Amici opens at the Atrium of Megamall
“Behind every successful businessman is a company that works, “ said Danny Moran, owner of Amici. Amici (pronounced a-mi-chi, the Italian word for friends) was purchased by Moran from the Don Bosco group two years ago.
“I think that for any business to succeed there are some basic fundamentals,” he says. “There has to be a passion to put something together and to make it happen.” Just like in cooking, the ingredients have to be carefully selected before a perfect dish can be made. And Moran is taking no chances when it comes to his new amore, Amici.
Moran overflows with passion for his restaurant. In him, one sees a man with a desire to make this happen — and in the best way possible.
“I know a lot of people who can come up with a good product, but they don’t have the team to execute the plan and see it through,” adds Moran. “A major factor in any organization is the people behind it.”
Moran and his team continue to share their passion for great Italian food with Pinoy food lovers all over. Amici recently opened its third branch at the Atrium of SM Megamall. Its other branches are at Don Bosco, Makati; and at Tomas Morato, QC.
With Amici, Moran has tapped the best people he knows to make sure that they, too, will see the business as their own and have the desire to make it grow.
Amici is an Italian restaurant in a class of its own. It is a place that Moran likes to call “fast casual” — an Italian dining experience where service is fast, the food is good, reasonable, and authentic Italian.
That’s what makes Amici different from other Italian restaurants today. Moran believes that there is always room for improvement when it comes to Amici, which is why he is continuously looking for ways to give Italian food-loving Pinoys a good meal for their money.
“Amici has made a name for itself with its pizza, pasta and gelato,” adds Moran. “But we feel that there are other items that can complete our menu like appetizers, salads, maybe also a few more risotto dishes.”
Moran and Amici GM Iboy Pinga are excited about the branch at SM Megamall. “In the beginning we weren’t sure whether we could put up a resto like this in a mall,” said Pinga. “The idea of putting a wood-burning oven seemed impossible. But when we gave our specifications to SM Megamall they said that they would have a place for us.”
New dishes at the Megamall branch include appetizers like mozzarella fritto(breaded mozzarella sticks); Amici polpetti (Italian meatballs braised in pomodoro sauce) and cozze al forno (baked mussels with pesto and cream sauce). There are also new paninis like le polpetti con parmigiano (meatball and cheese); ragu di maiale (braised pork); verdura arrostita (roasted vegetables) and panini al salsicce (Italian sausage).
Dessert lovers will not be disappointed with the pistaccioccolato (chocolate pistachio cake), the mango delizia (mango cake) and of course, the best-selling gelato, that Amici is known for.
Moran wants to give Amici his best shot. He is armed with everything he needs to succeed — passion, vision and the best working team around. He is focusing all his efforts in making Amici number one in the country — but is taking things one step at a time and learning more as he moves along.
* * *
Amici is at the third floor, Mega Atrium of SM Megamall