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  • napoli pizzeria ristorante

    Posted on October 8th, 2010 newes 2 comments
    exterior of napoli

    exterior of napoli

    Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante the name of the restaurant itself entailed that it offers Italian food.  True to it’s name, there were variety of pasta and pizza to choose from.   We visited their SM the Block branch, where most of their seats were placed outside the restaurant rather than inside the restaurant.  With the number of diners,  good thing they can still accommodate us inside the restaurant where we can have our privacy.

    wall designs of napoli

    wall designs of napoli

    another wall design of napoli

    another wall design of napoli

    Their interior wall design of the restaurant.

    oil and garlic pasta with seafood

    oil and garlic pasta with seafood

    For pasta, we had Oil and Garlic Pasta with Seafood.  It was served with generous seafood, and flavorful olive oil and herbs and garlic, and comes with freshly baked garlic bread.  At the price of P210.00.  A rating of 5/5.

    bacon cheeseburger pizza

    bacon cheeseburger pizza

    For pizza, you can have it in two flavors.   We had Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza price depends on the size with choices of per slice P65.00, 10 inches for the price of P175.00, 14 inches for the price of P270.00, 16inches for the price of P345.00.   If you’re a meatlover you’ll surely enjoy this for the bacon was truly crunchy and was cooked to perfection.  A rating of 4/5.

    new york pizza

    new york pizza

    And the other half of the pizza was New York Pizza at the price of per slice is P80.00, if 10 inches at the price of P205.00, if 14 inches at the price of P330.00, if 16 inches at the price of P450.00.  They used fresh bell pepper and onions and has a sweet taste for it was cooked at the right temperature.  As the picture speaks, it was full of toppings we were happy that we chose Napoli to dine.  A rating of 5/5.

    Overall, I give the rating of 4/5 for the service, 3/5 for the ambiance and 5/5 for the food.

    Branches:

    1.  Timog, Tomas Morato Quezon City.  Tel. No.925-9224.

    2.  SM City North EDSA, The Block Quezon City.  Tel. No. 442-0392.

    3.  SM City Fairview, Upper Ground Floor Quirino Ave. cor. Regalado St. Greater Lagro Quezon City.  Tel. No.939-5556.

    NOTE:   If you dine at Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.

  • spiral

    Posted on February 15th, 2010 newes 1 comment

    spiral

    It had been an eventful day for us, for we had the privilege to dine at the most sought out buffet in Manila at the Spiral by Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila located at CCP Complex Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.

    spiral staircase

    Upon entrance we were enthralled by the spiral staircase paired with the spiral steel design, underneath that spiral steel design was a mini fountain that gave the interior of the dining area a different ambiance.  It’s as if serenity is what the ambiance entails.

    ambiance

    ambiance

    A very serene place to dine, space is not an issue, for the dining area was huge and spacious.  Your choice where will you be seated as long as you make an early reservation or if the area is available.  May it be by the window where al fresco area, children’s play area and swimming pool are viewable, or you may opt to be near their different cuisines section such as the Korean cuisine wherein round tables were available, or by the Japanese cuisine section, or beside the mini-fountain at the center of the dining area.

    seafood section

    seafood section

    other side of the seafood section

    other side of seafood section

    Their seafood section has shrimp, oysters, mussels and crabs all unlimited.  I was amazed as how each seafood were presented.  You can eat it cold or you can request for it to be baked or cooked with your choice of garnish.  I had my shrimps sauteed in butter and garlic, and ask them to fry the crab.  Shrimps were still delectable in it’s form even I have it sauteed again, but the crabs were disappointing.  I was excited that I can eat only the crab pincer but was disappointed that the meat became too dry.

    wine and cheese section

    wine and cheese section

    Start of what they call the Mediterranean Cuisine Section.  Choices of different wine, cheese, dip and different whole wheat biscuits were available in this section.

    salad section

    salad section

    Part of Mediterranean Cuisine Section are different approach to  salad.  You can have it the create-your-own-salad, or you can choose among the prepared one such as the combination of  Pomelo Orange Cranberries Salad, i find the combination bitter to my taste.  Their  Shrimp Orange Salad is a great tasting combination, for shrimp used was fresh and the orange was sweet and juicy, and there’s a  whole lot more of choices that I haven’t got the chance to take note of.

