Amici (Tomas Morato)

Beloved and I ate at Amici a couple of times over the past couple of months. The first time was dinner on a whim, looking for what's open. Amici happened to sound satisfying as I was craving pizza that day, and so we went.

For those who don't know, this Italian place serves genuine Italian dishes not limited to pasta and pizza. They also carry risotto, isalata, zuppa, and their own gelato brand among other house specialties, or il favorito dela casa. I wanted to try out their Artichoke and Portobello Flatbread Pizza, but they were out. Instead, we settled for their Truffle Mushroom Pizza (435 Php). Because it felt like it wouldn't satisfy the two of us, we also got their Mediterranean Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad (205 Php) from their selection of insalata. Finally, Beloved ordered their Cafe Mocha (125 Php) because she wanted to.

Domo - Unlimited Tuna Sashimi (Tomas Morato)

Beloved and I had dinner at Domo a few weeks ago. We've been here before and we actually had quite a pleasant experience. The reason we're revisiting was because a week before, we learned that they offered a promotion. We already knew they offer unlimited tuna sashimi, but now, they're offering at a cheaper price. Since we it was now reachable for us compared to before, we decided not to let the chance pass us by.

The cost for this unlimited tuna sashimi, which normally was priced over 1K Php, was priced at 699 Php for this promo. We learn a couple of things: First, this unlimited tuna sashimi promo was different from their usual, more premium unlimited tuna sashimi offering. Second, you can add 100 Php to make this unlimited tuna sashimi promo to a Unlimited Tuna and Salmon Sashimi promo (799 Php). Since we usually like salmon more than tuna, it's an easy addition to spend.

The Sweet Spot (Maginhawa Street)

Beloved and I had dinner at The Sweet Spot a couple of weeks ago. This place is one of the first to lease a newly-opened building near the corner where the police station of UP Teacher's village was. I've passed by this place a couple of times before, and noticed that they didn't really offer only sweet stuff, as anyone sane would assume from the name of the place. In fact, I thought one of their items was interesting. Anyway, because we were feeling adventurous, Beloved and I went.

Their menu was quite small, and we learn that this was more of a bistro or cafe than a full-fledged restaurant. Their dishes have a nice ring to their names and they have a wide array of coffee- or tea-based drinks. I ordered their Honey and Whiskey Glazed Pork Belly (285 Php). Beloved got the menu item that I thought was interesting—their Asahi Fish and Wasabi Chips (220 Php). We also ordered their Truffled Cream of Mushroom Soup (90 Php). For our drinks, I settled for their Matcha Green Tea Mint (190 Php) and Beloved asked for their Iced Mocha (120 Php). Note that we didn't get our receipt until later.

Project Pie (Shaw Boulevard)

Me, Beloved, and Const tried out Project Pie for dinner. This is a hot place for foodies being a build-your-own pizza place. What made it hot was the claim that you can put as much toppings as you could possibly can on their pies, hence the "Project" bit.

It was a bit inaccessible for Beloved and I alone, as we didn't have an auto. But with Const, it was a pretty unmissable place to the right side going southward from EDSA. The place was packed and the queue quite long. It promoted a communal approach where you sit wherever and encourages you to sit with strangers. It was actually more of a hassle for an odd group like us because of the lack of vacant seats.

Anyway, as I mentioned, you can build your own pizza using the toppings they offer to your liking at 285 Php per pie. However, they do also offer numbered menu items with preselected ones at a similar price. I ordered their #5, as it seemed to tickle my fancy. I also built one of my own over a red sauce, complementing the #5's white. I made sure I didn't build a gluttonous mountain of toppings like the person before me, which was sadly possible to ask for in this place. Beloved also made her own pie, and Const ordered one of their preselected ones and also made one of his own. Beloved also ordered their Banana Nutella (145 Php), which was simply a dessert offering over their pie crusts. We also ordered Iced Tea (65 Php) which you fill your own from their different iced tea flavors and comes with a one-time refill.

Brotzeit (Shangri-La Plaza)

Beloved and I had dinner at Brotzeit some weeks ago. This German bar that serves mostly beer but also food opened its doors at EDSA Shangri-La. This place proved to be a popular watering hole for some of the classier crowd. However, we mostly wanted to go here for their authentic German sausages. We were aware of how expensive the place was going to be which was why we held out for quite a while. Since it was Christmas-slash-bonus season, we finally had funds to feel safe trying out the place, and we did.

As we confirmed, most of the people here went for the beer, which they serve a lot of kinds of. Neither Beloved nor I were avid drinkers, and only drank on occasion. And if we did, we usually steered clear of the ale or lagers. Feeling adventurous, we tried the two opposite ends of perhaps their specialty beer, the Paulaner Lager and Paulaner Dark Lager (200 Php for a 0.3 liter glass each). The former is the brand and the latter is the color-slash-type of beer. I'm no expert, but I can decipher as much. Since, perhaps unlike the rest of the crowd, we went here for the food, we ordered two kinds of their sausages. Beloved had their Currywurst (430 Php) and I had their Bockwurst (430 Php). We also ordered an appetizer platter that was called Brotzeit Brot (390 Php), which translates to "Best of Brotzeit".