Italian elegance, Filipino warmth.
That is the ethos of Guidicelli Ristorante, an “elevated” Italian dining experience at Alabang’s Molito Lifestyle Center, according to restaurateur, actor, sportsman and TV host Matteo Guidicelli, the firstborn of Gianluca Guidicelli and Glenna Fernan.
“We prefer to call it elevated, elegant dining rather than fine dining,” says Matteo, whose father Gianluca is the restaurant’s executive chef.
Gianluca, who hails from Venice, first came to the Philippines as a windsurfing enthusiast. He established roots in Cebu after meeting Glenna. They formed an import-export firm and raised three beautiful children: Gianmatteo or Matteo, married to Sarah Geronimo; Georgia (11 months younger than Matteo), married to Justice Undersecretary Ian Dato; and college student Gianpaolo (born 16 years after Georgia.)
Actor and entrepreneur Matteo Guidicelli (leftmost) with (from left) brother-in-law Justice Undersecretary Ian Dato and sister Georgia; dad and executive chef Gianluca and brother Paolo Guidicelli at their family restaurant, Guidicelli Ristorante.
Gianluca (Georgia showed me a photo of her father in his younger years and I swear I thought he was Brad Pitt) loved the Philippines, particularly Cebu, so much he invited his parents to come join him. And that is how Guidicelli Ristorante, Da Gianni’s (in nearby Westgate Filinvest) and all the Italian restaurants of the Guidicellis came to be, both in Cebu and Metro Manila. It began with Gianni and Franca Guidicelli, Matteo, Georgia and Paolo’s Nonno (grandfather in Italian) and Nonna (grandmother).
In 1990, Gianni and Franca migrated to Cebu when Matteo, their first grandchild, was born. Since then, they have not looked back. Native Italians, English was foreign to them. However, with the help of television, they were able to learn a few words to get by. Adjusting to Filipino food was a challenge to them, so the couple decided to frequently fly in their own supply of Italian products (including mineral water). To them, family and food were everything.
They had two faithful helpers, Antonia and Jean, who not only cared for them, but also learned to cook like Italians. Franca Guidicelli passed on her heirloom recipes to the two ladies and after she passed away, they were made in charge of the kitchen of an Italian restaurant in Cebu established by Gianluca and Glenna, under the former’s watchful eye, of course. Gianluca and Glenna didn’t want Antonia and Jean’s rare skills, and their knowledge of authentic Italian recipes, to go to waste. And the rest is Philippine-Italian culinary history.
Their daughter Georgia Guidicelli Dato, a graduate of Nutrition and a mother of two, also actively supports the family’s beloved culinary venture, helping translate their homegrown traditions into a full dining experience.
So you could say Guidicelli Ristorante is the natural culmination of the Guidicelli family’s deep love of Italian cuisine, their passion for the recipes of their Nonna and an entrepreneurial drive to share it. The ristorante is rooted in the generations-old belief that good food is the foundation of everything.
A new venture
After the success of Da Gianni’s in Westgate, Matteo thought it was time to come up with another Italian restaurant, still in the Alabang area, with a different concept: elegant rather than casual Italian dining for date nights, anniversaries and other important occasions.
“I asked my father, ‘Pa, why don’t we open a fine dining restaurant?’ He said, ‘Why?’ I told him people from the south still go to Makati, Quezon City, Ortigas for a different dining experience.”
After some back and forth, the family patriarch eventually said yes. Matteo asked architect Anna Sy, who built his home, if she could also build a modern Italian restaurant for the family.
Lardo di Colonnata, Ricotta, Crostini all’Aglior, Fresh figs, Colonnata lard, whipped ricotta, garlic crostini
“And then, with no hesitation, she said, yes,” recalls Matteo, who now has his own solo talk show on the Bilyonaryo channel, Matteo G.
“I like to call it modern Italian. It’s very bright. It’s a fine dining restaurant that’s not your typical intimidating fine dining restaurant. It’s something you can go to every day still, and also on your special occasions,” Matteo points out. Indeed, the restaurant, with its floor-to-ceiling glass windows and recessed lighting, and modern Italian artwork from the family’s collection, looks like a posh penthouse rather than a typical nonna’s kitchen (which also has its allure, in a different way).
“And with the food, it’s Papa’s imagination. We’re used to a home-cooked Italian place. But then, we said, fine dining is a different animal,” Matteo adds.
Bistecca alla Florentina
So the Guidicellis hired chefs from Italy. Chef Antonio Tardi is the guest chef and olive oil sommelier who will soon be arriving from Naples. Chef Lotto Silvano is the lead chef. The family patriarch Gianluca is the executive chef. Their general manager is also Italian.
Chef Gianluca’s Italian heritage shines through standout dishes such as blue shrimp carpaccio, bistecca alla Fiorentina Wagyu, Atlantic lobster, linguine with clams and bottarga, risotto carbonara, and tagliatelle with duck ragù.
Cannoli
The dessert is also to die for! Mamma Mia! On the day I dined there, I succumbed to tiramisu (prepared tableside with mascarpone) and cannoli oozing with filling. Each dish is founded on regional tradition and refined through a lifetime of experience. They also make their own gelato (vanilla, caviarandMaldonsalt). I had more than a taste of this and it combines the sweetness of gelato and the briny and buttery taste of caviar, with a hint of salt.
It can easily be said that the restaurant’s growing success is largely due to the family’s love for good food, as well as the support of the family behind it. The restaurant is equally close to the heart of Matteo’s wife, pop icon and actress Sarah G.
Tiramisu
Georgia also receives the same kind of encouragement from her husband Ian, whose support reflects how the restaurant remains a shared passion project for the extended family. Aside from cooking together, the family does sports activities together, especially during Gianluca’s birthday, where they also participate in a 500-km fun bike activity in Bohol.
Indeed, Ristorante Guidicelli is an elevated family affair—heirloom family recipes passed on from native Italians and served with Pinoy warmth in a world-class setting.
Dining and Cooking