Savoring the true Italian flavor
There’s a new restaurant in the city that promises to give Cebuanos a truly Italian taste. UrChoice Café is the name of the place which has its beginnings in Dipolog where it has become the “go to bistro.”
Chef Giovanni Galli, owner and self-made chef of the place, recalls that his friends in Dipolog were the ones who, after tasting his cooking in intimate get-togethers, prodded him to open a restaurant. At first, he said, it was just a small place which became bigger and bigger. It has become a favorite of Dipolog locals and visitors for its homey atmosphere, its true Italian flavors and a staff that has been trained to please, and to differentiate and appreciate the different flavors of herbs used in the kitchen. Now, Chef Giovanni has opened UrChoice in Cebu in a yellow house on Avelino Morales St., the small street behind Harolds Hotel.
Being an Italian restaurant, UrChoice has, of course, pizzas— its menu lists a whole page of them to choose from. Pizzas cooked in trays include the familiar Hawaiian, Pepperoni, Pizza 4 Formaggi, Meatballs and surprise—Pizza Filipiniana (with melting cheese, sweet tomato sauce, ham and mushrooms), Pizza Dipolog (with the world-famous Dipolog sardines, grilled eggplant and mozzarella) and yes, Pizza Cebuana (with longganisa de Cebu, mushrooms, onions, garlic, tomato with herbs). It also has pizzas cooked “on the stone” like meatballs, pepperoni, Hawaiian and Milano.
Pastas deserve another page in the menu and include the familiar Aglio Olio, Carbonara, Vongole, Lasagna, Bolognese and a tribute to Dipolog: Dipolog Centennial pasta with eggplants, tomatoes, Dipolog Spanish sardines, Italian spices. The Carbonara Americana with eggs, bacon, melting cheese, white cream, parsley and black pepper, is a dish to go back to UrChoice again and again.