Saturday, September 23, 2006

G.U.S. NITPICKS!! (v. 8)

MEZZALUNA RESTO


Dinner with my bon vivant friend D. is always a fun-filled experience. So i did not hesitate when he suggested we eat at Mezzaluna, formerly known as Amoroma. D. had quite an interesting story about the new management and new chef, which took over from Amoroma. Not sure if i can repeat it for public consumption though. . . .

Not being very familiar with the area, i had the devil of a time finding this place. Upon entering Mezzaluna, i found its interiors cozy and subdued, rather smaller than i thought it would be. The brick walls, patterned floor tiles, lamps hanging from the ceiling and silver cutlery all evoke "fine dining" and "authentic" Italian (read: expensive). The mood is enhanced by the piped-in music (CD of an Italian female singer named Laura Pausini), uplifting and pleasant to the ear.

The food menu didn't seem very extensive, but interesting nonetheless. We ordered the Bruschetta PHP210 (mushroom, pesto, mozzarella cheese, basil and fresh tomato), which didn't scrimp on the ingredients.

For the main courses, after much dithering, we finally agreed to share:

Pomodoro e Basilico Fresco Pasta PHP220 (fresh tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil leaves and mozzarella cheese)

Pizza Con Salsiccia e Patate PHP330 (mozzarella cheese, onions, potato and italian sausage)

We were concerned at first about how the potato would blend into a pizza, but need not have been, after all. The pizza was very tasty, but not heavy on the palate.

For dessert, i tried the Vanilla Pannacotta with Mango and Mint Salad (PHP125). Simply quite superb!!! The pannacotta had exactly the right texture, and flavourful already on its own. . . but not cloying, so i could probably eat half a dozen in one sitting!!! :D Bravo, ang sarap talaga!!! [it's fantastically delicious]

The Baked Lemon Pudding with Vanilla Gelato (PHP185) also looked interesting, but alas, we were too full already.

On the debit side, their fresh dalandan juice was a tad too sweet.

All in all, Mezzaluna provides very good food, coupled with relaxing atmosphere and solicitous service. And the bill came to around PHP700 per person, which is not bad at all.

Just wait till i get back and order that bucketfull of pannacotta. . . .


(Mezzaluna is located at Ground Floor, Valuepoint Condominium, 227 Salcedo St. corner Gamboa St., Legaspi Village, Makati City)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

i thought the food was utterly strange and too simple for the taste. it's a total disaster and rather confusing for the palate. nothing authentic and certainly nothing fusion. quality is not there for some reason. are you certain of this judgement? or is it just a make believe theory to pursuing someone else who possess a better tastebuds? we didnt expect much since cheap in price represents the quality of the product too. big no no. (if it hadn't been a rainy nite)

if u want to have a better pannacota amongst good desserts, money should not be an issue. since u seem to want to be known as who recommend what, you should without an effort to spend & try it in Peoples Palace or Mezze for desserts. good pizza and carpaccio will be in Cafe carruso very good pasta and steak will be in Palato Fino. very good ambiance will be galileo innotecca. after all, if you know what good food is all about, money (especially philippines is cheap in terms of price for food & entertainment) shouldn't be an issue for a most reccomended ones.

grumpyurbanslacker said...

dear anonymous,

1. what exactly do you mean by "the
food was utterly strange and too simple for the taste"? Also, with "nothing authentic and certainly nothing fusion"?

2. i do not make any claims of being a gourmand or a food critic. What i write about are my honest opinions, as a customer of said restos.

3. i will certainly try the desserts in People's Palace and Mezze (i've been to PP, both Malate and Greenbelt branches, and for me, it is above-average food with small portion sizes and rather overpriced), as well as the other places you've mentioned.

However, i don't agree with your statement that "if you know what good food is all about, money shouldn't be an issue....". I mean, except for people with very deep pockets or on expense accounts, most everyone here in Manila cannot afford to eat out without taking into consideration the costs of their meal. So, in my humble opinion, the trick is to find restos offering good value for money.

regards,

G.U.S.

Anonymous said...

hey GUS, me again. :) we love amoroma---and were sad to see it go. have yet to try this place out! and you should take pictures!

grumpyurbanslacker said...

hey jen!!

so glad for your comments!:D i'm still the same as ever (work/civil status/hairstyle/etc.), which i now realize isn't probably such a good thing!! hehe:-D

yeah, i really should take pics. Yun nga lang i've never own a camera in my entire life...pero sige, that should be a good new year's resolution.

cheers,

GUS

Anonymous said...

I stumbled onto this page somehow and was entertained. I am an avid fan of Mezzaluna, and of Chef Carlo Miguel. Have you tried his new branch in Serendra? More swanky, still cozy, and definitely better food than his old bistro-style branch in Legaspi (which no longer exists na yata). My goodness, his desserts are always to-die-for talaga. He changes his entire menu every 2 months, and when I ate there recently, I tried this amazing DATE and TOFFEE PUDDING that I can't forget about! Super sulit considering his ingredients are almost entirely imported. He even serves French Spring Chicken and Braised Baby Octopus. Galing. Cheers!