My Kitchen is the latest project of Chef Chris Locher. He became famous by the creation of the panizza, which was originally served at C Italian Dining in Pampanga. Foodies from Manila and all over would drive all the way to Pampanga just to have a taste of this unique pizza.
For those still unfamiliar, it's an uber thin crust pizza that you make into a roll with alfalfa sprouts and arugula leaves tucked in. The concept was picked up by Yellow Cab pizza to make the hit Dear Darla pizza.
Chef Chris is no longer with C but now with the Oasis Park Hotel just off Paco Park. It's still not as good as C as those who patronized C knew it but at least we won't have to bust P2000 in gas money anymore just for a slice of panizza!
MY KITCHEN.
Oasis Park Hotel 1032-34 Belen Street, Paco, Manila.
521-2371
Open daily.
Major credit cards accepted.
Wheelchair accessible.
Parking on the street, limited.
No reservations required.
Casual.
PS. I mentioned how the panizza was created by Chris Locher in a 2009 article I wrote for Sunday Inquirer Magazine, below:
***
ONCE upon a time, in a distant land, there was an Italian chef who opened a ristorante. The Pacific natives, who had grown up accustomed to American culture influenced by Pizza Hut, thought that all Italian restaurants offered pizza.
"Give us pizza!" cried the locals. The Italian was puzzled. "This is a
ristorante! Not a pizzeria!" he bellowed. And so he operated his
24-seater ristorante quietly in the niche market of Pampanga and enjoyed
the quiet life of a little ristorante owner.
Until came a Frenchman with his wife who started craving a delicacy called "flammen kuchen" (sometimes spelled as one word). No, not a flaming cushion, although the French are also known for that. The wife was looking for the pizza-like bread dish with cottage cheese, caramelized onions and bacon (other recipes use ham and even mushrooms) that she grew up with in France.
So the Italian chef whipped it up and enjoying it, gave the pizza idea some thought. Before long, the flaming cushion became the not-really-a-pizza pizza of the ristorante.
The ristorante is C, the famous-by-word-of-mouth Italian hotspot in Pampanga. The flaming cushion has been baptized with the name "Panizza." The panizza has become a real Filipino favorite, although you won?t find it in any reference book when you look it up. Because it's not a regular recipe; it was C's Chef Chris Locher's invention!
Quick to catch on, other Filipino 'Italian' restaurants have created their own version of the panizza. One such restaurant is Focaccia A Slice of Italy (The name really has a subtitle) in A.Venue on Makati Avenue.
A.Venue is the community mall of the gillagers (gilid ng village lang) of Bel Air and Rockwell. However, it being beside the red hot community of P. Burgos as well means two things: one, you will see a lot of couples whom you must not judge; and two, there is bound to be good food. The mall has delivered on both, the latter item being in the form of Focaccia 'A Slice of Italy' restaurant.
Focaccia ironically does not have real focaccia bread. But it does have other great items on the menu. Topping the list is, obviously, the 'panizza', which, in deference to creator Chef Chris, is called Pazzo Rollio or, in English, 'crazy rolls.' A stand up menu just for the rolls gives instructions on how to appreciate it. The uber thin pizza, sliced diagonally, is filled with arugula and alfalfa sprouts, then rolled into a cylindrical shell. It's a winner because it?s light yet full of flavor. Chef Chris says the secret to the panizza is the dough, but the addition of the arugula is my favorite twist to it because it contrasts sharply with the strong taste of the cheese.
Some items on the menu may not be as great. The Carciofe Pancetta, which has artichoke hearts wrapped in bacon, reminds me of why ?bacon? is used as the crass term for old garters. The cannelloni in bechamel is yummy although not the best in the metro. But you won?t go wrong with the Osso Bucco which is exquisitely tender and savory.
Back to the crazy pizza rolls. Note that there are different pizza flavors for this; Margherita, Prosciutto, Vegetarian, Milano, and a whole lot more to choose from.
So it's not exaclty a slice of Italy per se but a slice of A.Venue's Italy. And as a gillager, I will say that it's delizioso enough for me.
Focassia A Slice of Italy. Ground Floor, A.Venue Mall, Makati Avenue, Makati City. Tel. 729-9403. No reservations required. Visa and Mastercard accepted. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Basement parking. Wheelchair accessible. Servings for sharing, approx. P500 per head.
Until came a Frenchman with his wife who started craving a delicacy called "flammen kuchen" (sometimes spelled as one word). No, not a flaming cushion, although the French are also known for that. The wife was looking for the pizza-like bread dish with cottage cheese, caramelized onions and bacon (other recipes use ham and even mushrooms) that she grew up with in France.
So the Italian chef whipped it up and enjoying it, gave the pizza idea some thought. Before long, the flaming cushion became the not-really-a-pizza pizza of the ristorante.
The ristorante is C, the famous-by-word-of-mouth Italian hotspot in Pampanga. The flaming cushion has been baptized with the name "Panizza." The panizza has become a real Filipino favorite, although you won?t find it in any reference book when you look it up. Because it's not a regular recipe; it was C's Chef Chris Locher's invention!
Quick to catch on, other Filipino 'Italian' restaurants have created their own version of the panizza. One such restaurant is Focaccia A Slice of Italy (The name really has a subtitle) in A.Venue on Makati Avenue.
A.Venue is the community mall of the gillagers (gilid ng village lang) of Bel Air and Rockwell. However, it being beside the red hot community of P. Burgos as well means two things: one, you will see a lot of couples whom you must not judge; and two, there is bound to be good food. The mall has delivered on both, the latter item being in the form of Focaccia 'A Slice of Italy' restaurant.
Focaccia ironically does not have real focaccia bread. But it does have other great items on the menu. Topping the list is, obviously, the 'panizza', which, in deference to creator Chef Chris, is called Pazzo Rollio or, in English, 'crazy rolls.' A stand up menu just for the rolls gives instructions on how to appreciate it. The uber thin pizza, sliced diagonally, is filled with arugula and alfalfa sprouts, then rolled into a cylindrical shell. It's a winner because it?s light yet full of flavor. Chef Chris says the secret to the panizza is the dough, but the addition of the arugula is my favorite twist to it because it contrasts sharply with the strong taste of the cheese.
Some items on the menu may not be as great. The Carciofe Pancetta, which has artichoke hearts wrapped in bacon, reminds me of why ?bacon? is used as the crass term for old garters. The cannelloni in bechamel is yummy although not the best in the metro. But you won?t go wrong with the Osso Bucco which is exquisitely tender and savory.
Back to the crazy pizza rolls. Note that there are different pizza flavors for this; Margherita, Prosciutto, Vegetarian, Milano, and a whole lot more to choose from.
So it's not exaclty a slice of Italy per se but a slice of A.Venue's Italy. And as a gillager, I will say that it's delizioso enough for me.
Focassia A Slice of Italy. Ground Floor, A.Venue Mall, Makati Avenue, Makati City. Tel. 729-9403. No reservations required. Visa and Mastercard accepted. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Basement parking. Wheelchair accessible. Servings for sharing, approx. P500 per head.
