Giuseppe Pizzeria and Sicillian Roast

in #food7 years ago (edited)



My first time going to Giuseppe was when my boyfriend's Grandmother came to Cebu to visit him, and her two Sons, (his Uncles). All of their birthdays run in the same month of September, and this is why we went out to dinner to celebrate. All three of them retired here in the Philippines, and who can blame them for coming to such a great country! :)

pizza.jpg

We didn't know where we wanted to eat, and none of us had been to or heard of this place before. Of course, its always safe to choose to eat Italian food when everyone may have different cravings, since Italian food usually has an expansive menu to suit every one.

One of his Uncles, Mark- Did a search online and chose Giuseppe over Anzani (which was closer and had better ratings)- Since the price online for Giuseppe seemed much cheaper. (Side note, I have since eaten at Anzani, and have to say Giuseppe is miles ahead of them in the taste and quality).

We all piled in one car, a Fortuner rather- And made our way to the gates of Maria Luisa subdivision where the restaurant was located. Even though we arrived during rush hour, 6:30 PM, the restaurant wasn't crowded at all.

outside resto.jpg
The outside of the restaurant

After we sat down, and they passed out the menus to us all, his grandmother made it clear to order whatever and as much as we all wanted. It was her treat. On the menu, were about 100 meals that I was not familiar with, so I ordered a pepperoni pizza to be safe, while my boyfriend Rob, ordered lasagna. We started with a few appetizers and some rosé wine, and after a few minutes a pizza arrived on our table.

This didn't look like a pepperoni pizza, as it had thinly sliced meat and argula toppings. We called over the waitress, who apologized for sending it to the wrong table, and she took it away. When the manger stopped by to ask us how we were, she also told us the next time we come by, she will give us a free arugula e prociutto pizza for the mishap :) (Smart, because I have been back about 5-7 more times and always order this pizza).

wines panorama.jpg
wines.jpg
Some wines and other goods being sold at the restaurant

Everything was incredible. I am always a bit skeptical about online reviews, but Giuseppe is seriously underrated. When I checked on Facebook, it was only rated 3.5/5 stars. How is this possible? This is by far, the best Italian restaurant in Cebu. And probably one of the top 10 best restaurants altogether. Sadly, this place isn't just around the corner- So I don't go as often as I would like. I guess though, this is what keeps it great. Since I cannot go 2-3 times per week, I always look forward to the trek (usually in rush hour traffic), to get my arugula e prosciutto fix.

IMG_20180219_170506.jpg
My lovely best friend Floriza

Yesterday, my best friend Floriza stayed the night- And the next evening Rob told us that he wanted to take us to dinner. It wasn't a special occasion or anything, he was just craving pizza. This was great news, since Floriza has never been to Giuseppe before, and I was excited to share the experience with her.

rating award.jpg

When I walked in the restaurant I noticed this plaque in the left corner and I got more excited when I saw the other plaque sitting on top bar next to the cashier. I asked the hostess, (her name is Mhegai) if I can move the plaque on the table so I can take a better photo of both awards and she gladly said yes. The restaurant has been awarded as “Best Pizza of Cebu in 2015 and Best Italian Restaurant in 2016 published in the Cebu Sun Star, a newspaper based in Cebu City. Mhegai said that the result for the last year hasn't announced yet but she's sure they'll get another award for the year of 2017 and she sounded keen about it.

wood.jpg

oven.jpg

Since Rob already knew what I wanted to order, Floriza and I went into the open kitchen and without any hesitation, I asked Mhegai if we can watch the chef make the pizza. We got to the restaurant right when they opened and there was only one other customer so the chefs weren't so busy -She let us in the kitchen to take photos. Floriza and I watched the chef work the dough, and he made it look so easy that it took him less than a minute to toss and shape the pizza dough! Once the Chef placed our pizza in the over, Mhegai told us some interesting things about the restaurant and its history. She mentioned that Giuseppe has been around for 15 years and the the owner is Chef Giuseppe Genco who worked with the Azani owner, Marco Anzani at the Shangri-La's Mactan Resort & Spa, which is one of the top luxury resorts located here in Cebu, Philippines. 15 years! I thought it was new :)

chef1.jpg

Chef Giuseppe also runs another branch on Alona Beach in Panglao Bohol, Philippines and there are 5 'franchisees' of the restaurant which are located in: Dumaguete, Cagayan, Manila, Tacloban and one on Mactan Island, Cebu. The branch we were at, was on Maria Luisa road, and it has 1 executive chef, Chef Luca Genco and his 7 assisant/sous Chefs. Mhegai the hostess/waitress has been working here for over 4 years already, and was very proud about it.

