a mano: Mind-blowing 4-Cheese Pizza
a mano effortlessly draws in a full house mainly because it’s one of the newer restaurants in the Powerplant Mall, and the fact that it’s owned by the son of beloved chef/restaurateur, Margarita Fores. Amado Fores doesn’t stray away from his mom’s penchant for Italian cuisine as seen in the restaurant’s serious dedication in serving a handful of classic Italian dishes.
As a testament to their passion, you’d find your eyes transfixed to two main fixtures upon entry: its open fresh pasta-making area: which affords you a glimpse of their chefs hand-crafting pastas of varying shapes and sizes, and its gorgeous Valoriani oven, which consistently churns out gorgeously charred pizzas.
POLPETTE DI MARGHI (P480)
We started off with the Polpette di Marghi; mainly because we were sold on its description, which plainly read “Margherita’s Meatballs”, which definitely made expectations sky-rocket. We were served with a gorgeous skillet of meatballs smothered with a brightly-hued and chunky tomato sauce. Unfortunately, the tomato sauce lacked the ‘tangy punch’ that I look for in anything that comes with a tomato-base. I still prefer Va Bene’s take on Italian Meatballs, even though its sauce can get a bit too runny for my liking as it’s one that you’d want to scrape clean until the very last bit!
RAGU (P490)
a mano’s menu is relatively condensed, but settling on one pasta dish was excruciatingly difficult. In the end, we opted for the Ragu, which was served with freshly made tagliatelle, Bolognese, and Parmigiano Reggiano. It was a hearty dish; obviously, comprised of premium ingredients; but I was expecting to be blown away by it and wasn't. It was good, but I found myself comparing it to Prologue’s friendlier-priced Ragu pasta; and preferring the latter.
4 FORMAGGI (P550)
Service was amazing from start to end; and its fresh pasta-making station was definitely a sight for the eyes; however, I couldn’t understand the fervor behind a mano. It was good, but it was not spectacular. That was my view up until I had a bite of their 4 Formaggi pizza. It took a while to be served, but it was served fresh and piping hot from the Valoriani oven. A beautiful mixture of buffalo Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Emmenthal and Parmigiano Reggiano makes up their insanely delicious 4-Formaggi pizza. Two Seasons Boracay’s barLO will always be a favorite; but I never really got the buzz behind its 4-Cheese Pizza. a mano’s offering easily knocks it off the park. Its gooey cheese topping was as creamy as it was delicious, while its crust offered a nice between chewy and crunchy.
a mano
Date of Visit: January 26, 2020 with Lily Chua and Jem Chua
Lopez Drive, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell, Makati City
