Restaurant hopping at the Ayala Triangle Garden

we had heard quite a lot about the new culinary hotspot that is the Ayala Triangle Garden (click here for map) in the past couple of months. In particular, friends and relatives have been telling us about big crowds lining up outside a new restaurant called Wee Nam Kee for some allegedly amazing Hainanese chicken.

So when we got invited to try some of the restaurants at the Ayala Triangle Garden on a Saturday afternoon last December, we jumped at the chance. And although Wee Nam Kee wasn't on our itinerary, we still had quite an enjoyable food trip.

Our first stop was Bonchon Chicken, which originated in South Korea.

Twice-fried (!) chicken wings (available in soy garlic and hot & spicy versions)

LIZZ: All in all, I thought this was a great little restaurant. I'm a huge fan of chicken wings, so it's no surprise that I loved the food. My only complaint is that the spicy chicken wings were tongue-scorchingly hot, and as a spicy food lover, that's saying a lot! I'd recommend the regular version for first-timers.

JOSH: To be honest, the regular soy garlic version tasted quite bland to me, but perhaps that was only because I made the mistake of trying the brutally spicy one first. Still, the quality was excellent, and I loved how the chicken skin was delightfully crunchy from being fried twice. I just wish that they had a mildly spicy version for people like me who want a little kick but not intense pain. But I guess Koreans really like their spices.

We also had this nice little bulgogi wrap, or as I call it, Korean shawarma.

Next up was Amici.

JOSH: I love Italian food, and Amici is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. I've previously visited their branches in Greenhills, Tomas Morato, and Don Bosco Makati.

This is the Quattro Formaggi, which I think is Italian for "four cheese." It's my personal favorite.

This is the Tutta Carne, which I think is Italian for "very ordinary pizza" :-P Don't get me wrong--it wasn't not bad at all. But Amici offers a lot of exceptional pizzas and pastas, and most of them are more interesting than this one.

This is a slightly spicy seafood pasta that I forgot the name of. It was excellent.

And this is a delicious creamy mushroom pasta that I also forgot the name of. I promise to take notes next time.

LIZZ: Both the pizza and the pasta at this place were great, though the 4 cheese pizza stood out as a definite must try. I often order this type of pizza at various restos, and Amici's version managed to be both unique and comfortable at the same time. Comfort food at its finest!

Amici's famous gelato is now marketed under the Cara Mia brand name. They have a mouth-watering selection of gelato, cakes, and (gasp) gelato cakes.

Mango Symphony gelato cake

Peach Walnut Passion gelato cake

Pistachio gelato

Sans Rival gelato

LIZZ: Utter Heaven! I loved both the gelato cakes and the gelato itself. Do yourself a favor and don't leave without trying the pistachio gelato... absolute bliss!

JOSH: What she said.

Our final stop was Golden Spoon. We were both stuffed by the time we got here, but we couldn't resist sharing a pomegranate & blueberry yogurt cone. Unfortunately, we forgot to take a picture of the cone before inhaling it.

LIZZ: I've been a huge fan of this place since it opened, and for those of you who crave less calories but can't stand sour yogurt, this is the place to go. ;)

JOSH: Golden Spoon should call their yogurt I Can't Believe It's Not Ice Cream. Yum.

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The Ayala Triangle Garden is definitely a happy place for food-lovers. We thoroughly enjoyed our short food trip, and we plan to go back sometime to check out the other restaurants. There are some familiar old names like Kanin Club, Banapple, MoMo Cafe, and Omakase, but we're most excited about the new restaurants: Chef Laudico's Bfast, C.B.D. (Cheesesteak, Burgers, and Drinks... hmm), and of course the much hyped Wee Nam Kee.

YesNoMeh gives gluttony a



Happy new year everyone!