caesar salad. Other than that, I stayed with eating safe ones like fruit or potato salad that are often served on special occasions at our house.

When a friend raved about Italianni’s Sicilian salad, my ears perked up. It was a sign that I was meant to try this so called concoction. I readily accepted an invite to eat at Italianni’s in Greenbelt 2 just for the sake of tasting it.

My friends were telling me what it was made of – lettuce, grapes and mangoes. I almost turned back. I was thinking “salad with mangoes? and grapes??”. I was expecting to be disappointed.

Three of us shared a full portion of the Sicilian Chicken Salad since I did not want to pay Php500 for something I wasn’t sure I would like and probably will not be able to finish.

I confirmed that the salad was indeed mixed with some grapes, and mangoes, plus nuts and chicken breast. It wasn’t too scary so I dug in. The dressing was creamy lemon dijon as the menu indicated but the taste of garlic was prominent. Don’t get me wrong. I was enticed by the tangy flavor and I loved it but I was thinking more of “creamy garlic” instead of “creamy lemon dijon”.

I might have to experiment with creating this kind of dressing as the taste of my caesar’s is slowly wearing out my taste buds. Maybe its time for a change. What do you think?

Sicilian Chicken Salad
Diced chicken breast, mangoes, ripe red grapes with pine nuts, tossed in a creamy lemon-dijon dressing, served on a bed of crispy romaine.

Italianni’s
Ground level, Greenbelt 2
Makati City
Tel. No: 728-0291, 728-0289

So when different dining establishments started popping up around Ayala Avenue, it became a relief to be provided much needed alternatives to our daily McChicken meal.

One such place not so far away is Green Tomato. It is in the 9th floor of the Philam Life tower along Paseo de Roxas where the building’s foodcourt is located.

There was a long line in front of Green Tomato when we arrived there to eat the other day even if it was only about 11:15am. It was a confirmation that they served good food.

I ordered the Penne with sausage and tomatoes. The serving was sufficient and quite a deal for the P120 that it cost me. It also came with a slice of foccacia bread that tasted soft and freshly made to me. The pasta was al dente and it absorbed the taste of the sauce so much that every bite was memorable.

And I can’t stop salivating at the thought of the sausage bits that made up the sauce. My friends smirked at me for saving my sausage bits and eating them after finishing up my pasta. But I couldn’t resist. The sausage had just the right saltiness that I loved. I don’t know where they get their sausages but I wish I could get my hands on the same so I could start whipping out deliciousness in my own kitchen. Sigh!

Green Tomato
Philam Life Tower,
Paseo de Roxas, Makati, MM
Tel. No. 885-7176

If you have heard of CIBO and Pepato and love eating at these places, then Cafe Bola is right up your alley. It is also co-owned by famous chef Margarita Fores. I had a chance to see her in our company’s International Woman’s Day celebration. She was part of a group of Filipina women who were achievers in their own right.

I used to be a regular at CIBO but I haven’t had a chance to go back there in the last 9 months. Has it really been 9 months since this blog has been up and running? That is indeed too long to not visit one of my favorite restaurants.

Cafe Bola is the affordable alternative to getting a taste of Margarita Fores’ cooking. It also caters to the rice-eating type as they serve rice bowl meals that is abundant in our country’s eating establishments.

My favorite dish is the Cafe Bola pasta in parmesan cream and bacon. This time however I chose to go red sauce. I picked out one of the uncommon items on their menu. I ordered the Cafe Bola pasta in tomato cream sauce and white cheese (a.k.a kesong puti).

The pasta had this sweet taste that could only be brought on by fresh pureed tomatoes. The cheese added a tinge of saltiness that was so subtle it was a compliment to the overall dish. The serving was just perfect for one person who did not want to be left “craving for more” but at the same time did not want to overstuff themselves. The price was great too as their menu items cost from P135 and up. This particular dish cost P155 which is not bad.

I am already looking forward to trying out their Cafe Bola pasta with Dulong in cream sauce. Doesn’t that sound just divine?

Cafe Bola

Greenbelt 3
2nd Level
Ayala Center
Makati City
Tel. 757-2652
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner

I was intrigued the first time I passed by the Pizza Hut Bistro at the Gateway Mall. From the outside, it reminded me of a fine dining establishment. It had the looks of hotel restaurants with its crisp white linen tabletops and classy interiors.

We did not get a chance to eat there until now.

