IN the 19th century, an Italian named Raffaele Esposito owned a tavern called Pizzeria di Pietro e Basta Cosi. He whipped up what is now known as Margherita Pizza to put together the colors red, white and green of the Italian flag – using tomato, mozzarella and basil – for Queen Margherita of Savoy, who absolutely loved it. Today, Raffaele Esposito is considered as the Father of Modern Pizza.
Raffaele also happens to be the name of the new Italian restaurant of The Bayleaf Hotel in the walled city of Intramuros, Manila. It formally opened its doors to the dining public on June 14, 2014, and offers fresh Italian inspired dishes, combining traditional favorites and introducing new, modern takes on basically Italian flavors. The restaurant specializes in wood-fired pizzas using authentic Italian ingredients, such as Type 00 Italian flour, although as much locally available ingredients are sourced in the country. The pizzas are cooked in a wood-fired oven imported from Modena, Italy.
“We brought in the oven from Italy, where pizza originated from, because the Italians have mastered the pizza oven and know best,” explains The Bayleaf Hotel’s executive chef Jose Carlo Santiago.
Since the oven weighed 2 tons, the hotel building had to be restructured to be able to bear the weight of the wood-fired oven, which “runs” on aromatic fruit wood. Raffaele uses mango and langka fruit woods to fire the oven, and these are soured from a supplier approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
To fully maximize the wood-fired oven, Chef Carlo had to come up with the perfect pizza dough, using the right flour and other ingredients, to go with the oven. He worked on the dough, experimenting on many different recipes and blends, relentlessly until he hit the perfect formula and it came out of the oven crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and perfect for whatever toppings he put on the pizza dough.
Understandably, pizza is the single best-selling item on the Raffaele menu, and it comes in 12 different flavors. The basics – Quattro (four types of cheese: Gorgonzola, Provolone, Mozzarella and Parmesan), Tartufo Funghi (mushrooms) and Pepperoni (Italian salami) – are still the top favorites, although all pizzas on the menu are”moving” impressively. Other more indulgent flavors, such as Porchetta Pizze, which has roasted pork, Ricotta cheese, tomatoes, anchovies and pistachio as toppings, have also become favorites among diners.
And when there’s good pizza, there must be good pasta, too. Raffaele’s pasta dishes can rival the best which restaurants that serve authentic pastas have to offer. Check out Fresca, which is pasta negra with mussels, sun-dried tomatoes and crab; and Bolognese, which combines meat sauce, mint pesto, goat cheese and tortiglioni.
Aside from pizza and pasta, Chef Carlo has also lined up an impressive list of appetizers, salads and main entrées on the menu. Must-try appetizers include Vongole Blanco (clams, garlic, tomatoes, chili, white wine and bread), Gamberetti (shrimps, preserved lemon, garlic, chili and almonds), Lingua con Tonnato (ox tongue, tuna mayonnaise and roasted bell pepper), and Tuna Conserva (tuna, capers, roasted tomatoes and grilled bread).
All these dishes feature modern twists to make them more delicious and flavorful. For one, Chef Carlo added tiltilan, or fish roe, to flavor the clams in Vongole Blanco. He used smoked paprika in his Gamberetti and marinated the tuna in salted water before making Tuna Conserva. As for the Lingua con Tonnato, diners would notice how the lengua (ox tongue) look like foie gras (duck liver) on the serving platter. This is intentional on the part of Chef Carlo, who did so because, in his own words, “every time I look at Lengua, what comes to my mind is Foie Gras.”
As for the salad, diners who like their food simple and traditional would go for Caprese (slices of tomatoes and fresh mozzarella tossed in vinaigrette and aged balsamic on a bed of Romaine lettuce); while those who are more adventurous with their food would love Tritato (assorted vegetables with salumi, walnuts and croutons in creamy Caesar dressing with a soft-boiled egg).
For the entrées, Chef Carlo recommends Agnello, which is grilled lamb ribs served with garlic potatoes, arugula and tomatoes, French fries and mint jelly. “This is cooked sous-vide for 10 hours. After the first two hours, I open the sous-vide bag, throw out the marination to remove the gamey taste from the lamb, replace it with fresh marinade, and continue cooking it for another 8 hours. Then I put it in the chiller and let the meat rest, and grill it only when ready to serve,” explains Chef Carlo.
At Raffaele, diners usually order dessert because the Italian dessert selections are so good. The Tiramisu con Chocolat (lady fingers, espresso, Mascarpone cheese and chocolate) is to die for, and it comes in a serving that’s good to share. The Dolci al Cioccolato (warm chocolate cake served with Crème Anglaise) is another must-try. It is served warm, straight from the oven, and is so moist and melt-in-the-mouth, especially when Crème Anglaise is poured over each mouthful, that you’d keep eating until it’s gone. For diners who like their dessert light and fruity, the Frutta con Ricotta (macerated fruits with Ricotta cheese, citrus curd and honey comb) should be the perfect ending to a good Italian meal.
(The Bayleaf Hotel is located at Muralla corner Victoria Streets, Intramuros, Manila; with telephone number 318-5000.)
