QC eats: La Spezia is that Italian hole-in-the-wall you've been searching for

MANILA -- When college friends Sean Yuquimpo and Aaron Shiu decided to open an Italian restaurant, they took inspiration from their earlier trips to Europe, where they would eat fresh and unpretentious food in a “small joint in the corner of nowhere.”

Quezon City’s bustling Scout area isn’t exactly “nowhere.” Its main artery, Tomas Morato, has long been one of the top restaurant rows in the metro, and a variety of establishments from bars to small hotels have made this a lively hub for a night on the town.

Yet La Spezia, while just a few meters off Tomas Morato on Scout Dr. Lazcano St., tucked away in a more residential area, does feel removed, giving diners the feeling of having stumbled upon an interesting food find.

The restaurant has actually been around since November 2016 yet it still has maintained that mystique. “We don’t really broadcast the restaurant, kahit ngayon,” explained Yuquimpo. “Maswerte rin kami. The year we opened had the most number of restaurant openings in Manila. Ang daming competition but people always tell us to stick to our guns.”

And that is to offer “genuine, straightforward, no-frills Italian food.”

Noting that many Italian chain restaurants in the metro lack “soul,” the two buddies have always envisioned a small hole-in-the-wall eatery. With a seating of 45, Spezia is actually already bigger than what they were initially targeting. But it worked out anyway. There’s a covered patio for relaxed group gatherings, while the homey indoors have a romantic glow that quickly sets the mood for something special.

Framed travel photographs, beams in the ceiling and handsome wood-and-steel furniture give it just the right mix of rustic and modern, while fun touches like the cheese graters turned pendant lights over the bar are quirky pops of youth. After all, Yuquimpo and Shiu are only in their late 20s.

They also allotted display space not just for wines but also bottles of Kavalan whisky, since both started in the beverage distribution business.

CLASSIC MENU

They did have to adjust a bit in terms of the menu. The original menu of La Spezia was more seasonal, in keeping with their European inspiration. Shiu, who did his culinary internship in France, explained that using what’s readily available in the market was also more economical and, not too mention, fresher.

But they found out that customers would be disappointed to find their favorite dish gone from a continuously changing menu. So early this year, they decided to create a new menu featuring “all the classics that people like” — a tack that drew a positive response from their customers.

“What we did, nag-isip kami ng classic Italian recipes that almost every restaurant in Italy has,” Yuquimpo said.

The Polenta Fritata, for instance, sets the homey mood that La Spezia is gunning for — an unpretentious, rustic dish with the polenta breaded then deep-fried that's an ideal starter that can be easily shared.

That special touch comes with the use of aged Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, dollops of lemon-infused ricotta and the addition of candied orange peels to give it more flavor variety with that hint of sweetness and tang playing off against the savory taste of the polenta logs.

This playfulness, they insisted, isn’t mere culinary whimsy and definitely not about fusion. “Mas naba-balance ‘yung dish,” Yuquimpo argued, adding that when they do research and development, they ask themselves if the flavor is complete. “That’s when we add.”

For the Spaghetti alle Vongole Veraci, smoked bell peppers were used instead of the usual garlic thyme sauce to balance out the clam juice and also to add an extra kick and make La Spezia's version of this popular pasta dish stand out.

“Para maiwasan din ‘yung comparison,” he said, referring to the other Italian restaurants in the Tomas Morato area.

NO PIZZAS

Another main difference is that La Spezia doesn’t serve pizzas, even if diners look for them. The reason is that they don’t want to compromise on quality. For one, they pointed out that their kitchen is too small to make pizzas that are up to the standards they have set for the restaurant.

(Similarly, Spezia reserves the Bistecca alla Florentina for weekends only, given the preparation required to make this special dish that features 800-g or 1-kg Black Angus porterhouse.)

Another fine example of a well-executed dish is the Pollo Impanato, which is perfect for a “summer” menu with its overall light character with couscous and summer vegetables, matched by the most perfect chicken breast I have tasted, brined and sous vide to make it tasty and juicy.

Yuquimpo admitted that dessert isn’t their forte, which explains the lack of choices — either poached pear with gelato or the Zeppole or Italian donuts, which actually work well given their set-up.

Naturally, they dressed up these donuts with mascarpone, strawberry coulis, lemon scent and mint.

“Normal” just doesn’t cut it for these guys.

La Spezia is located at 90 Scout Dr. Lascano Street, Quezon City.