I haven’t been to Eastwood Libis in a while so the new dining places were a treat for both my husband and I. But of all the new places to go to for filling up our hungry stomachs, we chose the Pizza Hut Bistro. Why? Because it was nearest to where my hubby’s appointment was and I grabbed the chance on indulge my curiosity of the place I once wanted to try.

I was impressed by the ambience, by the security guard who opened the door for us, and by the hostess who ushered us to our seats. I then became nervous that we had chosen a restaurant that would blow our budget for the week.

We were handed state of the art menus that were big on color and big on design. It had the colors of Pizza Hut – red and black. The choices were varied and interesting. We ordered the usual – bolognese for ChrisH and penne in tomato cream sauce for myself. The price was reasonable, ranging from P120-P200 for a dish. My taste buds were getting excited.

The food came. Both of us were disappointed.

The penne in tomato cream was swimming in sauce, like the chef accidentally put in more sauce than he wanted or there was suddenly a shortage of penne noodles. I was more inclined to think the latter as I found some spaghetti noodles mixed in underneath all the penne.

My husband majorly disliked the bolognese (it was obvious from the expression on his face). He uttered that it was sweet and left a bitter aftertaste. I figured it was the beef and the cheese. I also thought, that maybe they used processed tomato sauce like Ragu instead of using fresh tomatoes. It just didn’t taste like bolognese… at least the bolognese that my hubby has come to love.

More pictures at my Gallery.

Oh and another thing I severely hated about the place – the booths! From afar, they did look fancy and chic. However, I doubt anyone greater than a size 4 would fit into it (OK! I’m not thin but I am not THAT fat!). The space was so small I had a hard time getting into my seat. And although the sofa was cushioned, it was too close to the table that I had to sit up military straight. Last but not the least, the table top came up to my neck that my armpits got sore after we ate there. Ok ok, maybe I’m just pissed off about the food but hey – at least I should feel comfortable. Which I weren’t.. at all.

This is one place I would be hard to convince to return to again.

Pizza Hut Bistro
C-1, Eastwood Citywalk 1,
Eastwood City Cyberpark,
E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Bagumbayan,
Quezon City

We have been passing by Joey Pepperoni for a long time but have not had a chance to stop by and try it. I am glad we finally did.

Joey Pepperoni’s interiors are classy in a soft, romantic cafe sort of way. Since we ordered take-out, we really were not able to enjoy the ambience that the place offered.

The smells that emanated from the takeout box were so yummy that even while it was sitting on the backseat, I was already tempted to open and get a slice of pizza before we even got home.

I had to wait as sweetie just wouldnt allow me the early pleasure – just because he was driving and will be left out. LOL.

We had ordered a 12-inch Pepperoni Pizza, the house specialty. It looked great, it smelled delicious, and it definitely tasted oh-so-very good! The crust was crunchy thin. The pepperoni used was obviously cut out of the long version instead of those frozen ones that you get in the grocery. The cheese salty and tangy and perfect!

I cant wait to try out their other dishes like the bolognese or tomato cream pasta and their quattro formaggi pizza. And because they offer great food for a reasonable price, I can eat there any day, everyday.

Joey Pepperoni Pizzeria
G/F RFM Corporate Center
Pioneer cor. Sheridan St. Mandaluyong City
Tel. No.: 631-1688

we went in, ordered the pizza [P339], a tall cup of rootbeer [P35], and potato wedges [P29] which was supposed to be eaten while waiting for the pizza to be made, cooked, and delivered to us… so, we sat down, ate the potato wedges [another story about this below], and waited about 15 minutes or so while the pizza is being cooked… nothing fabulous or otherwise happened during this period…

except…

as we were waiting, i happened to glance around the store and finally rested on one of the service crew cooking the chicken… what got my attention was the fact that he was not wearing any plastic gloves while breading the chicken in preparation for boiling… even assuming that his hands were clean, who can really say how clean is clean?? especially for food that you’d have to put in you mouth and ingest??

i mean, even if the guy is using Safeguard, which supposedly cleanses 99.9% of the bacteria found on human skin, there is still that 0.01% which CAN breed on the food, and possibly make anyone who eats sick…

this is one of the reasons why i don’t like to eat fastfood… i don’t know how the food was made, and i don’t want to find out the hard way… at least, with Wendy’s, the crew is wearing plastic gloves while preparing the burgers…

maybe, someone should look into this as this is not healthy…

————————————————

anyway, as i’ve said, we ordered potato wedges which we plan to eat while waiting for the pizza… imagine my surprise when the wedges came and saw that what’s in the package were teeny-weeny wedges prolly made out of teeny-weeny potatos… before my wife finishes off the whole pack, i was able to stop her and get a picture of them…

my car keys are there to make a comparison on the size of these babies… and there were about 9 or 10 piece of those… at P29 each pack, i didn’t feel that we got the best out of our money [yes, even if it was just P29]… get 2 baby potatos [about 1-1.5" in diameter], cut into wedges, put coating to taste [much like those used in Potato Corner], and fry in a tub of oil… how hard and expensive was that??

