There’s a new Italian spot in town and it’s at the Fort Strip in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City – Focaccia.
They’re no that new actually. Their first branch is at A.Venue in Makati and Focaccia Fort is their second and bigger branch. I got the chance to sample a number of their pasta, crazy rolls pizza called Pazzo Rollio, and of course, well, the Focaccia breads. It’s good to be paired with any of their tomato, squash, or potato soup. If you can’t decide, have a taste of all three with the Soup Trio which are small cup-size servings of the three mentioned soups.
Focaccia
Focaccia Bread with Spinach Artichoke Formaggio
We had a serving of focaccia bread with Spinach Artichoke Formaggio as appetizer. I loved the spinach artichoke cheese dip as I have always enjoyed the same in other Italian restaurants.
Shrimp Scampi
Pasta
Next came the pasta series. We started with Shrimp Scampi (ok, it’s not pasta 🙂 ). It was followed by a series of Penne ala Sicilliana, Frutti de Mare, Prosciutto Tartufo, and Cannelloni con Ragu.
Osso Bocco
Lasagna variants came in next with Lasagna con Ragu and another one which I forgot. Osso Bocco came in last.
I recommend Shrimp Scampi and Osso Bocco.
The Shrimp Scampi was good but I’d like to suggest that they can offer a spiced-up version – it would be a hit, I think. 🙂
The Osso Bocco is flavorful for those who fancy a strong-tasting pasta dish.
Focaccia Pasta: Frutti de Mare, Prosciutto Tartufo, and Cannelloni con Ragu (not in order)
Focaccia Lasagna: Lasagna con Ragu and another (forgot name) 🙂
Pizza
The finale was their Pazzo Rollo crazy roll pizzas. They are known to have first introduced this in Metro Manila, even way before Yellow Cab‘s Dear Darla pizzas. Focaccia was inspired from this practice of rolling pizzas from Pampanga.
First came the Slice of Italy Pizza followed by Scallopine ala Marsala, Sette Formaggio, and Seafoods Pizza.
Slice of Italy Pizza
Focaccia Pazzo Rollo 'Crazy Rolls'
Seafoods Pizza
With thin crispy toasted pizza and fresh veggie inserts including my well-loved arugula, the crazy rolls were good.
They could have wider slices though for a better ‘rolling‘ experience at the expense of more servings.
The first and last (Slice of Italy Pizza and Seafoods Pizza) gets my thumbs-up.
So how do you do it? Stuff, roll away, and enjoy. 🙂
Crazy Rolls: (1) Stuff, (2) Roll, (3) Enjoy. 🙂
And More
Aside from the Italian cuisines, diners would notice its good interiors. Playing with the red, black and white color templates, Focaccia has the premium atmosphere fit for its target market at The Fort Strip. The owners also acknowledge that the Fort branch is bigger and has a more ‘classy‘ feel than their A.Venue branch. It also has a function room to accommodate private lunch/dinner meetings from corporation around the business district of Taguig.
Focaccia Restaurant Interiors
Focaccia Fort Strip
Going back to food, Focaccia also serve panini variants of roastbeef, caprese, smoked salmon, and Italian sausages. In line with the Italian concept, they have wine (Veramonte, Altozano, Valformosa) and gelato as well. My eyes were on the P\pistachio flavor after dinner but my stomach says “I’m so fulll already.” 🙂