chef2.jpg

Right on cue, I noticed that our pizza was done baking in the wood-fired oven, and the Chef said since its so hot, over 500 degrees, that it bakes the pizza in just under 5 minutes! How I wish I was able to take a photo of it while it was cooking, but maybe it would have melted my lens lol. Although I couldn't take photos of everything, it's the good story that makes up for it and I couldn't wait for my friend Floriza to try the food here.

pizza.jpg
Arugula E Prociutto

sauce.jpg
Hot Sauce

We sat down at our table and started off with the pizza, which was super photogenic as you can tell! I have made pizza hundreds of times at home but baking it in a fired-wood oven is far superior. You get that cracking slightly burnt crust which is still chewy on the inside, exactly how I love it to be. The pizza has an exquisite smoky flavor, whuch I always enjoy. They also gave us a homemade hot sauce on the side, it was really good and spicy and I wanted to ask them for a whole bottle to take it home, lol.

lasagna.jpg
Lasagna di Carne

Our next dish was the lasagna, it had meat, mozarella, and parmesan cheese. Did you notice that the shape of the pasta was the same shape as the bowl? It's because they make there own pasta there. Nothing taste better than homemade pasta! When the osso buco arrived to our table we were 20 bites past full but we ate half of it, and took the rest home.

osso.jpgosso1.jpgosso zoom.jpg
Osso Buco

So we had our top 3 favorite dishes: Arugula e prosciutto pizza, lasagna, and osso buco. This was absolutely way too much food, but we both wanted Floriza to try all 3 meals, and as Rob said it was still much cheaper than eating out in USA. The total bill for this evening came to 2,000 pesos which is about $39 USD.

Adress: Paseo Saturnino, Ma. Kuisa Road, Banilad Cebu City
Hrs: 11:30 AM - 10:30 PM
Contact #: (032) 343 9901

staff.jpg
The Staff (Mhegai, the lady in the middle)

This dinner was last night, and as I sit here editing my blog and trying to reorganize my thoughts, these photos and memories are making me already want to revisit Giuseppe for a second round :)

If you are ever in Cebu, and craving great and authentic Italian food, please remember this place- And do not dare to visit without inviting me :)


XOXO,

Gilaine

Sort:  

AJ picked your post @purepinay for his #TOP5 FOOD POST. Visit AJ's FOOD ROUNDUP to view where your post is ranked.
badge.jpeg

Now, you have made me speechless. I keep looking at this amazing pizza and I can't just comprehend with my head how well you have enjoyed your outing. Great post purepinay

Thank you so much @teegold yes we had a great time and I love the pizza, I hope you can try to eat the same quality that we had. =)

Looks like fun. The pizza looks delicious. Hope you enjoyed yourself.

The place looks great. Congratulations on this great article. You really have a way of crafting your own masterpiece. More power!

Wow, looks like a home-made pizza. When i got there in cebu ill try to visit that place and have some pizza. Sometimes prize doesn't matter as long as we were satisfy on what we eat. You simply makes me to salivate just looking with that picture. LOL

Sa picture plang ay ang sarap na! Petmalu

You find all the best places! Now I want pizza!

Haha it's my mission :)

Sweet Lord! this is an amazing post

Oops! Super Delicious.
Pizza's first image made me remember my first trip to Barcelona, when we wanted to take a launch in one of the famous restaurants and we asked for Pizza and we got a pizza similar to the one above, it was Delicious too :)

What I like in your trip post is:

  • you show us the advantages and the beauty of places you went to.
  • The most lovely thing for me is you're showing us food ^_^

May I ask you to show us the most popular food in places you visit, this way we can see best meals for different places and cultures.

Nice Trips and thanks for this post @purepinay :)

kumusta girl whose posts i sometimes check out.. how u? :) i luv that pic of all the wine bottles.. i don't drink at all, but it still looks cool. so, u seem to really enjoy some Italian, but what is ur fave kind of food? Mine is Thai.

I must say that ur posts are up there with the best.. I show u off as one of those role model steemians, when i am trying to coach a new minnow on how to post or build their account, etc.

ok, ttyl,

:)

Hmmm...Yummy yummy! Now, you're making my mouth to salivate. What a food adventure! I am sure Floriza will want to visit more or invite her family members to the Guiseppe treat. I like the way you described it all to details. It really reflects how truly underrated the restaurant has been over time.

