a mano Araneta City (Quezon City) — Restaurant in Quezon City

We dined at A Mano for the first time around two weeks ago, and here's our collective feedback:

Food: Insalata Verde (Salad): The salad lacked flavor, and we had to request additional dressing to make it more palatable.

Risotto with Octopus: It was satisfactory but not particularly memorable.

Pasta: Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci: The dish was overwhelmingly cheesy to the point of being heavy (or "nakakaumay"). I could only manage about three pieces before it became too much. Garganelli Bianco: Surprisingly enjoyable, even though I'm not typically a fan of truffle. This one is my new favorite. Tagliatelle Ragù: There was a weird taste in the meat, which we found concerning. We couldn’t determine if it was the seasoning or if the meat was not that fresh. Carbonara: This dish was too rich ("nakakaumay"), making it difficult to finish. My colleague who ordered it left it unfinished. Spaghetti Pomodoro: According to a colleague, this was simply "okay" with nothing that stood out. To add, I think the serving of the pasta here is small and just good for 1 person.

Pizza: Tartufata e Porcini: The pizza was average, lacking distinctiveness. Stracciatella Pizza: For us, this one is just okay. And if compared to the one similar from Cibo, the one from Cibo is better. Bianca Pizza: This was a highlight for us, with the honey sauce providing a delightful complement to the flavors. However, the pizza dough overall had a chewy texture that made it somewhat difficult to eat. Tiramisu: Unfortunately, this dessert was disappointing. Compared to the tiramisu from Cibo, which we favor, A Mano’s version was too intense for our liking. Despite being a group of nine, we each only took a small bite.

Service: Service was disappointing during our visit. It was notably slow, possibly due to the high volume of diners, but even so, we experienced long delays. I had to follow up four times for our dessert, four times for the bill, and twice for our take-out order. Additionally, it was difficult to get the attention of the wait staff, which added to the frustration.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere is great even if we are seated outside the main resto. However, I believed that the indoor seating is better as it helps reduce the noise from outside

Price: The price is on the expensive side which is expected. However, we all agree that based on what we've experienced, it didn’t quite feel worth the cost.

Hopefully, we'll have a better experience on our next...

The beef carpaccio was really good, and sliced to the perfect thinness, the serving size just leaves a lot to be desired given the price. To be honest I'd get a more filling dish for the price even though i really enjoyed this dish.

Porchetta was pretty dry, skin no longer crunchy, that's the hazard when you choose aesthetics and display it under a warming lamp for all to see. It wasn't half bad when i re airfried it back home tho to be fair. The chicken was a little oily, but the flavors were spot on, the parts that need to be juicy are juicy, and the parts that need to be crispy are crispy.

Carbonara was very good, very rich, I guess those lessons from the Carbonara king paid off. But the guanciale was in big salty chunks. So you get either bites without bacon or overly salty bites. The spinach ravioli needed more burnt butter flavor, and seasoning in general. The egg yolk ravioli was a larger version of the spinach ravioli, with added egg yolk for richness, but the large size makes it a little firmer than your usual pasta.

Pizza margarita coulda used a side of honey. The straciatella was great but it gets really soggy really quickly due to the buratta so i suggest immediate consumption.

Great service though, and really pet friendly. They have a dog cookie and dog pizza option for your doggos. This is where amano shines, the servers strike the perfect balance between attentive without being intrusive. Hello Marissa, if you can read this thank you!

Finally, that buratta gelato with honeycomb. This is a dessert that is death row worthy. If i find myself having a last meal, this is easily top of the list for the dessert course.

Overall admittedly priced a little on the high side. But if you feel like splurging or have a hankering for some quality Italian food, amano should definitely be on your list.

Especially...

Its my first time here in their gateway branch. We were a big group and it was good that we made reservations because the restaurants in this location get really crowded. I have been to the Rockwell branch and I really liked the 4 cheese pizza. I admire the simplicity of the pizza and the crust is really the star of this dish. I was very glad that we ordered it on this occasion. We also had Osso Bucco, Kurobuta Cortoletta alla Milanese and some other chicken dish that I don't know the name of. These "secondi" we ordered lacked seasoning and didnt really wow me. So i will rate them as just ok. As for the Air-flown Burrata salad, the cheese should just probably stay in Italy to reduce emissions because one can get a tasty reasonably priced burrata salad somewhere else. But that would make me a hypocrite because I really enjoyed the Burrata Gelato. We tried 2 desserts, the Gelato with different toppings and a tiramisu. The servings were quite large, good for 2-3 people with normal appetites but probably just good enough for 1 who really loves desserts. The Gelato was smooth and the waffle cone was nice and crispy. The Tiramisu was flavored with coffee very well and did not skimp on the mascarpone. One should really make space for desserts here in a mano. The coffees were good too, but if you are one who enjoys imbibing on cocktails, skip this restaurant and go to another that has a good mixologist. They have a large selection of alcoholic drinks but this is not their forte. The best thing about a mano gateway is their staff. They are knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating and patient. A very good reason to visit so one can have an enjoyable hassle free meal with a very competent manager and...