“Calamari Ripieni… Zuppa Rustica… Fruti di mare pizza… Abbondanza Pizzeria Ristorante”

As a lover of Italian food and squid, I was ecstatic when I first heard from my longest running friend, Sophia Lee, that their family would be part owners of a soon to be opened Italian Restaurant. After three years, Abbondanza Pizzeria Ristorante has always been my choice for excellent no non-sense Italian food, just like they do in Italy.

To state the obvious, my top three favorites at Abbondanza are:

Calamari Ripieni - Stuffed Squid Rings packed with squid stuffing, added with herbs and spices to taste, covered with red sauce. Although I am biased with squid dishes (as I think squid is the most awesome thing to enter my mouth), the stuffing intrigued me that I even asked my friend’s mom what else was mixed with it, when I would usually just gobble up the squid. I can tell you hands down, that it is the only squid dish that I eat slowly.

Zuppa Rustica – My favorite soup in their menu! I had the chance to try it before they introduced it to their menu and it blew me away (literally!). Honestly, I have never tried anything like it before. Porcini mushrooms, Arborio rice, parmesan cheese and chili pepper makes this an instant hit best eaten during a rainy day or a "I don't feel like sharing my food" day.

Fruti di Mare Pizza – My choice of pizza topped with generously served Squid, Shrimps, Mussels and Tuna. A must for seafood lovers, and may I say, I can finish a whole 12-inch by myself in one seating (but only if alone and feeling selfish).

A couple of weeks ago, me and some friends were fortunate enough to be given a chance to sample some of their dishes after opening a branch at SM Mall of Asia. The servers greeted us with enthusiasm and my good friend Candie was asked by my friend’s dad , Tito Donn, if she wanted to try to make her own pizza. Ofcourse, Candie did not pass up the chance and decided to make her own Al Quattro Formaggi (Four Cheese) Pizza.

(Candie as if looking inside a candy store…)

(Candie making sure the dough can hold all the cheese she’s planning to put on her very own Al Quattro Formaggi)

We were then served with several other dishes such as Risotto con Osso Buco (A must-try for first time visitors), Pollo Arrosto (Roasted Italian chicken for health-conscious eaters), Salsice al Vino Biance with Baked Potatoes (Flavorful Italian Sausage served with baked cheese potatoes that I would care to finish) and ofcourse, the almighty Abbondanza Pizza (27-inch thin crust pizza and your choice of up to four flavors. I can also finish this by myself in one seating.)

(Risotto con Osso Buco)

(Pollo Arrosto)

(Salsice al Vino Biance with Baked Potatoes)

(The Abbondanza Pizza)

And to top of the night… what would an Italian meal be without a proper dessert!

(Tiramisu, Crema Catalana and Panna Cotta)

So if you find yourself in SM Mall of Asia, head to Abbondanza and look for Tita Ginn or Tito Donn, tell them Zara sent you.

Abbondanza Pizzeria Ristorante is located at 2/F Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia fronting San Miguel by the Bay with operating hours of 11:00 am to 9:00 pm, Monday to Friday, and 11:00 am to 10:30 pm, Saturday to Sunday.

* As of this writing, Abbondanza has decided to move their branch at Pasig City to SM Megamall.