So we had our top 3 favorite dishes: Arugula e prosciutto pizza, lasagna, and osso buco.

All of that for $110? It is not even the cost of the meal that matter, but the satisfaction you get from it. I can only imagine what you did after the meal, being so heavy after eating the 3 dishes. What a wonderful moment for you and your friend.

aw thank you for the compliment! It's easier to write about your experience and I think this time I managed to just deal with imperfections. My previous blogs, I had to finish writing in weeks ;(

hahaha it's even making me crave some pizza right now but I have to stop my self and good thing the place is already closed at this time...

Yeah, a bit pricey for some people but the portion is good for its value and I think it is worth a try and reward yourself with excellent food.

My friend still managed to get back massage, not sure if it's a good idea LOL

My previous blogs, I had to finish writing in weeks

Wowie! That's a long time. I don't think I've ever taken more than a few hours to finish any post I made. If you want, I could give you a hand with proofreading. That way you could finish much earlier and have more time to do other things (or to post more, for that matter).

My issue is, everytime I reread my work, I always find mistakes and I try to make everything perfect but really I should just write what's in my head but not over think too much.
I also get distracted so easy when I write my blog on my laptop ;(
Thanks a lot for the offer, that's really kind of you. I'll surely visit you if I need a help. <3

No wonder why your article genuinely conveys the message you want for readers to enjoy because you really put a lot of effort into it. When you always find an opportunity for improvement in your own work, then you are being an excellent writer. Congratulations again on this very successful work @purepinay.

When i come to cebu(not sure when) i will surely invite you, for thses meals, they look lalacious.
your boyfriend and 2uncles birthday septemper? How did that happen.

I also need back massage too. Its always a good idea.

Thanks for this article @purepinay

@purepinay, but why this? why are you doing this to me. lol.

I couldn't believe what i am seeing, had to just stare at the pictures for so long that folks around me started asking if everything is okay.

If i had seen these pictures while driving, i am sure i would loose control.

This is so beautiful, no wonder you are looking fresh. I am so sure you would prefer this to any other menu any day any time.

I am not sure i would be able to take dinner today, staring at these pictures fill me up.

Am sorry @tolustx my math was wrong with the conversation. 2000pesos is about 39usd only. When I did the conversion on google it was in pH(which is Mexican pesos) lol

Dear.@purepinay!
Are you the owner of hearts are very useful

Hahahahaha what. Yeah, she owns all of our hearts with her super posts that enchant us and make us want to be there too.

I agree. Sometimes it's not about the money but really about the satisfaction you get from the company. It is always #beautiful to share special moments with friends.

Good Evening My Sweet Friend @purepinay,
wonderful visit of Giuseppe Restaurant, Your today adventure is Food, The dishes you taken and shots made here the best awarded restaurant in 2015-16. Really great to see you here, Its outside and inside view are amazing and your best friend Floriza also looks excited along with you here as well as whole the staff of restaurant. You are really Lucky that you enjoyed your Life very well to visit different places. Lots Of Love and Best wishes for you dear Gilaine. My Appreciations and Support always with You.

Good morning, Rabeel!

Thank you for dropping by, it's good to see you here. Am happy I brought Floriza there, she's a very nice person and has always been good to me. We've been friends for decades now lol I hope she can travel with me someday and see other places.

Thank you, I appreciate your support. Have a wonderful day! ;)

Thanks a lot sweetie for your love.

:) You're always on her posts, it's so cool!

Ang swerte ni ate Floriza 😢😊. . .
I MUST TRY ITALIAN FOOD SOMETIME.hehe

How are you, Ate?
I miss you😘

waray ka bay dd, pag paluto nala kan Pino ;)

am okay, sorry quite busy nowadays. I miss you more. how are you?

Yeah, I did call your number few times this day. Hehehe. I'm doin good te. I'm planning to pursue my teaching career . Kailangan ko na an laptop hehe.
Love you, henay kaw perme. Mwuah!

I'm sorry to say in my country (ITALY) pizza is a little bit different. The real Pizza is created by italian people and it was born In Italy - NAPLES. We call pizza the standard: POMODORO E BASILICO CON MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA. Come in Italy and try ;)
pizza-page-1.jpg