la lang… i just felt cheated, is all…

Ciao, sweetie…

I only heard about it from the people on the team I recently joined. They often called Federal to cater to their merienda’s and birthday celebrations.

I thought… uhh federal seafood? Somehow it did not sound enticing.

We held one office event there and really it was a typical old venue-style restaurant. I would have thought I was in the twilight zone had I not been with other people who knew where it was. They had a big sign by the door fronting Ayala. However, it looked similarly designed as those of its neighboring offices (banks, travel agencies etc) that you wouldnt think to stop and say “hey lets eat here”.

Anyway, I’ve tasted their famous fettucini carbonara and of course their equally famous spaghetti. Do not expect it to taste like those served in your favorite Italian restaurants as this one prepares it the old fashioned way – more like home cooked pasta before your Mom learned of the word “gourmet”.

It holds its own when fed to the myriad of hungry and stressed IT professionals and provides the much needed break and short term happiness often associated with good food.

Last week, we pulled out the reliable food “delivery” and turned the pages looking for the Federal’s contact number. We were craving to feast on their spaghetti.

As expected, it took all of 30 minutes for the 2 large “bilao-s” to be scraped clean of the red noodles. *Burp. Good. Great. Filling.

I’m sorry I wont be able to post their delivery number as I dont have it at the time of writing. I will update this post later on to include it so come back for it!

Ciao!

Here we are all hands to try to get some of it

I think I got my “Italian taste buds” from my mother. Like me, she also loves Italian food – pesto, pomodoro, crostinis, paninis etc. I remember her whipping up fancy italian dishes when I still lived at my parents’ house. I have no doubt she is still doing it right now.

I got to the restaurant ahead of the rest of my family so I perused the menu so I could start my decision-making on what dish to order. They did not have a lot of choices for antipasti so I just ordered refillable iced tea – raspberry (my favorite!).

Although they did not have much in the list for starters, there was a fair variety of pasta and pizza choices to choose from. I was waiting in hungry anticipation of the food that we will be having.

We were a big party as my brother brought his fiance, my director sister came out of her cave, my yaya and son were there, plus the driver. With a lot of hungry mouths to feed, we ordered a mix of 5 pasta dishes and 3 pizzas (they said the pasta was single-serve). The family’s choices were bolognese, salmon in anchovy sauce, mushroom in cream, mussels&shrimp in wine sauce, and pomodoro for pasta. For pizza, we had all meat, formaggio and blanca (seafood pesto).

The food that was served barely touched the table before it was dug into. The pomodoro was an instant hit and the plate where it was served was emptied in 2 minutes. I love the mushroom cream sauce (of course) and the salmon in anchovy sauce was interestingly new to my tongue.

The first pizza to plate to be taken away was the one holding the formaggio. Their pizza was awesome! The crust was made of the same pastry used for their crostini. It was cracker-thin and delicious!

I really wanted to order dessert but I must admit, I was sooo full, it took a while for me to finish my drink. But… It must be fate as it turned out my mum’s boss was dining at the same place and sent us 5 mouth watering dessert cakes… the waitresses put them down at our table all at the same time to our surprise as we were just thinking about ordering dessert.

My mind did not register the names of cakes that were given to us as I was busy trying to get a piece of each cake before my brother finished everything! Just look at my pictures and see for yourself.

Eating at Pasto has been quite an experience. What they lack in choices, they more than made up for great tasting dishes and scrumptous desserts.

As of this writing… I still feel full… *burp*

“The birthday cake”

Yummy!

The strategy was to come early before the lunch crowd arrived so me and hubby were there a bit past 11:30am.

The resto was small, like its other branches in Glorietta and Galleria. The place cramped the cafeteria-style tables too close together that once seated you would have to be able to fly to get out.

There was a notice in their menu (McDo-style) that their servings were made for 2-3 people. Good! My stomach was complaining already. We ordered spaghetti with meat sauce and an all-meat pizza.

