Amici started as a humble canteen put up by Fr. Gianluigi Colombo, a Salesian Italian priest in charge of overseeing the operations of the Don Bosco Makati Printing Press. During lunch break, he noticed that employees had to leave the premises, so he put up a canteen serving Italian coffee and gelato, as well as wood-fired baked pizza and homemade pasta. In 2001, Amici di Don Bosco (meaning, "Friends of Don Bosco") was established as a business that also serves the dining needs of the students studying in Don Bosco. Word of mouth about the great tasting, authentic, and affordable Italian food spread, and soon people flock to the Hole-in-the-Wall store in Makati just to taste what Amici di Don Bosco has to offer.
In 2007, Danny Moran planned to open a business and thought about opening a gelato place. A meeting with the priests made him learn about Amici di Don Bosco, and a few meetings after, he took over the business, with the promise of partnering the food business with the Tuloy Foundation.
Today, Amici has eight establishments, one located at the Venice Piazza in McKinley Hill - Bonifacio Global City.
I love the homey ambiance of the restaurant! Decorations look posh, but I personally love the mis-matched chairs. To give the impression that the restaurant is an extension of our own home, the owners included framed pictures - which are their own personal pictures.
Amici is celebrating their sixth anniversary this week by offering ten new dishes - two of which I shared yesterday (please check my other post).
Mediterranean Blue Cheese and Walnut Salad
At first, I was apprehensive in trying this one. With ingredients having different flavors - bitter arugula leaves, tangy sweet grapes, sweet candied walnuts, and the blue cheese - I didn't know how the flavors would blend, but it did taste good! I loved how the flavors fight each other, and the red wine vinaigrette binding the ingredients together just made it such a unique salad.
Asian Chicken Salad
I did like the other salad, but if I have to make a choice between the two salad servings, I would choose this, maybe because I love that slightly tangy flavor in my salad. It was lip-smacking good, and the fried wonton strips provide more crunchy texture.
Prosciutto & Artichoke Cream Cheese Pizza Roll
Unlike the panniza, this one is already rolled and cut too pieces when served. The artichoke cream cuts the strong flavor of the prosciutto, while the reduced balsamic vinegar drizzled at the top provided an interesting kick in the flavors.
Prosciutto Portobello Pizza Roll
I wasn't able to taste this (wasn't served at our table), so I cannot make a comment about it, but this pizza roll contains prosciutto, portobello mushrooms, cream cheese, and arugula... served with roasted garlic dip.
Garlic Chorizo Spaghetti
I love oil based spaghetti, and the aglio olio has got to be my favorite! I was so happy when this was served, but I found it a little salty for my taste.
Penne Rosa & Bacon
A combination of pomodoro and bechamel sauces were enough to make this a winner for me. Adding bacon and mushroom to the mix, it was one of the nicest pasta dishes I have tasted.
Pork Marsala
Such a tasty dish - I loved that the pork was cut thinly and rolled with ham and cheese, making it easy to eat. The reduce marsala wine was a little overpowering, but I liked it.
Chicken Parmigiana
The chicken in the image looked dry, but in reality it was tender and juicy. The contrast between the crunchy breading and the juicy chicken meat combined with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce made this dish my overall favorite among the dishes I tasted.
Amici offers desserts, but to complete the Italian fare, we were served gelato! We were given three flavors to choose from - Sans Rival, Ferrero, and Pistachio, and we decided to get one of each so we could taste and compare. What I loved about their gelato was that it tasted the same as what the flavor was. Sure it was cold and had the ice cream feel in the mouth, but if you are to eat a Ferrero Rocher chocolate and have a taste of the Ferrero gelato after... you wouldn't taste the difference in the flavor.
Amici is all about celebrating good food and good friendships, as well as good family ties. If you fancy to eat some Italian cuisine, please do visit one of their eight branches - Don Bosco, Tomas Morato, SM Megamall, Greenhills, Alabang Town Center, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Venice Piazza, and UP Ayala Technohub.
I come from a family who loves cooking and eating. I never had any formal training in cooking and that I taught myself how to cook based on the handed down recipes, but I could say that I can cook good food. In 2008, I started documenting my food trips for my