Address: Unit 2, 2/F, Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Chino Roces Ave Ext, Magallanes, Makati City
When fine-dining chefs tackle comfort food, the results usually go one of two ways: either it becomes an over-designed, overwrought mess, or it delivers pure culinary gold. Fortunately, Cutie Pie at Karrivin Plaza sits firmly in the latter category. As the newest project from Chef Stephan Duhesme (the visionary behind Metiz and Automat) alongside Chef Arlo Gregorio, this space serves as an intentional palate cleanser to the stiff, over-polished world of tasting menus. Instead of foraging for rare indigenous ingredients, these chefs are channeling their obsessive attention to texture and fermentation into a casual, neighborhood pizza joint.
The Structural New York-Style Crust
The immediate surprise here is the style. While Manila’s current dining landscape is completely oversaturated with floppy, fast-baking Neapolitan pies, Cutie Pie deliberately steers toward an artisan New York-style approach. According to Duhesme, fine dining teaches chefs to constantly layer complex flavors, but a great pizza requires intense restraint to prevent the final product from turning muddy.
The result is a sturdier, lighter, and incredibly crackly crust engineered with a high structural integrity. It is crisp enough to hold its shape horizontally without drooping, specifically designed to survive Metro Manila's unforgiving humidity without collapsing into a soggy, unappetizing mess.
The Standout Move: The Bon’Chovy
For anyone who appreciates a deeply savory, umami-forward profile, the Bon'Chovy is the absolute anchor of the menu. It skips the standard, predictable red tomato sauce base entirely, opting instead for a rich, warm layer of bagna cauda (a traditional northern Italian dip made of garlic and anchovies rendered in olive oil and butter).
The pie is then built out with meltingly soft garlic confit and punchy, whole anchovies. On paper, a pizza loaded with three distinct layers of allium and salted fish sounds like an absolute assault on the senses. In reality, the execution is brilliant. Each bite hits you with the sharp, aggressive saltiness of the fish before immediately mellowing out into the buttery warmth of the garlic confit. Because the light crust retains its crunch from the center all the way to the rim, the entire experience stays balanced and savory without ever feeling weighed down by grease.
The Practical Verdict
Cutie Pie doesn't come with the intimidating pretension of a Michelin-adjacent kitchen, but it carries the exact same level of discipline behind the scenes. It’s honest, fun, and explicitly designed for sharing over a few drinks. If you are sick of the same old identical pizzerias dominating your social feeds, this thoughtful, chef-driven corner in Makati is a mandatory weekend stop.
