Restaurant Love: Nonna's

I am a big fan of truffles! I love anything with a strong kick of this fragrant ingredient. For one, Mama Lou's truffle pasta surely makes my top list of truffle dishes. And when I had a belated birthday celebration with my mom and sister, I made sure that we dine somewhere where I get my truffle fix. This time, we went with Nonna's in Robinsons Galleria.

Hello, Nonna's. 

Nonna's is the sister brand of Mama Lou's. You'd quickly notice it too once you check its menu. 

Yellow Cab Launches XL Pizza Slices

Pizza has been one of the easiest meals to grab when in a rush. However, most solo diners find it too much to order a whole pizza just to satisfy their hankering for this savory oven baked pie. Thankfully, Yellow Cab came up with something to solve that problem. 

Hello, Yellow Cab XL Pizza Slices!

Your favorite New York flavors are now available by the slice! And to make things yummier, it comes in huge slices! 

Fly to Rome for Free with Cibo

Italy is a beautiful country filled with so much history. But one thing I absolutely love about this place is its intense passion for great food. Italians take pride in its cuisine and its use of the finest and freshest ingredients. Many too continue to practice the traditional way in preparing food. And though I miss all the trattoria, ristorante and deli shops, I'm happy that I could have a taste of Italy here in Manila at Cibo. 

Hello, Cibo.

Cibo has been our go to restaurant whenever we're craving for good Italian food. I'd often get Patatine Fritte and Spinaci Zola for starters, Penne al Telefono and Panino Porchetta as mains and Panna Cotta for dessert. And don't get me started with my love for its Pomelo Shake! 

Toni & Sergio is now in Eastwood

Italian cuisine is not that popular here in Manila except for the Americanized pizza parlors. But there are a handful of pretty good Italian restaurants in town; one of which is Toni & Sergio which first opened in Venice Grand Canal. It recently opened a branch in Eastwood and I took the opportunity to have lunch there with friends when we were around the area. 

Hello, Toni & Sergio. 

First Bite: PizzaExpress

There's a new pizzeria in town and it is bound to tickle your taste buds with glee. Yes, Tasteless Food Group is at it again with spoiling us by bringing the famous UK brand PizzaExpress to Manila.

Hello, PizzaExpress.

I was so curious about PizzaExpress when I saw its board up in Uptown Bonifacio. I have never heard of the brand before but the giddiness from other foodies was so infectious that I got excited myself without knowing what to expect. And after a few months of looking forward to that first bite, I finally got to indulge in some of PizzaExpress' popular dishes.

First Bite: Salvatore Cuomo

Salvatore Cuomo is probably one of the most awaited restaurants this year. Celebrities, high society and foodies alike cannot help but go crazy over this well-known food establishment owned by restauranteur and celebrity chef Salvatore Shigeta or more popularly known as Salvatore Cuomo. I wanted to visit it on its first days of operation but I was eying another restaurant at the same time and went with the latter. I told myself that I will visit it when there’s an occasion given its relatively steep prices for its mouthwatering dishes but with all the positive reviews I read here and there, I just have to visit it ASAP. And I finally did just a few hours ago.

Hello, Salvatore Cuomo!

We were greeted by a black, white and red facade and a small waterfall-like fountain by the entrance. It further established that I was about to enter a not so casual restaurant. 

The inside interior design is more of elegant industrial with the restaurant's leather upholstered wooden furniture pieces and bare ceiling with exposed pipes. There are some lovely drop lights which made the ambiance classy. 

We went for lunch and it sure was packed! We were asked by the host if we made reservations. We didn’t. I didn’t know that it would be this packed given that it is fairly new. But never underestimate the pull of Salvatore Cuomo’s name. We were lucky though that there were two vacant seats by the bar. Since we were already there, we settled with those high stools. 

Given that Salvatore Cuomo is known in Japan as “The Pizza Man”, it just makes sense if we order pizza. We got Margherita (PHP680). We also ordered Zuppa di Funghi e Gamberetti (PHP390) and Tiramisu with Pistachio Gelato (PHP380). I wanted to try its reasonably priced steaks (prices range at PHP800-1,500) but we decided to stick with a few dishes as we weren’t that hungry. 

It was expected that service wouldn’t be at its peak as the place was very busy. All servers were on the move. But our soup arrived within the 15 minute mark. I had to ask for the noteworthy complimentary bread basket though as they didn’t serve any before our soup. (It arrived after serving the pizza and after following up thrice.)

The soup may be expensive but they sure did not scrimp on the ingredients. The soup was thick and the mushroom taste was strong. I loved that there were bits of mushroom to bite on instead of it being too grainy causing my throat to itch. The sautéed shrimps were good too. It was fresh and complemented the thick soup. I also liked the drops of sour cream giving the dish a tinge of tanginess.