ASIDE from it prominently figuring in the past and continuing history of the city, The Manila Hotel has also been a staple in festivities, especially during the holiday season, when the hotel’s lobby becomes adorned with astonishing hues of red, white and green candy ornaments, a life-sized carousel and two 22-foot Christmas trees.
All holiday festivities, however, are stepped up this year as The Manila Hotel’s Café Ilang-Ilang holds an Italian Food Festival—a gastronomic journey across the verdant valleys of Italy’s countryside with recipes that will delight diners of all ages. The foodfest is ongoing until December 7.
Although the famed Cafe Ilang-Ilang already brings together an exceptional array of cuisines from across all continents in its lunch and dinner buffets, Italian-born Chef Marco Ghini brings with him to the hotel a wider selection of cucina Italiana that promises utter and utterly delicious authenticity.
Hailing from the Emilia-Romagna region, Chef Marco learned from his mentors from Instituto Alberghiero Nazareno di Carpi in Modena, Italy, and after working all over his home country, where he established his own gastronomia called Cibo & Vino.
For his new professional adventure at The Manila Hotel, Chef Marco brings with him his expertise to serve guests not only the most popular Italian dishes
but also traditional dishes from his region that may
not be all that familiar to the Filipino palate, but promises a delectable and unforgettable gastronomic experience nonetheless.
Chef Marco prepares his Italian dishes—from artisanal pizzas with fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil, to mouthwatering appetizers and pastas—at the live Italian cooking station, where guests can see him in action. Among his specialty dishes are the saltimbocca alla romana, which is tenderloin in lemon and white wine sauce; risotto al fruitti di mare, which has seafood and fish broth; and polpette con piselli, which has freshly made meatballs with peas in tomato sauce.
“There will be guests who are not familiar with some of the dishes he prepares, so it is really important that Chef Ghini is always at his station to encourage people to try these traditional Italian dishes,” says Nian Liwanag-Rigor, the hotel’s assistant vice president for public relations and corporate communications. “Moreover, his presence alone validates the authenticity of the dishes.”
The other dishes that Chef Marco encourages guests to try include the tortelli verdi, which is square-shaped pasta with spinach filling, or di zucca for squash filling; gnocco fritto with cold cuts on the side; spaghetti alle vongole, a simple pasta dish with clams; pork tenderloin with mushrooms; gnocchi di patate, which is pasta made from potatoes and can be topped with the guest’s choice of sauce; tagliatelle alla Bolognese; pollo alla cacciatora, which is chicken topped with tomato sauce; and penne all’arrabbiata, a spicy pasta in tomato sauce with chili pepper, garlic and parsley.
Chef Marco says that he makes use of locally available ingredients, and even uses them to create Filipino fusion in some of the dishes, such as in his lapu-lapu Sicilian stile. Guests can enjoy all these sumptuous offerings with Orvieto Classico wine, which is traditional in southern Italy.
“I hope guests will enjoy our offerings because these are truly part of the traditional Italian cuisine, which I was brought up in,” Chef Marco says.
Janica Monick Riego / Photos by Alysa Salen
Image credits: Alysa Salen