LA ESTACION

This is the restaurant upstairs from Pancho's. There are stairs, but better yet, there's an elevator at the back of the Food Court and it actually works! (Not the speediest, but who cares?) The restaurant is Italian with some great dishes, decent seating, nice waiters and a very pleasant setting (lots of open air tables). The food? Went there with friends yesterday and we were all delighted. I had fettuccine with shrimp...and it couldn't have been better. Generous serving: took some home. Priced under $200 pesos. Two friends had steak sandwiches and were very pleased. Before yesterday, we tried one of the pizzas: best in town, no question. In other words, it's a great addition to the dining scene. Don't miss it!

I think you got lucky. The place is 50-50 when it comes to service. Despite management being corralled and told on multiple occasions from myself and acquaintances who go regularly enough to know, nowrefusing to go back due to the lack of improvement.

As for the pizza, it is pretty good "gourmet" pizza, but not my style. Toppings such as roast beef, spinach, eggplant, pesto, asparagus, chicken... just not for me unless I'm in a mood, although they now have a couple with more "normal" stuff. And overpriced.

(My vote for best pizza these days is Pizza 2 GoGo upstairs at Plaza Bugambilias. He gets everything right, from the flavour of the dough, to the actual use of tomato sauce, to the quality of toppings. And he delivers for free.)

The pizza we had a couple of weeks ago was the "Roma" and the pepperoni was the real deal, so we were happy. We didn't feel like trying the more unusual toppings.

Yesterday's server did a good job for us. So either we got lucky or you came on a bad day.

The pizza isn't cheap...but it's sure a few notches in quality above anything else we're tried here. Haven't tried the place you mentioned, however.

After years of posting reviews, both good and bad, I make it a point not to post anything negative either until a place has beaten me down, or if they are preposterously lousy from the get-go. As I pointed out, in this case I am talking about "multiple occasions" for several people attending on different days over months, not just a bad day. Like I said, chances are 50-50. I have always had good food there, regardless, and their sweets are excellent

( Unlike downstairs at Pancho's where chances of good service are zero and nil, and food is conspicuously either average or non-existent. We were there the othe day for a ginger beer and a sandwich. The sandwich hadn't come after 30 minutes and repeated waving at staff; the original waitress had left for the day, and when we went to talk to general management (not Pancho, he was drunk) even the chef wasn't aware we had ordered... twice.)

Lucky? Maybe. Never had a bad service moment in many visits. Agree the pizza is the best around. Ni modo, each to their own.