I think I've mentioned before that my family loves
panizza. So when we heard that the
Chef Chris Locker who pioneered the panizza opened his own restaurant,
My Kitchen, just a few minutes from our home, we all decided to drop by.
You could easily see the "My Kitchen" sign in front of the Oasis Hotel. So, we went in passed the receptionist counter and the pool area towards it.
The place is elegant and cozy at the same time. It had framed photographs hanged on its walls. The chairs are well-cushioned perfectly matching the black tables. The dimly lit yellow lights sets of a mellow feeling. It was a Sunday night and we were surprised to see the restaurant packed (most of them are Tsinoys like us). I also noticed
Chef Chris Locker seated in one table fiddling his Macbook Pro personally overseeing his restaurant.
We were quickly provided a glass of water and napkins were placed on our laps as soon as we sat. Our server was patient and eager to help us in ordering.
Food
 |
| Complimentary Bread |
Service is really quick. Upon taking our orders, we were provided their Complimentary Bread with a pesto in olive oil dip. The bread was warm and soft. It was a great starter. I grabbed just one though looking forward to the dishes to come. As soon as we finished this bowl, we were again provided a new batch but we didn't get to eat them anymore as our orders came one after another.
Panizza
 |
| ♥ Genovese and Kristina Panizza (790 php) |
Seeing how we had a difficulty in deciding what to order, our server told us that we could order two flavors in one panizza. We were told that the Kristina is their best-seller so we picked that one and option for the Genovese because we wanted to try a pesto panizza. Kristina is a flavorful panizza with bacon, ham, caramelized onion, sun dried tomatoes and mushroom. On the other hand, Genovese is a pesto-infused cheese sauce topped with shrimp, grouper dices and capers. Although its difficult to choose between the two, I would prefer the Kristina.
 |
| ♥ Verena and Paco Panizza (790 php) |
The Verena is a tomato and truffle oil enhanced cheese sauce topped with scallop, prawns and sun dried tomatoes. My mom loved this because of the chewy sun dried tomatoes. While, I found the Paco the most interesting among all we've tried. Paco is topped with fine slices of herb chicken fillet, smoked bacon, portabello and golden mushrooms, capers and slices of kalamata olives.
 |
| Arugula and Alfalfa (90 php) |
Each panizza comes with one bowl of Arugula and Alfalfa. But, that wasn't enough for us so we ordered an extra.
 |
| My Rolled Panizza |
My Kitchen's panizza is definitely unlike any other we've tried before. The panizza is surprisingly thin and pleasantly chewy but not soggy at all. Moreover, it was exploding in flavors from the cheese, herbs and other ingredients. To my amazement, the toppings seemed to cling to the dough very well too.
Risotto
 |
| Risotto Kristina (850 php) |
Kristina seemed to be dominating the menu. But, the ingredients in the Risotto Kristina is different from the panizza. It had huge chunks of salmon fillet, prawn tails, mushrooms, broccoli and asparagus. The sauce is creamy with a hint of truffle oil and parmesan. It was a something good to try for a change but I did not find it captivating.
Pork
 |
| ♥ Grilled Home Made Italian Sausage (750 php) |
The Grilled Home Made Italian Sausage had three kinds of Italian sausages with lentils, thick fries, caramelized garlic in red wine sauce. Everything in this plate complements each other to produce a wholesome meal. I enjoyed alternating the sausages and see how much they could balance each other off together with the lentils and fries.
Dolce
 |
| ♥ Lemon and Lime Cheesecake (320 php) |
The Lemon and Lime Cheesecake is one of the best cheesecakes I have ever tried. The flavor is a nice medley between sweet and tangy. But, it was the perfect texture that made this sensational. It was creamy but not too dense. I enjoyed every bit of this: the almonds, crispy crust and even the lemon peel on its sweet lemon sauce. And, even though its price is hefty for a single slice of cake, I felt that this was worth it.
Gelato
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| Hazelnut Gelato (150 php) |
We already ordered our the Lemon and Lime Cheesecake, when Chef Chris comes to our table and asks us if we enjoyed our meal. He then tempts us by saying that they now offer new flavors of gelato: Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate, Hazelnut and Rum Raisin for an introductory price of 150 php. Of course, we took the bait and ordered the Hazelnut. I've tried Hazelnut flavors of various gelato before and often found it too sweet for my taste. But, this one tasted just right that even my brother who wasn't fond of sweets loved this. I also found the generous bits of hazelnuts enjoyable. However, in terms of texture, it wasn't as creamy as I expected. It melts too quick for a gelato too. Since their gelatos are relatively new and still on the testing phase, I hope they improve this.
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
My Kitchen by Chef Chris is a must stop when craving for panizza. Though many establishments now serve panizzas, the panizza pioneer is still unmatched. The first class service is also commendable. The staffs are quick and attentive. And, although the price is a bit of the high side, their serving sizes are generally good for sharing. I would definitely come back for their panizza and try their other selections next time. Any recommendations? =D
| My Kitchen by Chef Chris |
| Business Address |
Oasis Park Hotel, 1032-34 Belen St
Paco, Manila |
| Business Hours |
7am-10pm |
| Payment Options |
 Cash |
| Service Charge |
10% |
| Budget/Person |
250-500 |
| Free WiFi |
No |
| Unlocked Foursquare Perks |
None |
| Contact |
(02) 521-2371
|
| Other |
Facebook Fan Page |
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