Aldous ate the World

The first thing that impressed me at Abuela's is the presentation of their food. Their servings are in long horizontal plates so you know right away they're good for 2 to 3 persons. If the prices on the menu turn you off, it's because they're good for sharing or for one hungry me.

First, we had Abuela's Chicken Wings. Due to all the red chili pepper all around it, I thought it was spicy. Good thing it wasn't! Not only is it very crunchy, it's also very tasty. I couldn't have asked for a better dish to start this dinner. Yummy!



I'm actually a fan of Bone Marrow due to how tasty it is due to all the fats. You can only imagine my reaction when I found out jam was also added to the mix. How delightful that was. It proves that you can make something really good if you mix the right ingredients and this dish is a good example of that.


One bite of Kilawin and you'll come to the conclusion that you're eating fresh seafood. That's because yes you are! It's freshly caught seafood of the day with coconut milk on top. It's great to eat this without the feeling of eating by the sea.



One of the newest items on the menu of Abuela's is Laswa. While the name won't delight you, I guarantee the taste will. It's a genuine mixture of seafood and vegetables so it's very healthy too.



Out of all the dishes served to us, the Bagnet w/ Thai Sauce was without a doubt my favorite. I kept on getting one after another as I forgot I had to share it with other people. Yep, it was that good. It was definitely cooked the way bagnet is supposed to be cooked and that's crunchy and yummy.



The beef in the Mechado is so tender that it melts in your mouth. The best part about this dish for me is the sauce. It's the type that you can mix it with rice alone. 



I'm a big fan of Laing so I was pretty curious how this one tasted. This one has a generous mixture of fish and crab with coconut milk. I have to say it exceeded my expectations.



I don't know who Jojo is but I give his Curry Prawns two thumbs up. I loved the idea of putting crab fat sauce on top of it too. One bite of it and you'll quickly realize you're going to get addicted to it. I know I did.






Both desserts were pretty good! They both had the right amount of sweetness in them. I had one slice and they were both gone before I could have another. Needless to say, everyone saved enough room for dessert or it was that good. I'd say it was both!

When I come back to Makati (happens more often than I think), I'll definitely come back here. Good food, great ambiance, excellent service and of course magnificent presentation! What more could you ask for?

A lot has happened since my last visit to Nonna's Pasta & Pizzeria. Since then, they've launched a bunch of new items on their menu and I was lucky enough to try them all. To the surprise of nobody, they were all quite good!



If there was ever a socialite's appetizer, this would be it. It certainly has first-class written all over it. It's also great how chunks of tomatoes were put on top all those mussels and clams.



I never thought arugula and burrata made for such a good combination. I highly recommend this one to those who are addicted to greens.I also loved the nuts spread throughout the salad.


Nonna's version of Hawaiian Pizza is different from the one we're all used to. For one, they use freshly sliced pineapples on this pizza. Also, it includes a whole lot more including prosciutto, bell peppers and pomodoro. Yes, it's a much-improved version.



I never thought I'd see the day I would see smoked salmon and caviar on top of a pizza crust but here we are. I have to give my shout out to the chef for coming up with this recipe. The taste is pretty impressive too.



The dish that impressed me the most is the Salted Egg Tagliatelle. I don't think I've ever seen a salted egg pasta dish before and this one takes the cake as far as taste is concerned. In fact, it's so good that I'm expecting other restaurants to come up with their own version pretty soon.





I loved the creamy sauce on top of the Radiatori Chorizo & Mussels. The extremely rich flavor is one of the major reasons that will make me order this again.



Seafood lovers will absolutely love the Seafood Al Nero! Just remember your teeth will be colored black after eating it though since it's squid ink pasta. Top it off with freshly cooked seafood and you have something you'll recommend to your friends.



Wow, talk about a game changer! Perhaps, the best pizza I have ever tasted is Nonna's Special Pizza. Yes, don't even think twice about ordering it. This masterpiece contains burrata and mozzarella with Pomodoro and basil cream on top. I personally loved every bit of it.



Last but certainly not the least, we ended our dinner with their Lemon Maringue Sandwich. Well, what can I say about this gem? It's definitely the perfect dessert to end such a great Italian dinner.

Having sampled all of that, I'm really glad Nonna's opened a branch that's close to home. I can't wait to try their other new dishes. Given the quality of their food, I'm sure they'll be all worth it.