Mad For Pizza: Create Your Own Pizza at Il Terrazzo

If you've been with me for quite a while now, you probably already know how much I love my pizzas. Whether I get them for free, or more often -- not, pizza has been a staple for my family's weekend chill out sessions at home. But although I already have my favorites from different pizza chains, I can't deny that I sometimes want to create my very own pizza flavor. And thank God there are restaurants now that spoil pizza lovers to this extent... One of which is Mad For Pizza in Il Terrazo just along Tomas Morato.

Located on the 2nd floor of Il Terrazzo, Mad For Pizza is a new, homegrown pizza shop that doesn't just let you choose from a menu of pizzas, but instead, lets you customize your own pizza. From the dough, sauce, and toppings, you're your pizza's own boss!

Upon entering the place, a long counter with a big signboard will greet you with Mad For Pizza's steps on how to create your very own pizza. And while their promise of good value posted around the walls is also as striking, what really sold the place to me was their modern, yet somehow whimsical hanging lights that give a nice ambiance in their spacious pizza-joint-cum-sports-bar themed restaurant.

So, unlike other create-your-own-pizza restaurants, you won't have to go to the counter and line up to order at Mad For Pizza. Upon getting seated, a waiting staff will give you their menu, along with a "Create Your Own Pizza" order form. But since I was undecided yet of what pizza to create, we first went ahead and tried out some meal starters.

The Appetizers

And here are the palate whetters that kept us company while I was still contemplating...

✓ House Salad (P188)

The resto's House Salad is pretty simple and straight-forward. It had romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes and pieces of hard-boiled eggs in a creamy and flavorful Caesar salad-like dressing. However, the unexpected addition of sliced peaches definitely added more sweetness and fruity, summery flavor that I really like. And now that I think about it, I guess I was the one who actually finished off this serving good for sharing!

Buffalo Wings (P288 for Half Kilo)

If you're a spicy wings lover, then the Buffalo Wings will be perfect for you! Unlike most restaurants that only serve about 6 pieces of wings per portion, Mad For Pizzas wowed us with this plate of half a kilo of chicken wings! But since I didn't try even a piece due to a persistent food intolerance, I'll just quote my friends on this. "Spicy and tangy, with a slight sweetness. Tastes like the classic buffalo wings. Masarap! Omnomnom!"

Create Your Own Pizza (P285)

And now, let's get to business. Imma take you through my experience in customizing my pizza at Mad For Pizza, which only costs P285, and that's for toppings-all-you-want.

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR DOUGH

At Mad For Pizza, you don't need to line up on the counter to order. I was just given an order form where I can choose which dough and sauce I want for my own pizza. And for the 1st step, I decided to go with the Garlic Parmesan Dough. I also specifically instructed to toast the dough a little to a nice crisp. Yup, you can ask for that! *wink*

My order form, and an apparition of me with the finished product~

STEP 2: CHOOSE YOUR SAUCE

So the next step was choosing the sauce. Although I was interested to try the Roasted Garlic Alfredo, I decided to just go with the Fra Diablo (Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce) 'cause despite my love for garlic, I prefer my pizza tomato-y and spiceh!

STEP 3: CHOOSE ALL THE TOPPINGS YOU WANT

After giving back your accomplished order form, a staff will prepare your dough and sauce. Then, you'll be called to the counter to choose your toppings.

List of toppings on the signboard

I have to admit, it was a little disappointing to know that not all the toppings posted on the signboard were available. (I believe they rotate them.) However, I still had a good selection of toppings to choose from. So in the end, I went with the ingredients I love on my pizza -- parmesan, cheddar, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and basil.

My freshly-assembled but uncooked pizza creation... Doesn't it look so good?

STEP 4: THE WAITING GAME

At this point, you can now go back to your seat and wait for your pizza creation to be cooked, and then served. If you like taking photos of food and the restaurant (for blog, instagram or whatever), this is also a good time to do that. Alam na!