Chef D’ Angelo is really known for its Big Bird Meals. For one, the chicken served appear to be taken from one hell of a giant chicken. I swear I have never seen a chicken THAT size. In addition, the meal is served with pasta (in either white or red sauce) and a slice of pizza. It sounds like the bunch of lunch from Shakey’s but that old favorite pales in comparison to this Big Bird meal. Other variations offer salad or soup. And all for just a bit over a hundred bucks!

We did not order that though as my hubby did not feel like eating chicken and I wanted to taste something new.

I found the all-meat pizza delicious. Aside from the taste of the ground beef, pepperoni, bacon, ham and cheese – which were all salty – there came an aftertaste of something sweet. I was enjoying it so much I didn’t even wonder what it was until I’ve had my last bite.

I asked my hubby what it was and he pointed to this red chopped thingy on the pizza that I was eating. I recognized it immediately. It was chorizo! Hmm.. Yummy.

The meat sauce pasta was ok – nothing extraordinary. Maybe it was because I have tasted it before and it did not become more delicious than I remembered it being.

The others at the table had soup – that Ganns professed to be soooo good. Joni had a big burger – which should have been BIG BURGER as Joni could only finish half. Jomar had this rice dish with shrimp – that I don’t think he very much enjoyed. I did not see what Jeff ate as he was late and I was focused on all the conversation going around to watch him eat (hehe Sorry Jeff!). Shari was not able to order as she was also late and the lunch crowd had already piled in.

I did take notice of Ganns’ dessert. Whatever it was that it tasted, the effect was that he did an extraordinary impression of what I felt was a distortedly-evil marshmallow man.

Chef D’ Angelo is the perfect place to go for the one with an empty stomach and an almost empty wallet. Value for money is what it’s all about.

I do recommend their all meat pizza and their desserts as this I am definitely sure would satisfy those that go for the palatable experience.

For more of the KKBEB, the pictures can be found at the Flickr Gallery.

My friend and I came upon this place feeling ravenous after our spa session. The place was new to our eyes, brightly lit and the girl by the door was looking at us so intensely as if willing us to eat there. Maybe she sensed my hesitation while reading their menu as I was not in the mood for Italian.

It turned out my stomach was stronger than my appetite and hunger took over satisfying my taste buds.

We perused the menu and it took a while really for both my friend and I to decide. For one, the menu was very simple. It had the usual: antipasti, insalata, pizze, zuppe, caldi, spaghetti, gelato. Although the menu listed several items under each category, there was very little information to tell you about the dish. It felt like somehow, there was the assumption that the diners there would know what ingredients were included in an “escargot croquette”.

Second, there were no pictures!! There was no opportunity to feast with your eyes and nothing to help you decide instantly on what you would like to order.

It was taking too long for us to order that we had to call out to the waitress and have her give a monologue on what the difference was between this spaghetti and that spaghetti, does the regular serving already made for 2 or do we have to order the large, do you have diet soda or not (I had to ask as the info was not available in their menu – and they did have diet soda).

While waiting for our food, I looked around the place and agreed it had a nice “new” feeling to it. It did not exude “cozy”, rather it showed “modern”.

Our pizza arrived and I was excited and apprehensive at the same time. I have hated blue cheese all my life so it was probably fate that Capricciosa did not decribe the ingredients that they put in their dishes. Our pizza was called Quattro Formaggio. Yes you guessed it right – four cheese pizza… which I’m sure included blue cheese. Good thing, it tasted great!

The crust was so thin and crisp it was like eating a cracker. The salty cheese topping complemented the weak crust. Yummy!

The pasta we had was called Eggplant and Spinach in meat sauce. The name made you think vegetarian at first until you noticed the “meat sauce” trailing after it. Apparently, they had a secret meat sauce recipe (or so the waitress says) and for this dish, they just cooked the eggplant and spinach with it.

Not expecting much from a still overpoweringly vegetarian pasta, I was surprised how I liked it. It sort of made me feel like I was eating in a redandgreen-walled Italian pizzeria.

Unfortunately, our stomachs did not have room for dessert and so did our wallets. The prices were quite expensive for a dish you could have at another Italian place somewhere. But alls well, we were satisfied with the meal and went out happy.

Will we return? Maybe. But maybe not with the same regularity that we show to our other fave restos.

Do you want to find out something interesting about the place though: its history is not quite what you would expect.

The menu is decorated with the byline: Authentic Southern Italian Flavor. Guess who the started this restaurant? Masaaki Honda and he first branch he opened was in Shibuya Tokyo. I don’t believe there even is one in Italy at least I did not find anything in any of my searches. Funny.

