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Fine Italian cuisine from Swiss expat
Source: Inquirer
Author: Leah Salterio Gatdula
Date: 1999-09-15
 
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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