Joyfully Yours

After months of inactivity, oh yes, I'm back again! A lot of wonderful things has happened over the months and I will update bits and pieces of those months like flashbacks you see in movies.

Mommy Bhe presenting her freshly made Bhest Lasagna.

Mommy Bhe and her family who helps her cook and sell her lasagna. They are also the lucky bunch who have eaten Mommy Bhe's heavenly lasagna for years!

A medium pan (serves 8 pax) of Bhest Lasagna Chicken Variant.

Extra Small Pan

Small Pan

Medium Pan

Bhest Lasagna Chicken Variant VS Bhest Lasagna Beef Variant Which one do you like more?

(L-R) Enzo of juanmanilaexpress.com, Joyfully Yours, Mommy Bhe, Jeman of orangemagazinetv.com, Omar of foodivities.blogspot.com, FPJ of funfoodfights.blogspot.com and Gab of manilarepublic.com.

Back when I was in elementary and high school, whenever I'm doing some school project in my classmate's house or sometimes in my house, the usual snack, lunch or dinner are pizza and pasta. Because of how this, pizza and pasta have been my ultimate comfort food whenever I'm stressed out. They somehow remind me of those memories that everything will become fine after all the stress.

A lot of pizza-pasta places are quite pricey so when I first went to Brooklyn Pizza, I can't help but notice how affordable their price is! Their cheapest pizza: 14-inch Cheese Pizza (with 8 slices) is only PhP400!

Brooklyn Pizza's Menu

So I've decided to give it a try and got hooked! It's worth the money and the food is made fresh every time you order so it is really good! Let me show you how they make their pizza from scratch per order:

Dough Preparation Step 1

Dough Preparation Step 2

Dough Preparation Step 3. Look how the dough stretches! Amazing!

Voila! Presenting the pizza:

Here's a Half White Pizza & Half Porko! 18-inches, square cut at PhP680.

Since my friends and I wanted to try different flavors, Brooklyn Pizza allows half and half or even 4 flavors! It's so convenient for group of friends who wants to have different flavors. It will also avoid sibling fights over which flavor to order! Haha! =D

Here's a picture of how happy me and my friends are with our half & half pizza!

The White Pizza is composed of mozzarella, parmesan & ricotta cheese. It's actually my favorite flavor. The cheese on top of the White Pizza smells really tempting. Just one bite, its salty, creamy taste and stretchy texture makes you want to have more! It's really appetizing and will make one think about it for days!

Here's my friend Allan trying to control himself not to attack the pizza right away.

The Porko Pizza is for all the meat lovers who wants a boost of protein! It's composed of Italian sausage, ham, pepperoni and bacon. Perfect for the boys!

A closer look at Porko. This picture just made me hungry! Are you drooling already?

My friend Danet ready to attack the pizza but look at Allan's hand on the right getting a slice of Porko! :)

Remember to use the Chili Flakes and Chili Oil for that extra kick and flavor! I love how it tastes with Porko Pizza!

Brooklyn Pizza also offers pasta at an affordable price! For as low as PhP175, one can enjoy Pomodoro pasta or Tomato & Garlic pasta. All their pastas are actually good for sharing. Definitely perfect for those who are making their group school projects at home, for night out with friends or even romantic dates!

Here are the pastas that I've tasted so far from my visits to the restaurant:

Creamy Pesto with Chicken Parmigiana (PhP230)

Creamy Pesto with Chicken Parmigiana is made up of pesto mixed with Brooklyn Pizza's cream sauce, topped with breaded chicken breast fillet. The creamy pesto holds true to its name. I suggest one eats the pasta first and the bread last so that you can use the garlic bread in wiping all the remaining sauce which will make you garlic bread a whole lot yummier! I also like how the breading of the chicken parmigiana is crunchy but the meat is soft and juicy inside.

Spicy Shrimp Pasta (P255)

Spicy Shrimp Pasta is composed of shrimps cooked in tomato cream based sauce with a hint of chili. The spice level of this dish is on a tingly level which is just right and it's also a safe level for those who are not used to spicy food. For those who love spicy food at a hot level, you might have to add some chili flakes on this dish. I love how generous their portion of shrimps on this dish. As you see on the photo, a part of the pasta has been touched. I wasn't able to capture this dish right away as it came to our table. Since I was with hungry people, you can imagine what happened! :P Good thing, there's an untouched side that's meant to be captured and so this is the photo. :)

Pasta Vongole(PhP245)

Pasta Vongole is made up of sauteed clams simmered in olive oil and white wine to enhance its flavor! I really love the generous portions of the clams and the tomatoes on it just brings out the clams' sweetness! It's a must try for those who love clams. I also appreciate how clean their clams are. I've eaten pastas with clams in other restaurants which still has traces of sand in their clams which is a no-no so I really love it that Brooklyn Pizza has clean clams! I give them a double thumbs up for this! :D

But wait, there's more to pizza and pasta! They also have the best Buffalo Wings that I've ever tasted! It's crunchy and yet so flavorful inside. The spicy level is also tingly but I've seen kids eating it without complaining that it's spicy. Actually, the kids even ate a lot!