Capricciosa
Greenbelt 3 3rd Level
Ayala Center
Makati City
Tel. No: (632) 757-7811

We arrived home and I didn’t really dive into the pizza immediately – I wasn’t expecting much from Greenwich (sorry just being honest). I opened the box to get a slice after about 30 minutes later. If you must know, my husband, upon arriving home went straight to his computer and actually forgot that we had the pizza. Anyway going back to my first slice of the Greenwich special…. At first glance, I was a bit disappointed. I don’t recall the pizza being that thin and that small (for a family size)… or maybe I’m just used to those big slices New York style – that are so much more popular nowadays. I took a bite and turned into a hungry lunatic. I don’t recall Greenwich special ever tasting like this. The crust was crispy thin. The mélange of toppings was perfect. The only comment I had was that they said the family size was enough for 4-6 people. Uhh duh…. If my husband were not at home I could have finished the whole box myself! But alas, he was home and to top it off, he even had more slices than I did! $#*&^$#… haha – that being said – kudos to Greenwich for making it big and managing to hold its own for more than 3 years in a marketplace where there’s lots of stiff and tastier competition.

Good thing their hotline is now easier to remember: 5-55-55… Call now!

I wonder how the salted egg and sisig pizza tastes??… Hmm…but that’s another post.

Visit their site at http://www.greenwich.com.ph…

(picture and excerpt from Greenwich website)
Experience the mouthwatering taste of Greenwich Special. Now bursting with the taste of premium delectable toppings with every bite. Each slice is made more flavorful and more special.

Anyway, we arrived there at 12:30, sat down, and ordered… for me, i always try new dishes [as long as they are tomate-based... no white sauces for me...] so i ordered Spicy Meatsauce (P159.00)… that is Bolognese with — supposed to be — a little spice… for Apples, ever the white-sauce lady, it was the Norway’s Pride (P159.00) [dunno what that is]… for appetizer, we ordered Italian Herb Toast…

Our waiter kept coming back to our table telling us that our food is already on its way… he kept doing that for about 3 or 4 times until i finally called his attention to that fact that our table has no food on it yet, while about 3 tables surrounding us already had theirs when they came after us…

At about 1:10, my food finally arrived… looking at it, looks appealing, but this is one instance where looks can really be deceiving… since the menu said that this was spicy, i expected it to be at least moderately hot… also, the meatsauce looks very good and so [after i took a picture of it, of course] i started dig in, and boy, was i dismayed with it… instead of being spicy, the taste was more peppery because of the green and red bell peppers in the sauce… nothing really hot about it, though…

The price of P159 is not worth to pay for this kind of crap they pass off as Spicy Meatsauce… our yaya at home cooks better… there are other options, but this store is not one of ‘em… the service sucks, and the food does not fare better… you’d be better off eating somplace else than here…

Ciao, sweetie…

One time in QC, having just brought my sister back to her apartment, we chanced upon this spaghetti place at the end of Sgt. Esguerra. Since we were both hungry, we decided to stop and eat. I was not really concerned about eating at a new place as I always see the restaurant parking packed with cars everytime I happen to pass by. This indicates that something about the place must be good.

It was a slow day (I really cant recall why) because ours were the only car there. We entered The Old Spaghetti House (as the sign says) and entered into a dimly lit place with dark wooden tables and exotic-looking lamps. We were seated at a table for two by a waiter with a friendly smile.

The menu consisted of salads, soups and of course pasta. There was a variety of pasta dishes to choose from. Oh – but that wasnt what delighted us. It was the prices of all the dishes! Unbelievable! Prices went as low as P85. Fancier dishes cost about P150-P200. We were delighted but wary…almost expecting nothing special about the food. So we ordered the bolognese and the vongole (clams in white wine sauce).

The first taste of my vongole was exquisite. The pasta was cooked al dente and although it looked like ‘plain old spagetti in clear liquid’ as my hubby says – I found it delicious! Of course, the closed eyes of my husband as he chewed on his bolognese was enough of an indication that he also enjoyed what he was eating…. more so as he managed to scrape off the last drop of red sauce that he could see on his bowl with what little bread he had left.

Kudos to the owners of TOSH. Our tongues are very grateful that you have given us a place to satisfy our pasta desires. We are also glad that you have brought TOSH closer to us (a new branch just opened in Robinson’s Pioneer).

Visit their site -> The Old Spaghetti House.