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Mediterranean medley
Source: Inquirer
Author: Rowena C. Burgos
Date: 2001-05-17
 
GLORIETTA remains one of Makati City’s great eating places, and a good restaurant to begin with is Azzurro Bistro and Winebar. Located at Level 1, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati, it’s a gourmet oasis of hushed voices, wood-carved panels and brass chargers.



Established in July 1999, the 80-seater Azzurro (an Italian word which means blue) has for its motif the hues of the sun and the sea. The ceiling and the floor are designed into rays of the sun. The Mediterranean sea and its environs are painted on one wall.



And although Azzurro lacks a seaside setting, its Mediterranean Style Fish and Chips (deep-fried herb and saffron beer-battered fillet of fish with balsamic vinegar, home cut chips and classic tartar sauce) can take one, at least briefly, to a small Aegean island.



There’s no nicer way to while away an afternoon or evening than with Greek Mezze Plate (Middle Eastern flat bread, chickpea hummus, black olive tapenade, cucumber rita and baba ganoush) and tea selections like Lemon, English Breakfast, Orange Spice, Earl Gray, Ceylon, Cinnamon Apple Spice, Peppermint, Heart Health, Sleepy Time, Green Tea and Tension Tamer.



If you’re looking for real pizza, the restaurant’s young culinary team, headed by chef Philip John Golding, transforms flour, cheese and tomatoes into magnificent creations: Margherita, Say Cheese, Seafood and Pepperoni which have the taste of southern Italy.



"What Azzurro offers is Mediterranean cuisine given a contemporary twist. It’s not fusion," emphasizes Sheila B. Romero, chairman and CEO of Azzurro.



A graduate of Economics and Finance from De La Salle University, Sheila used to run a franchise of Bakahan at Manukan on East Avenue, which is owned by her uncle Rod Ongpauco. Putting up her own restaurant has been a long-time dream. "Running a restaurant is not only a matter of liking food or knowing how to cook. It should be a mixture of such factors," she says.



With Azzurro serving formidable plates of Mediterranean food at reasonable prices, Sheila has been confident of the diner’s success because "the Filipino palate has become diverse and is now open to a lot of experimentations."



In July, Azzurro Too! bistro and deli will be opened at the Megastrip in Megamall. And it will offer more treats, like the restaurant’s bottled specialty sauces, breakfast items and family activities.





Taste of ingenuity



The moment the word "food" comes up, one thinks of chef Philip John Golding, one of the country’s best chefs.



A chef of the defunct Fashion Café in Makati, one will never see him serve the same dish twice. He always introduces some variation and garnishes his creations with such originality that in his hands an insignificant lettuce is transformed into a hearty Crisp Caesar Salad or Tuna Nicoise (Iceberg and Romaine lettuce lightly bound with Swiss style vinaigrette, olives, quail eggs with grilled Davao yellow fin tuna).



He conducts cooking classes on Mediterranean dishes at 9 a.m.-12 noon every Saturday until June 2 at Azzurro.



Azzurro’s young team is a joy to watch in the kitchen: wrapped in their aprons, kerchiefs around their heads, juggling wooden spoons, iron pots, mountains of ingredients, bottles of spices, sprigs of herbs and generous dashes of the best brandy. It’s hard to describe the aromas issuing from the stockpot, the savor of soup, the texture of chunks of sausage, chicken and beef that melt in your mouth. And after some time of spirited labor in the kitchen, ingenuous dishes of nouvelle cuisine are served.



There are the Chef’s Suggestions of Organic Salad, Gindara or Blue Marlin, Red Mullet Fillet, Turkey Spiced Paprika Steak, Fresh Chilled 100% Black Angus Rib Eye Steak and Cubed Pan-roasted Leg of Lamb with garlic, rosemary and honey. Its Summer Pasta Festival, on the other hand, is available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Symphony of Flavors, set lunch and dinner, is offered at 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Sundays to Thursdays, and at 11 a.m.-2:30 a.m., Fridays to Saturdays.



Aside from appetizers, salads, soups, vegetarian dishes, pizza, seafoods, paella, poultry and game, beef, lamb and pork and desserts, Azzurro also features Tapaz (small portions of food served to complement fine drinks and good conversation) happy hour, 4-7 p.m. daily and 10 p.m. onwards, Friday to Sunday.



Romero and her dynamic team at Azzuro lovingly choose the freshest ingredients, prepare them with art and offer them as a gift to the soul.

 

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