Celebrate Valentine's Day at SM Megamall

Discover new ways to celebrate love at the Mega Atrium

A pretty bouquet. A sampling of fine chocolates. Dinner for two. Celebrating Valentine’s has never been more delicious. SM Megamall’s mix of restaurants, shops and flower houses has everything to make your loved one feel special on the 14th.

Making merry with your single friends? Not to worry. You can drown your woes with a pitcher of margarita at Tia Maria’s with a couple of your equally single friends or celebrate the glories of singlehood with a few orders of kebab at the Kebab Factory with a healthy helping of garlic sauce. Because nothing says single and proud like some serious garlic breath! So share the day with your spouse or your single yet-just-as-significant others (I mean girlfriends). Valentine’s means sharing the love — even if it means handing over that choco chip cookie to your unbearably talkative co-worker.

Amici: It’s amore

You know it’s love when you follow the object of your gastronomic affection wherever it goes. Thank god Amici has opened a branch right smack in the center of the metro, as you can now enjoy their authentic Italian cuisine any day you want, from their thin crust pizzas to scrumptious pastas, to their to-die-for cakes and gelato. And for BPI credit cardholders, Amici has an additional treat for you: For every P1,000 single-receipt payment you make when you dine, you can enjoy two free scoops of gelato on your second visit, a free pasta dish on your third, and a free pizza on your fourth. Now, ain’t that kind of love grand?

Amici is at the 3/F SM Megamall Atrium. Call 818-4444.

Chef’s Quarter: Love in the fine dining lane

Larry Cortez, Chef’s Quarter’s general manager who’s worked at Le Souffle and other upscale establishments, believes that in five years the working class will demand better food, not your regular fast food fare. With his partner, chef Mau Aruona, they created this “fine dining restaurant with fast food prices.” “Our motto,” says Aruona, “is the only thing expensive here is your taste.” They’ve held true to that mission statement serving steak at P260 and fish and chips at P195, served in a style true to their upscale restaurant background but in an accessible setting.

For Valentine’s they’ve put together a set menu for couples that include steak and prawns and a mouthwatering chocolate almond marquesse. This is what true love tastes like — on a budget.

Call Chef’s Quarter, located at 3/F of SM Megamall Atrium, at 706-5336.

Painted Red: Color it red this day of hearts

Brought to you by the same folks who created the successful Red Kimono franchise (Painted Red is, in fact, linked to Red Kimono, sharing the same space with a divider separating the two establishments), Painted Red serves modern American cuisine with Chinese, South American and Italian influences. Bestsellers include the Philly cheese steak pizza and a build-your-own burger that allows you to choose from a large selection of ingredients.

Call Painted Red, located at the 2/F of SM Megamall Atrium, at 0922-8992753.

Sizzling Pepper Steak: A sizzling affair

From the company that brought you Teriyaki Boy comes this Japanese take on the traditional steak house. An industrial exhaust hood whirs above your head as you are served numerous incarnations of sizzling beef/chicken/seafood. Dubbed DIY food, this sizzling concept combines Pinoy’s love of all things salty (savory dishes) with all things sweet (drizzle your dish with a honeyed teriyaki sauce). If your love life’s on the flat side, maybe a date over a sizzling plate might add some spice.

Call Sizzling Pepper Steak, located at the 4/F of SM Megamall Atrium, at 633-1569.

Bigby’s Cafe: Big on portions and flavors

Owner Henrik Yu classifies this warm, cozy restaurant’s cuisine as international comfort food. “We’ve got steaks, baby back ribs, and a large selection of pastas and salads,” he says. “We even have a deep sea pasta,” he says, which is a “Filipinized” dish of pasta with garlic shrimp and crabfat sauce served on a sizzling plate. “Bigby’s puts their own spin on a lot of favorite comfort foods,” he explains. For Valentine’s, they’re offering hearty midnight dream cake (P289) and kiss me cupcakes (P249). Sweet tooth, thy name is Bigby.

Call Bigby’s, located at the 3/F of SM Megamall Atrium, at 499-9035.

Gotti’s: They’ve got connections

Named after the notorious mob boss, Gotti’s knows how to work the Italian angle. A caricature of John Gotti grasping a wooden spoon, like a charcoal etching of Marlon Brando circa Godfather, decorates the cover of their menu. Eileen Gonzalez, who worked at a hole-in-the-wall Italian eatery in NY “that got great Zagat reviews” for a few years, knows that every diner needs a little kick, a touch of humor.

This brick-lined, dimly-lit, family-friendly joint offers consumers with a hankering for authentic Italian fare at an affordable price a satisfying experience. “Our food is rustic and hearty,” says Gonzalez. “We really take it seriously. Educating customers on the right selections and flavorful offerings is what we do.” Expect to fork out about P250 per person, unless you make it to their merienda promo, available between 2 to 6 p.m., which offers combo meals at P95 to P130.

Call Gotti’s, located at the 4/F of SM Megamall Atrium, at 634-0348.

Kebab Factory: From India, with love

A good way to introduce yourself to Indian food, says Kebab Factory owner Natasha Karamchandani, is to start with their spinach dip (P200), a creamy spinach and feta dip served with pita bread that’s like the most luscious dip you’ve ever had. Kebab Factory, which offers Mediterranean and Persian with a touch of Indian cuisine, had vegetarian-friendly dishes and numerous authentic and non-traditional takes on Indian cuisine like their cheese samosas (P200), a tasty spin on cheese sticks. A tandoor oven, a round enclosed oven with coals, lends the food a certain authenticity. “Some of the recipes we’ve used here we inherited from our grandmother,” Karamchandani says. Dine on tender stuffed chicken kebab (P300) and lamb chop tandoori (their own version of chicken tandoori sans the chicken). “People are more willing to try new food,” says Karamchandani. “This is a good way to start.”

Call Kebab Factory, located at the 2/F of SM Megamall Atrium, at 631-9648.

Eat and Go: There’s always time for a quickie

In a hurry? Sneaking off in the middle of the day for a quick nibble? Then Eat and Go is the perfect dining nook for a tasty quickie (quick meal, we mean!). Enjoy their London pies, with their puffed philo pastry and tasty filling: healthy primavera, juicy steak, salmon and spinach, and a lot more. Don’t be deceived by the medium-sized portion, as it’s a meal on its own already. Eat and Go is not just for the eat-and-run types, though. Have a leisurely meal with their bestselling menu picks like roasted chicken, sesame back ribs, and baked buccatini in prawn cream sauce, with the option of adding pasta, baked beans, or diced corn and carrots as side dishes.

Eat and Go is at 3/F SM Megamall Atrium. Call 635-9559.

Curry Curry House: Spice it up

Big. Hot. Yummy. This is not an advertisement for an adult services hotline, but rather the kind of Japanese cuisine you can find at Curry Curry House. Highlighting the subtly invigorating kick of the savory Japanese curry, Curry Curry House dishes are plentiful and filling, paired with bottomless iced tea and bottomless rice to enjoy the curry sauce all the more. Their ramen dishes are also must-tries, with their spicy Japanese noodles. Whatever your pick, dining at the Curry Curry House is sure to set your palates on fire. Choose between the regular and the spicy curry — and watch sparks fly.

Curry Curry House is at the 3/F SM Megamall Atrium. Call 631-8470.