Recipes from Italy's pastoral land offer robust, rustic and
vibrant flavors
WHEN Swiss national Roger
Begre decided to put up a
fine-dining restaurant in the
country after more than three
decades of working in
first-class hotels around the
world, he opted for Italian
cuisine. His reason was simple:
Italian food was popular here.
He made the right choice.
Today, two years after putting
up Antonelli's Cucina Autentica Italiana, Begre has captured a
loyal and growing clientele.
Not a few express surprise when told that Antonelli's owner is,
in fact, Swiss.
Begre chose to concentrate on Italian cuisine because he says
it's more versatile and lends itself to a rich variety of
combinations and flavors. The challenge and excitement
particularly comes from the creative use of ingredients and
procedures.
The restaurant, on the corner of Yakal and Ayala ave. ext. (near
the Makati fire station), serves traditional, country-style Italian
dishes which are robust and rustic, with flavors brought out by
the right mixture of herbs and spices.
Being traditional Italian cuisine, the food is rich and tasty, using
good butter, cheese ream and the best olive oil.
Antonelli's is family-owned. Begre beams with pride at the fact
his family has joined him in business. His 24-year-old son,
Geronimo, the eldest of two kids, heads the kitchen staff as chef,
putting to good use years of learning at prestigious Swiss
culinary academies. Daughter Antoinette, after whom the
restaurant was named, is also a busy figure in the kitchen,
whipping up her delectable desserts and other specialties.
Begre's wife, Olive, who is Chinese-Filipino, does the paper
work, the marketing, purchasing, and administration.
''I also hold the whip,'' Olive jokes. ''When they feel lazy to work,
I just shout 'Move it!' and the trick works.''
The Begres opened Antonelli's in 1997, a year after Roger retired
from his job as general manager of Manila Midtown, a position
he held for 12 years (1984-1996). Previous to that, he also
worked at the Hotel Intercontinental and the Manila Hotel.
Antonelli's elegant interiors were done by architect Lor Calma.
Although the place can only accommodate less than a hundred
people, the design gives diners a cozy and relaxing ambiance.
There is a small bar on the left, while the salad bar is near the
kitchen. On-sale paintings of different artists hang everywhere.
The restaurant is open from lunch until 10:30 p.m., Monday to
Saturday. On Sundays, there's a buffet for lunch, which has
become popular especially for families who are dining out.
A look at Antonelli's menu will educate customers on Italian
dishes. The house specialties are often also the bestsellers,
such as the tortellini pasta and osso bucco (veal shank stew).
The roasted duck with raspberry sauce (anatra arrosto)
requires a 24-hour reservation notice.
Basic pasta recipes include risotto, canneloni, rigatoni,
spaghetti bolognese, ravioli and lasagna. There is also a pizza
list to choose from.
For the meat and seafood dishes, Antonelli's relies on imported
supply. The veal is Dutch, while the mussels are from New
Zealand.
It's rare that they run out of supplies in the kitchen, according to
Roger. ''We don't want to disappoint our customers, so
whatever is on the menu, we serve it everyday,'' he says.
The salad bar, meanwhile, has four different kinds of lettuce and
dressings.
As chef, Geronimo recommends the stracotto (traditional beef
pot roast), fegato a la Venetiana (veal liver cooked the Venetian
way), petti di anatra con mela (braised duck with apples),
calamari ripieno in salsa nero (stuffed squid in black ink).
Last month, Antonelli's introduced its abruzzo recipes from
Italy's pastoral land, where the simple flavors of the earth and
sea create food of abundant ingredients and vibrant flavors.
For appetizers there are grande antipasto da avezzano (cold
delicacies from Avezzano) and cozze allo zafferano (mussels in
saffron).
The soup recipes boast screppelle 'mbusse (crepes in chicken
broth), zuppa di funghi da pescara (mushroom soup from
pescara) and la ciavidella di federico (egg and tomato soup).
The abruzzo pasta dishes include linguine con sughetto di
salvadore (a very balmy dish with tomatoes and capers),
spaghetti alla pecorara (shepherd's spaghetti), fusilli con
cavolfiore (spiral pasta with cauliflower) and ristotto mare e
terra (risotto with clams and mushrooms).
There are also fish and meat specialties, such as spigola alla
pizzaiola (lapu-lapu fillets with mussels pizzaiola), pesce alle
olive e capperi (blue marlin with olives and capers), gambe di
pollo da l'aquila (chicken legs in saffron and grappa), fegato di
vitello casa nostra (tender veal liver home style) and coda di
manzo brasata (braised oxtail in red wine).
Geronimo alters the menu every two months to introduce new
dishes, so customers can have more choices.
''I like experimenting in the kitchen,'' Geronimo says. ''I look for
old Italian recipes and develop a new version for a different
presentation. Sometimes, I also come up with my own recipes.''
Aside from Antonelli's, the Begres also run a fast-food eatery,
Pasta Pinoy, along Pasong Tamo near Bagtikan Street, also in
Makati. The restaurant offers take-out and delivery services for
the low-end market.
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