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Alabang eats: What's new at Guidicelli family's Da Gianni restaurant

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Leah C. Salterio

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/tvpatrol/08/10/20190811-food1.jpg"/><figcaption>Pasta con le Sarde. <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA -- More than a year after the Guidicelli family opened its second Italian restaurant, Da Gianni Cucina Italiana in Alabang has never stopped reinventing its dishes, as it consistently offers new treats to its loyal clientele.</p><p>Undoubtedly, Da Gianni has livened up the culinary scene in Alabang. Its truffle cream pasta, for instance, has been voted among the 10 <a href="https://www.spot.ph/eatdrink/the-latest-eat-drink/77099/top-10-truffle-cream-pastas-in-manila-a3440-20190228-lfrm">best</a> in the metro by website Spot.</p><p>Every month, the restaurant offers new dishes to diners who frequent the place, as well as to visitors who are trying out the restaurant for the first time.</p><p>Da Gianni is the second restaurant of the Guidicellis following Trattoria Da Gianni that opened in Cebu City in 2017.</p><p>The Alabang restaurant introduces about five to six dishes every month.</p><p>“We realized the Filipinos are always looking for something new,” said Da Gianni business partner and close family friend, Pisha Villa-Abrille. “We try to introduce different dishes and luckily, those who visit us like them.</p><p>“We either keep the dishes on the menu, depending on the availability of the ingredients or create another version of it that will accommodate the taste buds of Filipinos.”<br/> <br/>For August, Da Gianni is offering Australia wagyu beef, Mulwarra. “We grill it,” explained Abrille. “The meat that we have is very flavorful that it requires very minimal seasoning.”</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/tvpatrol/08/10/20190811-food2.jpg"/><figcaption>Rainbow Trout. <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>There’s also rainbow trout baked with salt, pepper, olive oil and oregano. Abrille said this fish is &quot;high in protein content and very similar to salmon.”</p><p>Then there’s the Ragu Bianco. “Ragu is a meat sauce,” Abrille said. “Instead of putting tomato, we cream it with cheese, so the flavor becomes more complex. Then we pair it with homemade noodles, the tagliatelle, that embodies traditional Italian pasta.”</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0XASApnvdr/" data-instgrm-version="12" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"> </div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"> </div><div 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style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center;margin-bottom:24px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:224px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:144px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B0XASApnvdr/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Da Gianni (@dagiannimanila)</a> on <time dateTime="2019-07-26T00:13:44+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Jul 25, 2019 at 5:13pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Da Gianni also offers a special truffle and mushroom pizza. “We are preparing very simple dishes that the diners will surely like,” Abrille said.</p><p>But more than the new dishes, there’s something else happening in August that Da Gianni’s loyal patrons can look forward to and hopefully take part in.</p><p>For National Heroes Day on August 26, Da Gianni is partnering with Hero Foundation, a non-government organization that supports the families of fallen soldiers.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/tvpatrol/08/10/20190811-food3.jpg"/><figcaption>For every house special dish ordered this August like this Bone Marrow Pasta, a P50 will be donated to Hero Foundation. <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>“We really want to help the children of the brave soldiers by sending the kids to school,” Abrille said. “Either vocational or college courses. We also want to help the families. A portion from each of the dish sold in the restaurant will be donated to the foundation.”</p><p>Abrille assessed the first year of Da Gianni and she cannot be thankful enough. “We’re very, very lucky. We’re very thankful that people welcomed us. The support was overwhelming. We learned a lot. We don’t want to call ourselves experts, but we experienced so much already on our first year. We only hope that every year, we’ll get better,” she said.</p><p>Abrille confirmed that Da Gianni will be expanding next year. “We are actively talking about putting up another branch. We are eyeing Makati. We’re in talks with Rockwell. Though nothing is etched in stone yet.</p><p>“We might also open in Quezon City or Ortigas. It’s all about finding the right location for us. BGC (Bonifacio Global City) is also a welcome location.”</p><p>In the meantime, it’s “preparing more savory and sweet dishes” for Da Gianni’s customers, as well as “involving ourselves in more activities,” Abrille said.</p>

<p>More than a year after the Guidicelli family opened its second Italian restaurant, Da Gianni Cucina Italiana in Alabang has never stopped reinventing its dishes, as it consistently offers new treats to its loyal clientele.</p>

More than a year after the Guidicelli family opened its second Italian restaurant, Da Gianni Cucina Italiana in Alabang has never stopped reinventing its dishes, as it consistently offers new treats to its loyal clientele.