Cycle 5 – Item 183

7 (Mon) July 2014

Mushroom / Sausage Pizza

3.0

from Sbarro

(Robinsons Place)

in my apartment

-Ermita, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines-

solo

Try Every Restaurant in Robinsons Place (60) (see also TERRP)

Sbarro is an Italian restaurant chain.  Started in 1956 as a grocery store and deli in New York City by the Sbarro family, recent immigrants from Napoli, Italy.  After expanding the business to multiple locations, the first restaurant was opened in 1970.  Now over 1,000 restaurants worldwide.  Menu leans towards Italian-American favorites, such as chicken parmesan, spaghetti & meatballs, and of course pizza.

In nearly 20 years of experiences at the Sbarro branch in Korea, I’ve never eaten anything but the pizza.

I encountered many Sbarro branches while living in New York but never tried it.

The pizza was good.  Not wanting any of the ready-to-go choices, I ordered a whole pie: half mushroom, half sausage.  The toppings were serviceable, same with the cheese and sauce, not expecting much from a chain.  The crust was what is often referred to as “New York style”: dry and thinnish, essentially the same as mainstream pizza crusts in Italy.  But overall, a respectable representation of the form, probably the best American pizza that I’ve encountered in Manila thus far.

Another key aspect of New York style, just as important as the crust, is the size of the slice, big and wide enough to be folded in half, which is how New Yorkers eat it, as when they’re eating on the go.

(See also GLOBAL FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN PHILIPPINES)