Amici

Friends in italian, it's also a nondescript cafeteria (literally) near Don Bosco which serves some of the best pasta and pizza in the city. One would expect no less since the restaurant is run by Salesians of Don Bosco. The restaurant uses mostly imported ingredients from the homeland, thus, food is wonderfully authentic.

For first time visitors, the set up in the restaurant can be a bit confusing. The pasta station is located in the newly built extension (if you are entering from the Pasay Road entrance, this is what you see first). The pizza station used to be a window on the side, near where the pizza ovens are located; but I think they have since relocated the order-taking to the gelato/beverage bar.

Amici makes its own gelato or Italian ice cream (I must admit, when I first started going to the restaurant, the ice cream was the big thing; there was no pizza or pasta station, only the regular cafeteria fare which is still being served today). Wonderfully inexpensive (at least when compared against other gelaterias), the ice cream has a smooth, milky texture; my personal favorites are the strawberry, chocolate chip, hazelnut, and blueberry. Amici also has a scooping station across the street in the new Waltermart along Pasong Tamo.

Parking is non-existent; we usually park at the church or across the street in Makati Cinema Square (or MCS to rabid collectors of less than authentic DVDs). The proximity of the two does make for a rather pleasant lunchbreak.

Java Man

One of the nicest places to eat in Makati is Java Man in Powerbooks Greenbelt. Anyone who is a foodie and bibliophile, the cafe would be the closest thing to heaven on earth.

The restaurant serves the usual pasta and sandwich fare; but prices are reasonable and portions are large. The panini and the wraps are quite good (particularly the three cheese panini, the spanish sardines panini and the mediterrean shrimp wrap). Seating is a bit of a problem if you get there at the start of the lunchtime rush, but the crowd thins quickly.

Oh, coffee is good too.

Just Desserts

I love desserts. No meal is complete without some sugar. In fact, I gauge how good any buffet is by the quality and variety of the dessert offered. Nothing can do more to ruin a meal than lousy desserts.

I tend not to like chocolate based desserts. I'd eat the stuff; but if you give me a choice between any chocolate dessert and a cream puff, I'd pick the puff.

I do like fruit desserts; particularly apple pie, which has been a long-time favorite. Which brings us to the rational for this post; I can't seem to find a pie I like. I've tried the Sugarhouse version; it's okay but not what I'm looking for. I want the American (as opposed to the "French") version; basically, a butter-rich double crust pie with lots of apples, flavored with cinnamon, sugar, butter, and good vanilla. If anyone can point me to such a pie, I would be eternally grateful.

Bollywood

Stumbled onto Bollywood in Greenbelt 3 on one of my walkabouts in that most customer-unfriendly mall. Bollywood is the new Indian restaurant owned/operated by the LJC group (its about time that a new restaurant, any new restaurant opened in the Greenbelt mall; unfortunately, the restaurants in Greenbelt have generally not aged well).

The restaurant has a lunchtime buffet which we tried. The selection was quite good; there were a few that were quite spicy but my lunchmate claims that the heat had been tempered for the Filipino palate. I loved the nan bread, and the chicken masala (which was mild); thumbs up also for the lamb and the vegetable dishes.

A word of warning, though, the immense quantity and the mix of spices may wreak havoc on your digestive system; with potentially disastrous results. I believe this is a result of a lack of acclimatization, which can be remedied by repeated visits to this and similar establishments.

Pricing is a bit high, P395+. Coffee and drinks are not included.