SERIOUS DOUGH : SERIOUSLY GOOD PIZZA

It's been called "the perfect food".

Perfect because it has all the major nutrients,

the major food groups, all in one convenient circle.

Carbohydrates from the dough, obviously.

Vegetables in the form of tomato sauce.

Proteins from the meaty toppings.

Dairy? The cheese of course!

Pizza's been a Pinoy staple for over half a century.

My dad remembered Di Marks from the 1960s,

perhaps the pioneer pizza restaurant in the Philippines.

In the mid-'70s, Shakey's opened its doors

and made generations fall in love with thin crust.

Shakey's started a "Pizza Parlor" trend that's never ended.



Pizza Hut taught us the stoner convenience of deliveries, and

Yellow Cab, which I first thought was a foreign franchise,

proved that Filipinos had mastered the game.

Gino's Brick Oven 

introduced us to Neapolitan-style pizzas,

blasted in 800-degree ovens for a few short minutes,

giving the classic pizzas their unmistakable charred crust.

And just a few months ago, 

a hole-in-the-wall in Century City's Hole in the Wall,

that new millennium elevated version of our childhood food courts, 

started baking pies that have now gained a reputation

as the "best crust ever", and perhaps, the best damn
New York-style pizza in our pizza-crazy country.

Welcome to the singular greatness of

SERIOUS DOUGH!

'

Mushroom Spinach Ricotta

Four Cheese

Pepperoni

The slices are humongous.
The toppings, stupendous.

The crust, well...

the sign below doesn't lie. 

For me, these are the best value-for-money slices available.

And they're so f*ckin' great, I make excuses to pass by Kalayaan

in Makati just to pass by Century City, and say to myself:

"F*ck it, I'm already here. Why not grab a slice?"

They're that f*ckin' perfect.

I WANT YOU TO BURN . . . BURN FOR ME BABY!!!

Manila's Brand New Artisanal Ice Cream Parlor

is now open on Bonifacio High Street.

A very Canadian

Bacon Maple 

on top, ey?

And right below?

My favorite new flavor of the year,
it's quite odd, but it sure tastes amazing:

HEINZ KETCHUP & MAYONNAISE!!!

So how does that taste?

The mayo gives the ice cream extra creaminess...

a silkier texture, and a tiny tang.

The ketchup doesn't come off as savory;

instead, the tomato's fruitiness comes through.

I'd love to put a scoop of this between 

two slices of wheat bread, actually!

Freezer Burn is from the same cool kids 

behind my favorite bespoke cookie shop in

 Century City's Hole in the Wall, "Scout's Honor":


Chef Miko Aspiras,

Chef Kristine Lotilla,

and
Innovator Charles Paw.

You know I love what you three keep on coming up with,

but I have just one request for you three to consider:

for their second branches?

Freezer Burn and Scout's Honor
should be right next to each other!!!

BUTTER ICE CREAM OMG.

THOSE EYES THOUGH.