Abbondanza Bonanza!

We were incredibly stuffed the other night when we were invited to go and have a taste test at the Abbondanza Pizzeria Ristorante. It is located in the Entertainmant Mall of the Mall of Asia, across the San Miguel by the Bay.


I actually know the family that owns Abbondanza Pizzeria, they are not Italians but they sure serve food like one! Tito Donn and Tita Ginn were so gracious, taking care of us as if we were in their home. It’s a good feel inside the restaurant, because you don’t feel like eating in a fast food or somewhere that just serves food because it’s a business. They serve food because they want to serve you good food and genuinely wants you to have a good time. It is a good mesh of Filipino hospitality and great Italian food!

Now to talk about the food:

We were served 2 kinds of soup, Minestrone (P120) and Zuppa Rustica (P120). Minestrone you would probably be more familiar, stewed tomato vegetable soup which had very comforting taste; and Zuppa Rustica,a mushroom broth with spinach and more mushrooms, yum! Both soup were very flavourful, a tad bit salty for my taste, but they make everything from scratch so you can make them adjust according to your palette.


THEN! we were served to try the Abbondanza Pizza. This gigantic oblong pizza (around 27” in length!!!) with 4 different flavours for you to choose from. Thin, baked to perfection crispy crust and generous amount of cheese and flavour! The size of pizza is really true to their tag line: "for the Big Italian Appetite!" This is a great way for you to try different flavours to find out which one is your favourite or you come and eat as a group and couldn't decide which pizza to get!


Speaking of favourite, my favourite pizza of all time is the QUATTRO FORMAGGI! 4 kinds of cheese on top of each other, melting on the crispy thin crust and it was heaven in a pie! What made this pizza even greater than it already is is the fact that I made it! This summer, on weekends between the hours of 2-5PM, they open their kitchen to kids who wants to try making their own pizza! Last night, the owners were gracious enough not only to adjust the time that the kitchen is open but also the age bracket! Haha



We thought that was it, after 2 pizzas, we’re off to dessert, but nooooo! Next up was the Pollo Arrosto (P280) chicken roasted was so tender then simmered with tomato sauce.


Then came Salsicce al Vino Biance with Creamed Baked Potatoes (P280). I think the sausage may not be something I’d look for, because I’m more of the sweet Chinese-style sausage, but I think this is great with wine. The baked potato on the other hand, is another story. Soft sliced baked potato topped with melted cheese… how can you go wrong? I’ve actually sworn off potato for years now, but I eat it once in a while when it’s worth it, and this was EVIL.


By the time Calamari Ripieni (P280) came out, I was just full, I tried a piece of it and it had a very interesting texture. The middle of the squid was this yam-like (like the Taro Puff) consistency that I had a hard time deciphering what it was, but it was actually ground squid and its caviar stuffed back into the squid then stewed in tomato. YUM for squid lovers!


We thought, oh what a great night, great food, then BAM! Risottos came along!

First, the classic Risotto al Funghi Porcini (P260) the rice was al dente (is rich and creamy but still with some resistance or bite) and they did not binge on the mushrooms! I <3 mushrooms. Even though I was already full, I could not resist “tasting” it one spoonful after the other. It’s the last dish anyway… no!

Then Risotto con Osso Buco (P300), this was probably one of my favourite dishes next to my Quattro Formaggi. In Filipino, we call it UTAK or brain, and it was cholesterol fest! beef bulalo (bone marrow!) in tomato sauce and cheesy risotto… *sniff* (‘nuff said!)

Then, Quattro Formaggi Risotto….rice…cheese…cheese…cheese…cheese… by this time, I’ve already stuffed myself to death but I just HAD to eat this. I wasn’t wearing spandex pants so I had to unbutton my jeans just to fit a few more spoonfuls of this cheese heaven. Evil.


To top it all off, of course, there was dessert. All three of them! The tiramisu (P125) was good, it’s good to balance your palette after eating so many flavourful dishes, it was very moist and soft. Tiramisu is a tricky dessert to execute to get the perfect flavour, this one was okay but not the best I’ve ever tasted. The panna cotta (P95) was delish! Especially the fresh berries that looked like caviar, I love the contrast of the creamy panna cotta with the textured berries. As for the Crema Catalana(P95) is just like your regular leche flan but it was presented like a crème brulee with the sugar crust, it wasn’t sweet enough for my taste by the texture was very creamy.


All in all, it was great experience! It is a great place to spend time with your family and friends because it has great food while catching up.

“One of the delights of life is eating with friends, second to that is talking about eating. And, for an unsurpassed double whammy, there is talking about eating while you are eating with friends.”

Check out their eat-all-you-can pizza promo OR eat-all-you-can pasta @ 250/head includes bottomless drinks!


















ABBONDANZA PIZZERIA RISTORANTE
http://abbondanzarestaurant.multiply.com/

Ground Floor of The Crescent Condominium, Amethyst Drive, Ortigas
Store hours: 11am-9pm, Sundays-Thursdays and
11am-10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
DELIVERY: 6336336 (nearby areas only)

2/F Entertainment Mall, Mall of Asia, Pasay
Store hours: 10am-10pm