ITALIAN cuisine is one of the foreign cuisines that has become closest to the hearts of Filipinos. We devour pizza for lunch, merienda, dinner or midnight snack. Spaghetti has become a must in Filipino birthday celebrations. We’ve also made our own Filipino version of spaghetti, and it’s in the menu of almost all fast-food chains in the country. We’ve also started to appreciate risotto, and Italian desserts, such as Tiramisu, have become a big favorite. But while most fast-foods, diners and restaurants have adjusted our Italian favorites to suit the sweet-ish taste of Filipinos, there’s nothing like having authentic Italian food, and one place where you can find truly authentic Italian cuisine is Tosca at Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City.
Tosca prides itself in serving only authentic Italian cuisine—from antipasti (appetizers) and insalata (salads) to pasta, risotti (risotto), carne (meat) and pesce (fish) entrées to pizza and dolci (desserts). Dining at Tosca is like dining in the best restaurants in Italy without having to get on a plane and ‘fly’ to Italy. The food is authentic because the ingredients used are fresh. No compromises. The essence of Italian food, after all, is fresh flavors. It can be as simple as a Margherita Pizza made with fresh tomato sauce, tomato slices, cheese and basil leaves, but the freshness of the flavors and the combination of ingredients that work well together burst in your mouth and give you an exquisite flavor sensation that you won’t be able to get from a similar pizza that makes use of canned ingredients.
Of course, it helps that the man on top of the Tosca kitchen is an Italian chef who’s backed with long years of experience, Chef Maurizzio Gibillini. He’s also known to make the best gelato in town. A seasoned hand in the Italian kitchen and a passionate one, at that, Chef Maurizzio makes no compromises in his food. He has been the Italian chef of Dusit Thani Manila in charge of Tosca for the past two years, within which Tosca steadily gained a strong following and earned good reviews not just for good service, which Dusit Thani hotels are known for, but also for its good food. Italians frequent the restaurant, which speaks tons for the authenticity of its food, because, after all, it takes Italians to know what good Italian food is.
A simple lunch at Tosca can start with an antipasti of Carpaccio di Manzo (thinly sliced beef carpaccio, dressed with cream of horseradish, extra virgin olive oil and arugula leaves) and Pasticcio Di Melanzane (baked layers of eggplant with basil, tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses).
For the Carpaccio di Manzo, Chef Maurizzio uses Angus beef tenderloin from the United States, which, he believes, is the best for a carpaccio. “If you use top-round, even if you age it well, it will not be as good,” he explains.
Unfortunately, a number of restaurants who serve Carpaccio use top-round. So Tosca can proudly claim to have one of the best Beef Carpaccios in town. It’s also one of the best-looking, arranged nicely around the plate, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with shaved Parmesan cheese, and topped with a small bouquet of arugula salad.
As for the Pasticcio Di Melanzane, it seems to be a very simple dish, but the fresh flavors of eggplant, basil, tomato sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses meld together so beautifully that you’d truly enjoy eating it. It’s like a lighter and healthier but equally flavorful and delicious helping of lasagna.
Risotto alla Milanese can be a good follow-up to that perfect pair of antipasti. While most Filipinos are still struggling to appreciate the Italian level of al dente doneness of pasta—and risotto—others have already begun to look for this “done but still firm to the bite” doneness especially in risotto. It’s just a thin line separating what is perceived to be “still a bit raw” and what is “just perfectly done,” and Chef Maurizzio is able to tread this line and please with his Risotto alla Milanese (Carnaroli rice tossed with onion, butter, dried porcini, saffron and Parmesan cheese). Again, these ingredients boast of fresh, clean flavors, and when they come together, you’re just eating rice but you get perfect satisfaction from it.
If you want to try pasta, there’s a lot of choices on the menu, but Chef Maurizzio can prepare dishes that are not on the menu. If there’s a specific dish that you want and it’s not listed on the menu, let the chef know what kind of pasta you want, what sauce you prefer and what ingredients you want to find in it, and he can make it for you. There’s Spaghetti Scoglio, which is assorted seafood (shrimps, clams and squid rings) cooked in olive oil and garlic, and topped with arugula. Chef Maurizzio also recommends spaghetti in tomato sauce with clams, arugula and diced tomatoes.
Diners who are having a full course meal with both a fish dish and a meat entrée have a number of pesce selections on the menu to choose from, but Chef Maurizzio can also whip up a dish that’s not on the menu for diners who request for it. If you’ve tried all the fish dishes on the menu, how about ordering Lapu-Lapu Salmoriglio? In Italy, chefs use swordfish for this dish, but in the Philippines, a nice and fresh fillet of lapu-lapu should be just as good. The fish is served with a very flexible sauce which also goes very well with tilapia, tuna or tanigue fish. Salmoriglio is a Southern Italian condiment or sauce made with lemon juice, olive oil, chopped oregano, minced garlic and parsley; and seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s perfect with fish and seafood.
For the meat dish, a popular choice is Pollo alla Valdostana (chicken breast with cooked ham and Fontina cheese). Its flavors will remind you of Chicken Roulade, but the Italian version isn’t rolled. It is carefully layered, and you can actually see and smell the heavenly aroma of melted Fontina cheese on the ham and the chicken.
At Tosca, dessert is just as ‘looked-forward-to’ as the entrées. It’s a toss-up among the extremely popular Tiramisu, Rum Baba with Whipped Cream (sponge soaked in Italian Funtasia rum syrup), Bigne Chocolate (traditional cream puffs with homemade chocolate sauce), and Today’s Flavor of Gelato Casalingo, but, again, Chef Maurizzio is able to whip up something special for diners who want something new. Ask for Mascarpone Panettone, which is slices of Panettone cake sautéed with butter and Grand Marnier for that nutty flavor with a kick and then served with Mascarpone cheese piped on top with a sprinkling of chopped Pistachio nuts and slices of fresh strawberry. It’s a fitting end to a delightfully satisfying Italian meal.
If you notice when you flip the menu at Tosca, most of the dishes listed on it come with a recommended wine to pair each dish with. This is because Italian food is best enjoyed with wine. “The acidity of wine goes well with Italian food, just like tea is perfect with Chinese food,” says Chef Maurizzio.
So, for the most exquisite Italian dining experience, don’t order Green Mango Shake or Iced Tea or soda. Beer should be a better second choice to wine, because, in Italy, pizza is eaten with beer.
(Tosca is located at the Mezzanine Level of Dusit Thani Manila, Ayala Center, Makati City.)
