The Old Spaghetti House in Robinsons Place Ermita

Photo of The Old Spaghetti House (TOSH) in Robinsons Place Ermita

The Old Spaghetti House or TOSH for short is a known Italian-inspired restaurant serving affordable yet quality dishes. In this blog post, we'll see whether that still holds true up until today.

Something about the Place:
I will not comment a lot about the place and just focus on the dishes. Anyway, I like how the place looks casual and quaint at the same time. It makes you feel like you are in an old-fashioned place. However, what I don't like much is the openness of the place that makes you feel conscious, since people passing by will notice you (be it intentional or not).

Before I proceed, I want to share with you something that caught my eyes when we were seated.

Apparently, TOSH just joined the bandwagon by offering Cookie Butter desserts made from Speculoos! I didn't try it because I already have an idea of how it tastes like, and I wasn't in the mood to have it. Oh, if you don't know what Speculoos Cookie Butter, you may want to check out my blog post about it.

Alright, let's begin with the feast! (Note: I feel so glad that I was able to post this blog post with photos from my camera. I just feel happy when I provide you with good quality photos)

Asian Chicken Salad (Single: P150 || Sharing:  P295):

Asian Chicken Salad of The Old Spaghetti House

We had this salad for our appetizer, and it was great! I love the awesome combination of the mango dressing, chicken and crunchy thin shoestring potatoes that go perfectly with the greens! Mango-lovers as well as those who have a sweet tooth will definitely enjoy this great starter!

Other Than Spaghetti - Classic Lasagna at  P175:

Classic Lasagna of The Old Spaghetti House

According to my brother, the taste was good but not great enough, although he admitted that he can't help but compare this with the best lasagna he ever tasted in Conti's. This may have influenced his taste. For me, this lasagna was fine in terms of the taste, but had some issues with the texture that made me doubt whether it was baked, or simply cooked in a microwave. Nevertheless, it didn't prevent me to enjoy the small bite I had.

Appetizer Basket of Celebration Trio Treats:

Celebration Trio Treats (P800) is inclusive of an appetizer basket, spaghetti platter, pizza and tiramisu

Appetizer Basket of TOSH - Buffalo Wings, Onion Rings and Calamares

This appetizer basket includes buffalo wings, onion rings and calamares. I'll be giving a brief comment on each of the component. For the buffalo wings, I found it good at the first bite, but rather salty at the end. It could have been great, but the saltiness just took away the fun. As for the onion rings, I found it fresh and crunchy. Best of all, it goes well with the dip! For the calamares, the taste was superb but the portion was small.

Pesto Spaghetti Platter from the Celebration Trio Treats || Single Order Price (P135):

Pesto Platter from Celebration Trio Treats of TOSH!

Although it looks somehow fine in the photo, it didn't when it was served! Also, the taste wasn't that good as well because of the powerful saltiness. Overall, I was disappointed with this.

American Baked Spareribs w/ Java Rice at P230:

American Baked Spareribs - yummy and tender!

Even if TOSH is Italian-inspired it still managed to make this American Baked Spareribs delicious! I love how tender the meat was, and how the sauce perfectly jived with it. The best word to describe this dish is "tasty"! If you are a rice-person you may want to have this for your meal!

Pepperoni  and Cheese Pizza from Celebration Trio Treats || Separate Order Price (P250):

Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza of The Old Spaghetti House

What I love about the pizzas of TOSH is the absence of excessive oil! Plus, the dough is thin making the flavors of the toppings float! For cheese lovers, you will definitely love the pizzas too! If I have my top 5 for pizzas, this is definitely included!

Specialty Sauce - Pasta Negra at P160:

The Pasta Negra of TOSH - interesting ad unique

This was something interesting - pasta with a sauce made from squid ink! Of course, it featured a seafood taste coming from the ink which is unique and enjoyable! Note, however, that this may stain your lips and teeth, so this dish isn't recommended when you are on a date or meeting with your clients.

Best Tiramisu from Celebration Trio Treats || Separated Order Price (P110):

Best Tiramisu of The Old Spaghetti House - Smoothly Delicious

Alright! We've come to the last part of the TOSH experience - the dessert! Now, first check out the craft on the plate - cool huh? It made me file like I was a child being cheered up (i.e. the times when my mom cooked bacon and eggs, and make them appear like a smiling face). Having said this, eating a spoonful resulted to a gush of memories - sweet ones! That's how powerful it was for me! In fact, it was the best that I've tasted so far - good temperature, great taste, melt in your mouth sensation, mild sweetness and right level of coffee taste that is not overwhelming.

The Old Spaghetti House - Overall Ratings and Summary

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Note: Unshaded stars are equivalents of half-stars. The ratings apply solely to this dining experience.
Place ★★☆
Taste  ★★★☆
Service  ★★★
Value for Money ★★★★
Budget: at least P300 each for a moderate dining experience
No. of visits for this particular restaurant/branch - 5+ || Date of last visit - Unidentified

My dining experience proved that TOSH indeed provides good quality dishes (not all, but still most of them) that are affordable.

Winners and Losers
Here are the list of dishes we had that I consider winners:

• American Baked Spareribs (P230) - affordable and tasty!
• Asian Chicken Salad (P150 || P295) - fresh and mangoey! 
• Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza - well actually I recommend pizzas of TOSH in general
• Tiramisu (P110) - the best that I had so far, I find it perfect for me.

And now for the losers:

• Pesto - salty and very unappealing
• Buffalo Chicken - great at first but salty at the end (weird)! 

Of course, those that are not mentioned are still great, and I still suggest that you try them. However, the ones listed as winners are the top recommendations.

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The Old Spaghetti House (TOSH)
Location: 3/F Midtown Wing, Robinsons Place Ermita
Service Charge: 10% before VAT

Menu and Prices (August 2013):
 
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