It’s funny what love at first sight can do. 35 years ago, Chef Giorgio Bucciarelli first visited the Philippines and instantly fell in love with the country. Since then, he pushed through and persevered to make Filipinos fall in love with authentic Italian cuisine and how freshness changes the way the food tickles your tastebuds.

 

Chef Giorgio Bucciarelli of Balboa

 

Here are 5 reasons why his fresh, handmade artisan pastas are simply the best and why dining in Balboa is an experience you’ll definitely look forward to:

 

Balboa: 5 Reasons Why Fresh, Handmade Artisan Pasta is the Best

 

Spinach Tagliatelle Boscaiola

 

5. All natural ingredients.

Although the pastas are beautifully colored, Chef Giorgio does not use artificial coloring to achieve such vibrancy. Instead, he uses natural ingredients, such as spinach, tomato sauce, squid ink, and many others to achieve the colors. He also shared that these ingredients do not only add colors to the pasta. They also add to the flavor. 

 

Multi-flavored Farfalle Pesto

 

4. Affordable big servings.

One thing we learned from Chef Giorgio was that big servings of handmade pasta need not be extremely expensive. Each artisan pasta dish costs P198 for 200 grams and P599 for 6oo grams and the fresh pasta is topped with grated parmigiano reggiano and is served with bread. 

 

Saffron Spaghettini Bolognese

 

3. Melt-in-your-mouth pastas rich in flavor.

When you take a bunch of pre-made and ready-to-boil pastas and heat it for a few minutes, sometimes some parts will be a little harder than the rest. With Balboa‘s artisan pastas, however, this is never the case. The pastas are very lovely to chew and the sauces accompanying them are not too sweet or salty. Everything’s just right to give you the best pasta experience.

 

Squid ink Paparrdelle Puttanesca

 

2. Customizable artisan pastas.

Yes, that’s right! You can choose from six different pasta flavors (spinach, squid ink, tomato, saffron, and multi-flavored), four pasta types (pappardelle, tagliatelle, spaghettini, and farfalle), and six pasta sauces (aglio olio, puttanesca, boscaiola, bolognese, alfredo, and pesto). Plus, you can add a couple of add-ons at an additional price. For the add-ons, you can choose from grilled chicken, wild mushroom, parma ham, shrimp, meatballs, and truffle oil.

 

Tomato Tagliatelle Alfredo

 

1. Unique business philosophy.

Last but definitely not the least, Balboa wants you to relax. They want you to forget the worries of reality when you step in. Because of that, they give you only the best and freshest Italian dishes in the metro. Everything you order at Balboa is guaranteed fresh, handmade, and authentic to give you the best reality break while enjoying your favorite Italian dish.

 

San Honore 

 

Bonus: Balboa also serves this unique dessert which is a fusion of French and Spanish tastes. It’s called the San Honore and the cake itself is delivered fresh from Italy on a weekly basis. Isn’t that awesome?

 

Chef Giorgio Bucciarelli with wheninmanila.com contributor Pau Castillo

 

Lastly, let me share with you a few quotable quotes from Chef Giorgio during our informal interview and story-sharing this afternoon:

1. “One special ingredient in everything I do: puso.”
2. “My policy is to share.” 
3. “I am not matapang; just realistic.” (His friends told him he was matapang for wanting to introduce authentic Italian cuisine in the Philippines decades ago. This was his response.)
4. “It’s all about the passion.”
5. “It is very important to relax.”

Thank you so much to Chef Giorgio and the entire Balboa team for having us! It was definitely a memorable experience.

 

BALBOA

 

Greenbelt branch: 2nd Level Greenbelt 3, Esperanza St. Cor Makati Ave., Ayala Center, Makati City (729-0467)

Shangri-La branch: Level 4, East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, Shaw Boulevard corner EDSA, 
Mandaluyong City (942-2844)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balboapH