    bread section

    bread section

    Another part of the Mediterranean Cuisine Section was the different kinds of bread, pizza, and pasta.  You can ask their chef to cook you a pasta according to your preference of ingredients and sauce to use.  It was exciting but warn you carbo load can bloat you immediately.  I have tasted their cheese pizza it was delectable.  I thought it would taste bland for theirs was thin crust, but to my amazement it was tasty and flavorful.

    mediterranean food section

    mediterranean food section

    Another part of the Mediterranean Cuisine Section was the paella,  and chicken shawarma station.  Paella was okay but was not something that you would crave for again, while Chicken Shawarma was something!  I thought it will be just a typical taste of shawarma, but it was not!  Chicken was very tasty it has been marinated way before it was placed at the shawarma machine.

    cold japanese section

    cold japanese

    cold japanese section

    cold japanese

    In Spiral, their Cold Japanese was part of the Mediterranean Section.  I noticed number of guests were in line for this section, and surprisingly, Chefs assigned managed this station to be well-stocked.

    japanese food section

    japanese food section

    Now, their Hot Japanese Cuisine Section was separated from the Cold Japanese for the latter was part of the Mediterranean Cuisine Section.   This section carried the ever-famous Prawn Tempura, Yakisoba, Miso Soup, Lapu-lapu fillet on a sticky rice, mini scallops and a whole lot more!  It was really too many dishes to mention.  I like the freshness of every dishes served.

    indian cuisine section

    indian cuisine section

    international cuisine section

    international cuisine section

    International Cuisine Section was the home for their Prime Ribs, and Roasted Chicken that’s really worth visiting.

    chinese food section

    chinese cuisine section

    Chinese Cuisine Section, where the famous mango-sago dessert was a hit! It was refreshing!  Dimsum, Noodles, Beef, Fish all cooked in chinese style was superb.

    korean food section

    korean cuisine section

    Their Korean Cuisine Section was where the Peking Duck stationed.  It was juicy but the skin of the Peking Duck was not crunchy as it should be anymore.

    pastries and sweets

    pastries and sweets

    They’ve got tons and tons of pastries and sweets to name a few were Sugar-free strawberry panna cotta, sugar-free chocolate panna cotta, creme brulee, mocha brulee and other pastries that one couldn’t imagine that they can eat and taste it here all in Spiral.

    fruit, chocolate fountain

    fruit, chocolate fountain

    Some fruit in season were available such as Dragon Fruit, Mangosteen, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Mango, Star Apple and Orange.   White and Dark Chocolate Fountain were also available where some skewered fruit and marshmallows were already prepared.

    crepes, churros, halo-halo

    crepes, churros, cookies, halo-halo

    Crepes with your choice of fruit and toppings , Baked Cookies, Churros, and Halo-halo were all in these section.  I can vouch for the crepes that it was good but was only disappointed as how it was prepared.  It was not as perfect as I have expected.  Baked cookies were on a bland side, Churros as expected was oily but delectable partnered with melted chocolate.   Halo-halo was still a hit eversince I have visited Spiral up until now.

    ice cream

    ice cream

    What’s a dessert without Ice Cream in tow?  Their Pistachos was superb! And has been the most favorite of the guests.  You can have as many scoops as you want with your choice of toppings of cereal, choco chips, and/or grated almonds.

    For the price of P1927.00 net of tax and service charge per head,  if you don’t have their Accor Advantage Plus card or for the price of P1927.00 for two persons if with mentioned membership card.  There was a complimentary coffee and tea for the said amount.

    All in all it was a very hearty meal.  I give 5/5 for the ambiance, 4/5 for the service, 4/5 for the price and 5/5 for the food.

    NOTE:   If you dine at Spiral, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.

  • california pizza kitchen

    Posted on March 20th, 2009 lewis 6 comments

     

    california pizza kitchen

    california pizza kitchen

    Being a fan of pizza and pasta, my family and I recently visited California Pizza Kitchen or CPK at Shang-rila Mall at Mandaluyong City. I’ve been to different branches of CPK already (Trinoma Mall Quezon City which came from Tomas Morato, Greenhills San Juan. and Glorietta in Makati) but i like the Shang-rila branch best because i find it very spacious. CPK has been around in the Philippines for some period of time already. The name speaks for itself, they serve Pizza’s and Pasta with appetizers like salads and spring rolls and pastries for dessert. Not much change was made to their menu except for some new added dishes with filipino twist. 

