MANILA, Philippines—For the first time in the Philippines, Seda Hotels is presenting an “Italian Aperi-Dinner” with guest chef Giovan Giuseppe Ferrandino on March 14 to 30 at Seda Bonifacio Global City’s Straight Up roof deck bar.
Chef Giovan will introduce the Italian way of enjoying good food — with “aperitivi” or pre-dinner cocktails, complemented by a buffet of antipasti and other international appetizers.
Seda’s Italian Group General Manager Andrea Mastellone says, “Seda is the first hotel to introduce this concept in the Philippines and we are proud that Chef Giovan, who has worked in various Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, is helping us present the event.”
Chef Giovan is based in Genova, Italy and has worked not only in his home country but also in Germany, France, Monaco and Switzerland. At Straight Up in Seda BGC, he will showcase an “apericena” buffet of tapas-style dishes including stuffed mozzarella, crostinis, pizzas, pastas, open-faced quiche, and even goulash and crepes.
Mastellone explains that the word “apericena” combines the Italian word for appetizer, “aperitivo”, with “cena”, meaning dinner. The concept started as a prelude to dinner, but today, more than 16,000,000 Italians flock to Italy’s upscale cafes to indulge in this buffet of light dishes as a substitute for dinner, while enjoying the company of friends and colleagues.
Seda BGC’s version will feature as many as 40 appetizers drawing from international cuisines, matched by an excellent array of Italian wines.
Simultaneously, Chef Giovan will showcase Italian classic dishes using modern methods of preparation at the hotel’s Misto restaurant.
Among these is “ragu”, typically a sauce of minced meat and cooked with vegetables in a broth, wine or cream. The pork ribs, sausages, and beef are slow-cooked for about six hours and become so tender that they seem to “melt like butter in the mouth” says the Chef.
Chef Giovan will also make the “tagliolini” pasta himself, as well as the lasagne, and prepare the well-loved carbonara using cream of cereal instead of the usual dairy variety.
All these and more will be available a la carte for lunch at Misto. Chef Giovan will be assisted by Seda BGC’s Filipino-Italian Chef, Ms. Anna Finato Galzignato, ín close coordination with the hotel’s Executive Chef Romualdo “Pepe” Castillo.
After Seda BGC, Chef Giovan will fly to Seda Abreeza, Davao City and Seda Centrio, Cagayan de Oro City which will run the Italian food promotion at Misto one after the other; while Seda Nuvali will have its turn in mid-May, 2014. Bank of the Philippine Islands cardholders will get a 20 percent discount in Misto and Straight Up in any Seda hotel; while Amore Visa cardholders will enjoy an additional privilege.