Italian is regarded as one of the best cuisines in the world. Bringing only the best authentic Italian food and beverages to Cebu is Antica Osteria Inc. Situated at #1 Paseo Saturnino, Maria Luisa Road, Banilad, Antica Osteria was established in March 11, 2012. This quaint place is owned by Italian and Filipina couple Glauco and Joan Muzzi.
An osteria is a deli in Italy that originally also serves simple food and wine. Nowadays, most osterie (plural for osteria) focus on the restaurant side of the business. The menus, however, tend to comprise of short orders with local specialties like pasta and grilled meat or fish. Ideally known for a cheap lunch, an osteria also caters for after-work and evening refreshments.
Before Antica Osteria’s opening, the couple has been focusing on their first business named Il Ducato Trading, Inc., which supplies Italian products to hotels and restaurants in Cebu and other parts of the Visayas region. Their products include cheese, cold cuts, wines, and other liquors. As this business is more on wholesaling, Antica Osteria was opened to cater to the retail market. It is a deli with a mini grocery that sells a variety of European food products and beverages.
Glauco comes from Parma, Italy, which cuisine is grouped under the La Cucina Dell’Emilia Romagna. Most of the goodies that come from this province are sold at Antica. This includes Prosciutto di Parma, Bologna or Mortadella di Bologna, Lambrusco, and Culatello. Parma is also known to be masters at making fresh pasta, so expect to see great quality pasta in this osteria.
One of the amazing things about Italian cuisine is the simplicity of food preparation. You can easily create some restaurant-quality dishes at home as long as you follow the proper cooking procedures and use the right ingredients.
In Italy, cheese is a big part of their dishes. What would Italian food taste without cheese? The various types and the aging process provide the distinct Italian taste. Antica boasts of a myriad of cheese not just from Italy, but from France, Germany and other European countries. The kinds they sell include Tomme de Savoie, Asiago, Chabichou du Poitou, Crottin de Chavignol, Epoisses de Bourgogne, Gorgonzola, Mont d’Or, Montasio, Mozzarella Fiordilatte, Munster, Pecorino Sardo, Provolone, Puzzone di Moena, Raclette, Reblochon, Ricotta, Rocamadour, Roquefort, Saint Marcellin, Stilton, Taleggio, Formaggio Ubriaco, Asiago, Blue Shropshire, Blue Stilton, Brie de Meaux AOP, Cacio Foenum, Camembert Prairie de Normandie, and a lot more. The very popular Parmigiano Reggiano that they sell comes in 16, 30 and 36 months.
If you are tired of eating the usual ham, hotdog, bacon, and cold cuts sold here in the country, try what Italy has to offer. Taste some Zampone di Modena, Bresaola Valtellinese, Coppa, Culatello di Zibello, Lardo di Colonnata, Luganega, Mortadella, Parma ham, and Prosciutto di San Daniele, Salame Felino, Salame Milano, Salame di Piacenza, Salsiccia Fresca, Sopressa, Guanciale, Jamon Serrano, Lardo d’Arnad, Porchetta alla Romana and other delectable Italian sausage and bacon varieties.
Italians create some of the best desserts in the world. They are crafted with the use of simple but decadent ingredients. Apart from Tiramisu, the desserts sold at Antica are Colomba Pasquale, Strudel di mele, Stracciatella, Profiteroles, Panfrutto, Torta Froll alla pesca, Torta Froll ai mirtilli, and Torta Froll alle ciliege, among others.
Antica also sells frozen European fish, as well as bottled and canned anchovies. They have traditional salt from Adriatic Sea and Himalayan pink salt. These high-quality types of sea salt differ in the harvesting method. They are hand collected at pre-ordained times from fields of organic salt-pan. This customary method is unique in Europe and gives the salt its special flavor and characteristic properties.
Antica has a daily menu that usually comprises of salad, pasta and other meals that can be easily whipped in their little kitchen because according to them, an osteria is not really meant to be a restaurant; it is essentially a grocery store. They also have a pre-ordered menu that includes cheese, cold cuts platters and pizza. Joan is the one who personally cooks these dishes. Before they opened Antica, Joan had been accepting orders for Italian dishes that she cooked at home. She has learned these special recipes from her husband.
Antica Osteria’s collection of high-quality products from Europe continues to grow. The deli is open from Mondays through Saturdays, at 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. For inquiries you may call (032) 416-1355 or send [email protected] an e-mail message. Their Facebook fan page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Antica-Osteria-Inc/204652636234119