    I find the restaurant very clean and spacious. Carpeted flooring with a very good lighting and cold aircon, the place is very suitable for a romantic date or a family dine out. Upon seeing the restaurant, it brings you a level of prestige and a feeling of fine dining.

     

    california pizza kitchen kitchen ambiance

    california pizza kitchen kitchen ambiance

    To start our meal, we had a Chinese Chicken Salad for appetizer. It is composed of chopped lettuce, carrots, chunks of chicken, sesame seeds, chopped onion grass and some chinese sauce. It is also mixed with some crunchy fried chopped noodle. Wow, this dish is really an appetizer, you can truly taste the sweetness of the sauce. The chopped vegetables are prepared in a way that is really crunchy and tasty, vegetables used are really fresh, however the chicken pieces are too thick, making it dry and hard for oldtimers to eat them.  Size Choices: Half - P265.00, Whole - P 395.00.

     

    chinese chicken salad

    chinese chicken salad

     

     

    For Soup, we had Clam Chowder. I like the texture of the soup being very creamy, with some potato cubes in it. By tasting the soup, you can say that real clams have been used for the broth as it leaves that distinct clam taste on your tongue. You’ll get the feeling that you want more after finishing a bowl.  Serving Choices of Bowl for the price of P295.00 or Cup for the price of P145.00.

     

    clam chowder

    clam chowder

    For the main dish, we had a Fettucine in Garlic Cream Sauce with Chicken. Another variation for this dish is to include Shrimps instead of chicken. You can also get this dish in plain pasta with no chicken and shrimp. I really love this dish because of the taste of garlic. Pasta is cooked Al-dente and the size of the chicken chunk is just right. The dish is really creamy and tasty, best of all it is not too oily. The serving size is just right since taking too much of this dish will bloat you easily due to heavy cream.  Serving Choices:  Whole for the price of P365.00, Half for the price of P225.00.

     If you want it with chicken- whole P445.00, half - P265.00, with shrimp- whole  P675.00, half - P375.00, or with sauteed mushrooms - whole  P445.00, half - P275.00.

     

    fettuccine with garlic cream sauce

    fettuccine with garlic cream sauce

     

     

    Finally we had a Adobo Chicken Pizza.  Based on its name,  this dish is inspired by the filipino dish Chicken Adobo.  The taste of this pizza is overwhelming. It is indeed adobo in pizza format. You can taste the sweetness and sourrness of the adobo sauce just right to the taste replacing the typical tomato sauce for the ordinary pizza while retaining the mozarella cheese keeping the nature of a good pizza. You can also feel the crunchy onions and bell pepper and the good smell of whole black pepper with every taste. Making you want to order another one to take home.

     

    adobo chicken pizza

    adobo chicken pizza

     

     

    For drinks, we had a bottomless ice tea, lemon and raspberry flavor. I’m telling you, the ice tea was so good especially the lemon flavor, you won’t stop filling yourself with it.

    The crew was great and the Manager was very accomodating. Over-all, I give 5/5 for this restaurant specially for this branch, for the food, the service and the place. 2 Thumbs up for CPK Shang-rila.

    California Pizza Kitchen (Philippines) branches:

    1. 2/F  Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Edsa cor. Shaw Blvdo Mandaluyong City Tel. No. 6877841 / 42

    2. 2/F  Alabang Town Center Activity Center, Alabang-Zapote Road Muntinlupa City  Tel. No. 8505771

    3.  3rd Level Trinoma Mall Edsa cor. North Ave. Quezon City  Tel. No. 9013881

    4.    G/F Promenade, Missouri st.  Greenhills Shopping Center San Juan, Metro Manila Tel. No. 7257377

    5.  1/F Glorietta 3, Ayala Ave. cor. Pasay Road, Ayala Center Makati City  Tel. No. 8672116

    6.  Greenbelt 5, Makati City Tel. No. 4017160

    NOTE:   If you dine at California Pizza Kitchen, please let them know that you saw the review from MetroRestoReview.com.