Buffalo Wings (PhP185)

For this summer, Brooklyn Pizza has a special promo for all those who want to chill with their family or friends. For PhP799, one gets to enjoy a 14-inch pizza, pasta, buffalo wings and a bottle of 1.5 liter of Coke! It's good for 4 persons which makes it only around PhP200 per person! Awesome, isn't it? :)

So what are you waiting for? If you're feeling hungry because of this post, you can dial now and order this comfort food goodness and enjoy! :D

As you can see, I'm already hooked with Brooklyn Pizza and I can't help but crave for more! I can't stop thinking of their White Pizza, Creamy Pesto with Chicken Parmegiana and Buffalo Wings (my personal favorites)! So if you're going there, you must try them and let me know if you like them as well! ;)

Entrance of New York Pizza Palace (NYPP)

"Yattah! I love New York!" I get reminded of Hiro Nakamura shouting this famous line whenever I hear New York and wish that someday I'll be able to tour that part of the world. I was able to go there before but unfortunately, I wasn't able to go anywhere except for the Statue of Liberty so it has always been my frustration to be able to go back.

NY Iconic Wall

The Late Show with David Letterman also has a spot at the NY iconic wall. I love it!

Walking in New York Pizza Palace (NYPP) made me feel that I was in New York without having to take a plane. The place is amazingly lit just like the lights on the streets of New York. There are 17 TV screens showing parts of New York namely, Time Square, Fifth Ave. and Midtown, plus some LED boards showing the New York Stock Market, News and scores of different sports.

NYPP Server in a NY Yankees Uniform behind the jersey is the name DiMaggio #5.

All around the area there are graffiti, the sewage cover of New York, the street names and side walk of New York. The style of the menu is copied from the New York Subway Station. There's even a replica of the benches seen in New York Subway Stations. For an additional feel of New York, the screens play "Empire State of Mind" every hour and every 30-mins a compilation of different iconic New York films are being shown.

Graffiti

The street names of New York

A replica of New York's subway station bench

The impressive interior design and concept of New York in a box does not stop there. All the products are freshly prepared as you order except for pizza since pizza takes a long time to make. To guarantee the freshness of the product, there's no kitchen. Everything is prepared in front of the customers. Even though the food is prepared as you order, the food will be delivered to your table within a surprisingly fast 60 seconds after payment from the counter! It is truly amazing!

Pizza made in front of the customers

NYPP food choices (They will make it fresh for you)

The recipe of NYPP was developed by Chef O'Connor from the US who knows the authentic New York pizza taste. Eric Orland, Chairman of NYPP, was born in New York but lived in California. He always craved for New York pizza while living in California so he knew what proper NY pizza should taste like. Eric tried each and every recipe that Chef O'Connor made to ensure the perfect New York taste. Since NYPP is going to be here in Metro Manila, Eric also hired Chef Carlo Miguel to make sure that the New York taste will be suitable to the Filipino taste buds. Eric showed and explained to us the difference of an authentic New York pizza, "What makes a good quality pizza is the crispness of the product. You can hear the crisp when they cut it."

Four flavors pizza: Spicy Shrimp, Cheese, Triple Meat Lover, Mini Meatballs (All their pizzas are 18")

Eric also said that their group is planning to open 6 more branches this year and 60 - 65 stores in 5 years! They're not open to franchising but they are open for investors because they want to maintain managerial control to ensure the quality of their product.

Eric Orland, Chairman of NYPP, touring us around NYPP

My favorite pizzas from everything that I've tasted there are their Spinach & Artichoke (made with spinach and artichoke with mozzarella, romano, provolone cheese, breadcrumbs and basil leaves) and their White Pie (made with ricotta, mozzarella, romano cheeses with onions, bacon and thyme).

Four flavors pizza: Vodka Pie, Eggplant&Ricotta, Spinach&Artichoke, White Pie

Another favorite of mine is their appetizer called suppli. According to Eric, he first encountered this in Italy and thought it would be a great addition to the menu which I think he is correct! Suppli are deep fried rice balls with parmesan and cheddar cheese. It's part of the appetizer but I warn you that it's filling so better share it with your friends.

My favorite Suppli (They use Japanese rice which is deliciously perfect!)

Other must tries are their Sicilian Salad (whose dressing are made from scratch) and Chicken Wings (it's crispy and full of sauce).

Other food choices besides pizza

NYPP is open from 9am - 4am daily. It is located at A. Venue, Makati Avenue near J.P Rizal St. For delivery, contact 720-5977. For more information visit http://www.newyorkpizzapalace.com/.

The people behind NYPP

The all around ambiance of NYPP