Joel and Chef Jason
FOR a long time, well-traveled corporate banker/management consultant Joel Abueva Binamira was simply known as “The Marketman,” and his food web/blogsite www.marketmanila.com has been around long before food bloggers invaded the Net.
A consummate gourmet who loves to get into the inner core of food, its origins and history, Joel embarked on his first restaurant venture, Zubuchon (after the word Zubu or old Cebu), not so much for the business, but to satisfy his pursuit of “perfection” on what organic lechon is all about while keeping the Filipino heritage in place. With the tremendous success of his Zubuchon restaurants that now count to seven outlets, The Marketman has recently opened Pigafetta, a small Italian restaurant, on Axis Entertainment Avenue in Vivio Place, the latest development along Escario Street in Cebu City.
RISOTTO Ai Frutti di Mari
Pigafetta is so named after Antonio Pigafetta, a scholar/explorer from Venice, who chronicled the historic voyage of Ferdinand Magellan that discovered the Philippine Archipelago in 1521 in their voyage for spices. Significantly, Pigafetta kept an accurate journal that included first recorded document of the Cebuano language. Pigafetta must have been the first Italian who landed in Cebu.
With a cosmopolitan lifestyle that keeps him on the go, Joel took Executive Chef Jason Feeney Cruz as consultant to organize Pigafetta’s state-of-the-art kitchen, oversee day-to-day operations and collaborate with him on the authentic Italian dishes.
Young (only 37 years old), Chef Jason’s culinary credentials are truly impressive. From being a dishwasher/line cook in Diamond Hotel, Chef Jason moved up the culinary ladder. His experience, exposure and training with acclaimed chefs here and abroad have given him a competitive edge. Early in his career, his first title as chef of Bravo Italiano Ristorante in Makati and Head Pizzaiolo in Café Puccini in The Fort have fine tuned his love for Italian cuisine. He moved on as Executive Chef of several highly rated hotels, including Richmonde Hotel Ortigas, Waterfront Davao Insular and Lakeshore.
He left the Vikings Luxury Buffet in SM Megamall to excite Cebu with his Italian culinary flair in Pigafetta.
Andre Borromeo Suarez, Marketing Officer of the family-owned Vivo Place, was bubbling with enthusiasm about the on-going construction as we sat down for lunch at the newly opened Pigafetta. General Manager Joan Danao briefed us with the menu while Joel himself hopped from table to table to share the excitement of his new restaurant.
FRITTO Misto
We started with Mixed Pigafetta Antipasti Planks (prosciutto, parma ham, sausage, cold cuts) appetizingly served on a molave board; Frito Misto, delicately crispy shrimp, squid, zucchini and carrots; Polpettini or meatballs in tomato sauce.
We degusted three kinds of soups—Pomodoro (roasted tomatoes), Crema di Zucca (zucchini) and Minestrone. Being an expert pizzaiola, Chef Jason offers the Medium-thin Pigafetta Crust (faster rising) and the genuine Neapolitan Pizza Dough (slow rising) of wheat flour with high protein content, Neapolitan yeast, salt and water, hand-kneaded and formed by hand (without the use of rolling pin).
Neapolitan Pizza is made with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Andre and I tried the Margherita, Pancetta and Pigafetta topped with Joel’s homemade sauasage with cheese and balsamic onions. We could not refuse the Costoletto di Agnello (grilled lamb chops) and the classic Risotto al Frutti di Mari.
A good Italian brewed coffee and Panna Cotta were a sweet ending to our pampered palates. Molto Buono!
LAMB Chops
