The pizza restaurant that was voted New York’s Best Pizza in 2009 by New York Times food chief restaurant Frank Bruni is now in Metro Manila—at Greenbelt 3, in Makati, and it opens today (May 19).
The interiors of the 100-seater restaurant is a nice balance of macho and pomp. Black and white is the main theme. Step in and you’ll immediately notice the open kitchen to your left, with its famous wood-brick oven and a glorious metal ceiling that glows gold upon reflecting light from industrial-looking lamps. You’ll notice, too, the chopped wood at the reception.
But the real star is the humble pizza pie.
Foodies who cook would be interested to listen to Chef Mathieu Palombino, Motorino’s Belgian-born, Brooklyn-based chef, who can go on and on about the premium ingredients that go into each and every Motorino pizza—the beautiful extra virgin olive oil he uses, the flour he himself sourced, the wood-fire oven shipped from Napoli.
And then the pizza—the crust, if we’re being specific.
What a beauty. It’s thin but doesn’t break. It’s nice and chewy, so you’re able to taste the different flavors for longer. And there’s a slight char to it, which we find charmingly rustic.
The Brussel Sprouts pizza (PHP795) is a beautiful combination of vegetable and bacon, along with garlic, percorino, and fior di latte, which according to Cyrene dela Rosa of Interaksyon, “is like buffalo mozzarella, but made with fresh cow milk.” The bitter hint from the vegetable and the taste of the bacon are quite the perfect partners.
For the Proscuitto di Parma (PHP695), Motorino went crazy generous with the meat! You almost won’t see the bed of cheese because the pie is covered with proscuitto and arugula. This, we feel, is what will set Motorino’s Proscuitto pizza—where others scrimp on ingredients, theirs overflow.
The meatball pizza is an off-the-menu special because the meatballs are made only upon order. Its freshness glows: delicate balls of ground beef sliced to bite-sized portions sit on top of the tomato sauce so that they aren’t smothered by the sauce, and you can get a whiff of its freshness.
Leave space for the tiramisu (PHP250). It’s a compact little block of soft cream and sponge cake topped with cocoa power that, strangely enough, doesn’t go flat after 20 minutes. You can let it sit, as you first discuss the merits of them pretty pies you’ve just had.
Motorino, 3/F Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati; www.motorinopizza.com/manila, +63 2 7548018. Sun-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri & Sat 11am-11pm.
