Casa Nostra Italian Cuisine

Written by Kring Elenzano on October 20th, 2011. Posted in Food

Last week, while Jimmy Kim was here for a short vacay, we got invited to an Italian restaurant in Makati. Now, let me tell everyone that Jimmy Kim has never taken me out for a fancy dinner before. EVER. We normally go to Korean restaurants (and walk out smelling like grilled meat and soju), Chinese tea houses (because I loooove tea and dimsum) and well, the malls. So yeah, we were definitely looking forward to our dinner at Casa Nostra Italian Cuisine at Pasong Tamo Ext.

What is sosyal.

Trust me. This resto is Italian.

We knew right away that we were gonna have a good meal but we never expected that the night was gonna be really fun and “informative”. Soon as we got to our table, a person came up to us and introduced himself as the owner of the restaurant. He’s an Italian-American man named Joe Velardi .

I am no foodie. I don’t blog about food or dining establishments so I won’t even pretend that I know shit about Italian cuisine. My version of spaghetti is even sweet and has hotdogs. But I base the quality of the food that I eat and the restaurants that I go to on how they make me feel and I will be very honest here, like I always am…

The over-all atmosphere of this resto is a combination of posh and homey, hence the name “Casa Nostra” (which means ‘our house’ in Italian… I think). It certainly appears very “expensive” and would make you think twice about wearing shorts and flip flops, but at the same time, it’s not intimidating or pretentious. Must be the lighting or the fact that it reminds me of a loft-type ancestral home.

Also, the waiters are wearing bowties and gray blazers.

Now, let’s talk food. We had a full course meal:

Complimentary bread (free)

Under normal circumstances, that would be my breakfast. LOL.

Appetizer: Carpaccio di Manzo (Phpp 365)

It was my first time to try carpaccio as I’m not the biggest fan of raw meat *cringe*. Seafood is okay but a fresh, butchered cow??? I don’t even enjoy the Korean version that much! However, I THINK I’M NOW HOOKED! The herbs, oil and cheese definitely take away that icky taste of uncooked beef. I actually forgot I was eating raw meat!

Jimmy Kim, enjoying his glass of red wine…. like a baws.

Salad: Mozarella alla Caprese (Php 295)

Jimmy is the salad eater, not me, so he was the one who ordered this. I ate it at the same time as the carpaccio so I still enjoyed it! Hahaha~ But the mozarella were in chunks and if you like real cheese and tomatoes (and you’re on a diet LOLERSKATES), try this!

Pasta: Spaghetti Scoglio Bianco (Php 425)

I’m not into raw meat or salads but I LIVE FOR SEAFOOD (I’m Cancerian, by the way)! I think this is one of the few seafood pastas that I’ve eaten that has that much seafood in it (lobster included)! Bitchazzzz, order this and make sure you get the lobster part! Leave the mussels for your date teehee.

Meat: Bistecca alla Griglia (Php 995)

Jimmy and I had different takes on this. I like my steak medium well and he said he does, too. However, he wished that the steak was more tender and easier to cut but personally, the consistency was fine with me. I still downed it like a hungry truck driver. Also, that’s a muddaeffin’ steak, not a joke like the cheap ones available in other joints! You’ll get full just by looking at this 12-ounce meat!

This is how you pose like a hungry truck driver – with a pink floral ring.

Pizza: Panniza (Php 495)

It was officially the Krimmy Couple’s most favorite dish of the night. In fact, I wanna go back just to eat this thing. It’s like pizza, but not really. Casa Nostra’s panizza is topped with truffle cream sauce, artichokes and chopped olives. You basically eat it by getting a slice, putting the arugula and alfalfa sprouts on top, drizzling some hot, spicy oil on it and rolling it like sushi.

And then you go “Hallelujaaaaaa!!!” after you bite.

If you’re familiar with Yellow Cab’s Dear Darla, it’s the same concept. But totally not the same level. Nope. Nuh-uh.

And of course, we capped our meal with desserts like…

Dessert: Panna Cota (Php 190)

Italian for ‘cooked cream’, which reminded me of maja blanca. And…

Dessert: Tiramisu (Php 185)

Is that a tiramisu or what! First time I’ve seen it served that way. And I thought tiramisu is a Japanese dessert! This was sooo good, I peed my pants. Joe Avelardi shared that this is actually his mother’s recipe, spiked with dark Italian liqueur.

Yes, as I mentioned earlier, the owner of the place, Mr. Avelardi is Italian-American but more importantly, he has been in the hotel, casino and restaurant industry since the 1960′s!!! Also, he was from Las Vegas. This guy is an expert in running these businesses and in fact, he built the first casinos in Korea back in the day when Philippines was waaaaay ahead of their country. He shared a lot of stories about his 12-year stay there, including how shit-faced drunk Koreans are all the time. Bwahahahaha!

He was part of the first group of people who “created” Macau, too, which is now the Las Vegas of Asia. He founded the first premiere steak house in Hong Kong, The San Francisco Steakhouse and he also brought in many restaurant franchises to the Philippines. Check out this guy’s CV! Long story short, this man is a legend in the F&B industry and totally knows what he’s doing. That’s the reason why Casa Nostra looks, feels and tastes world-class.

The Krimmy Couple with Mr. Joe Avelardi. He has been in the business since Imelda Marcos started collecting shoes.

So, if you ask me, will I recommend Casa Nostra? If you’re a student who survives on instant ramen and Sky Flakes for dinner and has to spend money on thesis and exams, or a yuppie who eats Php 100 meals for lunch, well, I’m afraid to say that this restaurant is not for you.

But if you want to enjoy quality food that is authentically Italian, a lovely ambiance and great service (gray blazer and bowtie *wink wink*) then there’s no reason for you not to try Casa Nostra. It’s a perfect place for dinners with families and friends, meetings with clients and of course, romantic dates. (Tip: guys, order the panizza, you might have a “happy ending” wheehee.)

As I said at the beginning of the post, I am not a foodie. For all I know, carpaccio is not even supposed to taste like that or their steak is just so-so. But I know one thing’s for sure… Casa Nostra is full of heart. I felt it. I saw the passion in Mr. Avelardi’s eyes. Perhaps that’s why we left the restaurant with genuine smiles and a light, happy feeling. It was indeed a nice experience and it was a pleasure talking to Mr. Joe. For sure, the Krimmy Couple will be back~