Bistro Casanova: Authentic Italian Cuisine at The Fort

 

When In Manila and craving for authentic Italian fare,  I’d recommend making your way to the Fort and try Bistro Casanova, a casual side-street Italian resto-bar. Dine al fresco with friends in the quieter part of Burgos Circle, or share a romantic dinner inside the restaurant, with romantic candlelight to set the mood.

 

 

 

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I was feeling rather romantic one night, and invited my date to try out the food and the place at the quaint Bistro Casanova. Walking into the resto-bar, you can’t help but admire the focal point of the bistro – a colorful mural of Venice, with gondolas, piazzas in the distance, and couples enjoying a sunset ride. 

 

 

 

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Looking around, you can’t help but notice their vast collection of wine and other liquors to choose from. No wonder most of their clientele are foreign, they’re hoarding all the good stuff! We passed the time waiting for our food by chatting with Mark de Jesus, Bistro Casanova‘s very accommodating Marketing Head.

 

 

 

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We started our night of gastronomic feasting with complimentary Bruschetta – a simple antipasto of roasted bread with a tomato, onions, cucumber, cilantro, and Parmesan dip. You know you’re in for an authentic Italian meal when they know how to make bruschetta! We were all giddy for what was to come!

 

 

 

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The next appetizer that came out was the Pachino Ripieno Crosta Di Pizza (P360) – cherry tomatoes stuffed with anchovies and mozzarella rolled in pizza dough and blanketed with parma ham. I absolutely loved this! Biting into the warm pizza ball, I was happily surprised with the cherry tomato in the middle.

 

 

 

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To try something different for the salad, we tried Bistro Casanova‘s Itaca (P235) – a merry mix of lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato, feta cheese, and olives in a simple dressing of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

 

 

 

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The Capelli D’Angelo Al Tartufo Asparagini E Speck (P395) came out next – home made angel hair pasta with truffle cream asparagus and cured ham. The truffle oil just sings in your mouth! I couldn’t get enough of the truffle oil, with the asparagus giving a nice crunch to the dish, with soft curls of parma ham giving the dish more flavor. This is my new favorite pasta dish!

 

 

 

 

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Another pasta dish we enjoyed was the Ravioli Verdi Di Cotta Spinaci (P395) – freshly-made ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese in a tomato sauce. The ravioli itself has a really nice bite, cooked al dente, complementing the tomato base, which was really creamy with bits and pieces of mushroom and garlic. 

 

 

 

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My date and I couldn’t decide on one flavor of pizza, so we settled for the Quatro Stagioni (P490), which is a mix of all their best-selling pizza flavors on a 14″ pizza . There was Boscaiola, mushroom and ham; Napoli, anchovies and mozzarella; Fruitti Di Mare, seafood, and Casanova, parma ham and arugula. The pizza was baked to perfection with just the right amount of chewiness in each bite.

 

 

 

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The highlight of our dinner was Bistro Casanova’s Filleto Al Barolo (P865) – a classic beef tenderloin in red wine sauce. The steak was cooked medium rare, and was a lovely shade of pink inside. We tried to sop up the red wine sauce , savoring every bite. 

 

 

 

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We ended our lovely dinner with the Tiramisu Classico (P195). The taste of the coffee, liquor and cocoa dominated the palate, which we really liked, as most of the tiramisu desserts I’ve tried here lacked that oomph that makes tiramisu, tiramisu.

 

 

 

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When In Manila and wanting to get away from noisy, crowded, resto-bars at the Fort, make it a point to visit Bistro Casanova at BGC. Not only is their food absolutely delicious, their cocktails are reasonably priced as well, which has made it a favorite among the expat crowd.

 

 

 

Bistro Casanova offers party take-out packages for those who want to bring home some authentic Italian cuisine. Also, watch out for the restaurant’s upcoming offerings such as the Diablo Steak, which would feature daily steak specials, as well as the best of Italy’s regional cuisine, which they plan to highlight every quarter.

 

 

 

 

 

Bistro Casanova

G/F Kensington Place Condominium,

1st Avenue, Burgos Circle,

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

846 4957 or 0926 7421571

Open Daily: 11am – 10pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bistro Casanova: Authentic Italian Cuisine at The Fort