I’ve been wanting to try Gino’s pizza at Katipunan for the longest time but I never found the chance to go. It’s funny how I think that Katipunan is so far away when in reality it’s no farther than going to Makati from Greenhills. When I heard they opened a new branch in Salcedo Village in Makati I knew the time to try it was near.
The opportunity came when Instagram acquaintance @thanislim from Brunei contacted me about meeting each other while he was in Manila for a food trip. He also wanted to meet Jin so we decided the meeting place be at Gino’s since we both were Gino’s pizza newbies.
The restaurant was really small so I suggest going really early like 11:30 am or try to get a reservation. We saw group after group leave without getting a table.
This is Thanis and his pretty girlfriend Mary. It was nice to finally meet the guy behind so many scrumptious food pictures.
I wanted to try almost all the pizzas in the brief one page menu but I knew what I wanted to try first and Jin happened to agree with my choices.
Burrata cheese is not so easy to find in Manila’s restaurants because it’s usually imported and expensive. Burrata is mozzarella cheese with mozzarella and cream in the middle. Chef Jutey made his own burrata that’s why he can sell it at such a low price point.
For a local creation it’s not bad at all. It’s less soft and creamy compared to the imported ones I’ve tried. Burrata is basically bland so it’s a good base for adding herbs or other ingredients.
Chef Jutey was so shy yet he came out since he saw the famous Jin and had to say hello.
My favorite pizza was the Bianca Verde P330 (Olive Oil, Garlic, Kesong Puti, Ricotta, Parmesan, Basil, Arugula) because it was so simple and despite having no sauce it was very, very flavorful. It also wasn’t oily like your typical pizza and it’s a little healthier without compromising taste.
The crust was thicker and more bread-y than what I like. Even though their crust wasn’t my favorite the toppings more than made up for it. I prefer a thin and crisp crust.
The combination of creamy and salty cheeses with garlic and basil was just heavenly. The arugula was a good addition to cut the richness of the cheese.
My next favorite was the SMEGG P370 (Homemade Sausage, Mushroom, Egg and Cream). It’s all my favorite ingredients in one pizza. The combination may seem strange but it was really genius. It was like eating a your breakfast in a slice of pizza.
The homemade sausage was quite tasty so it was a good anchor for the rest of the ingredients.
One of their bestsellers was the BOMB P340 (Balsamic Onions, Mozzarella, Mushrooms, Blue Cheese). Chef Jutey said it was his favorite.
I liked it but I found the caramelized onions much too sweet and I didn’t really taste the balsamic unless the balsamic vinegar was reduced until it was a sweet concentrate and that could explain the sweet onions. There also wasn’t enough blue cheese which would have been good to cut the sweetness. If you like your food on the sweet side then this pizza is for you.
I didn’t notice the small bottle at first until Jin pointed it out and told me it was spicy honey. They also sell this in case you want to bring it home.
I tried a little on my pizza and it was really hot and sweet. Very interesting but I skipped it. I liked how the pizzas tasted as is.
I prefer the pizzas to the pasta. I didn’t really taste any salted egg.
These are the crust edge that I left behind.
This was Thanis’ leftover.
The Nutella soup in a pizza dough bowl got a gasp from everyone in the table.
Unfortunately it looked better than it tasted.
Even though I didn’t like the pizza crust I loved the creative toppings so much that I want to go back to try the other pizzas. I will still order the Bianca Verde though.
Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza
G/F Finman Bldg., Bautista corner Tordesillas St. Salcedo Village, Makati City
telephone: 0917-5386847
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2nd Level, K2 Building, 341 Katipunan Ave, Quezon City
telephone: +632-3813963
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