STEP 5: ENJOY!

Okay, so I've heard from friends who've been to Mad For Pizza before that their pizza crusts were too thick and too bread-like. However, that wasn't a problem for me. My pizza's crust was just the way I want it -- thin and crispy. So if you prefer thinner, more toasted pizza crust, do tell the staff. I believe the softer crust is their default.

✓ Sumi's Kickin' Margherita Pizza

As for the taste, I loved my Kickin' Margherita Pizza a.k.a. Garlic Parmesan Crust-Fra Diablo Mushroom-Olive-Margherita. The sauce was about level 6 to 7 (on a scale of 1 to 10) spicy, and added a really nice kick to the cheesy, tangy and herby flavors. If you like the usual margherita pizza, give my creation a try. Seriously, it's good! *wink*

The Mains and Pasta Dishes

So the pizzas at Mad For Pizza are a little bigger than personal size, maybe even good for two. However, if you really want to be stuffed, or if you want to skip pizza that day, they also carry a selection of other heavier dishes.

✓ Amboy Angus Beef Belly in Adobo Sauce (P248)

One of their bestsellers is the Amboy Angus Beef Belly in Adobo Sauce. Just like how it's named, the tender and succulent beef belly pieces are drenched in a sweet and savory sauce that we all know and love. Served with garlic rice, corn and tomato-red onion relish, this dish came as a real surprise. I thought Mad For Pizza just specialized in pizzas. But apparently, they also have a really good entrée I see myself ordering again.

Tennessee Pork Spareribs (P248)

We also got to try the Tennessee Pork Spareribs, a personal-portion of hickory barbecue sauce-coated ribs served with non-greasy fries and mustard. While all of us on the table agree that the ribs wasn't a candidate for the "tender, fall-off-the-bone" award, it was also a consensus that the barbecue sauce was delish -- sweet, savory, smokey!

Spaghetti Bolognese (P208)

Spaghetti Carbonara (P208)

The restaurant also carries Spaghetti Bolognese, which in my opinion, would very much suit the taste of kids and sweet pasta-loving adults, as well as a Spaghetti Carbonara which is pretty creamy and salty -- a flavor profile Pinoys love.

Dessert and Drinks

For dessert, Mad For Pizza has a few lined up, like cakes and a panna cotta.

Banoffee Cobbler (P88)

But for our visit, we decided to have the Banoffee Cobbler -- a sweet treat filled with layers of crushed graham and bananas, and topped with sweet cream and caramel. And since I like banana, graham and caramel, I was biased towards this dessert.

Salted Caramel Shake (P98) and ✓ Frozen Iced Tea (P88)

I'm not sure if all drinks at Mad For Pizza are over-sized, but these 2 are! The Salted Caramel Shake was the beau's choice of drink that day. However, it seemed more of a dessert as it was really heavy and sweet for a drink. But I can't deny that it was pretty good! My choice of beverage on the other hand, was the Frozen Iced Tea which was really refreshing. It had a tangy note that makes it perfect to pair with flavorful dishes.

THE VERDICT

As a pizza lover, I can definitely see myself coming back again and again to Mad For Pizza. They serve good food (Shout out to Amboy Angus Beef Belly!) and at very competitive prices. However, I have to note that when it comes to their pizzas, especially with creating your own, it's heavily up to the diner if his/her pizza will be good or not. So if you're unsure how to go about it, you can try their ready-to-order selection. Another tip would be to copy pizzas (from other joints) you like. It's also good if you can be specific with how you like your pizza crust -- thick or thin, soft, chewy or crispy. So when you find yourself in Mad For Pizza, don't forget that you're your pizza's own boss!

Taste - 3.5/5
Ambiance - 4/5
Service - 4/5
Price - 4/5
Overall Value - 4/5

Mad For Pizza, Il Terrazzo
2/F Il Terrazzo, Tomas Morato Ave. cor. Sct. Madrinan St.,
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 351 2621
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