I've been raving about Amici de Don Bosco (now just plain Amici) for years now. But it's in Makati and we usually get lost or have a hard time going there, so i am ecstatic that they are now in T. Morato.
To be exact: below ratsky, what used to be CPK, in front of Uno (another favorite place), Scout Fuentebella. :)
I learned last Saturday that it's open already, so Sunday i trooped to it immediately. The place was small and packed. the tables were arranged badly, sobrang sikip. But the place looked better than the original in don bosco which is actually a glorified college canteen hehehe
the food: the montanara and seafood pasta was slightly off target for us. but the pizza was great! and the chocolate with nuts gelato was superb, i couldn't get enough of it. the mango tango was also great, not so sweet.
I still did not have enough of Amici and Monday lunch I was there again. the seafood pasta in white wine sauce is soo much better than the previous day's pasta. i loved it. the anchovy and garlic taste was a bit overpowering, but that's the way i liked it. the Tutta Carne pizza was also great, better than the italian sausage with olives pizza. and they serve the pizza really fast. we tried the osso buco with risotto, and it was ok (i've had better version in bellini's years ago before they went really bad) and of course, i had the chocolate with nuts gelato again.
still not having my fill of amici, tuesday night pangga and i went there again for dinner. this time we ordered 2 pizzas - napoli and tutta carne. hey, we've been to napoli (or naples, the place in italy, not the bad resto), the birth place of pizza, and we ate at the oldest and best napoli pizza place where the pizza was simply divine - fresh anchovies, fresh tomatoes from pompeii, and fresh mozzarella - THE BEST!. but let me tell you, the napoli pizza in Amici is the best in the philippines. (i've had better quatro formaggi). the tutta carne was still delicious. and of course, you guessed it- i had 2 cups of chocolate with nuts gelato.
hey, i liked their gelato way better than the ones i had in napoli (naples). it's not so sweet and definitely a whole lot cheaper hehehe
so, have we had our fill? are we satisfied already? is the amici obsession over? well, i hope NOT hahaha because i have yet to try the roasted chicken. and i don't mind having the pizza and gelato again hehehe
just a piece of unsolicited advice for those who like avenetto, italliani's, napoli, and the other "italian" restos and think that the pasta in these restos are good - just dump these restos and go to AMICI. you'll get your money's worth, and the food is so many times better. after Amici (and Galileo) you won't go back to these restos who claim they serve italian pasta.
of course, if you have more money and love pasta and great ambiance, Galileo Enoteca is the place to go. :) but for cheap, fun pizza, pasta, gelato place - AMICI!