Sage Bar's Aperitivo Italiano

A Ferrari will be parked at the hotel's lobby as well as a Ducati. Three tenors and one soprano will serenade the guests along with the Manila Symphony Orchestra on October 22. An antipasti buffet and selected drinks will be available for guests to devour, too! Makati Shangri-La is going full-on Italian with their Esperienza Italiana for one whole week starting on the 19th of October.

My friends and I recently had a chance to experience one of the celebration's gastronomic feast at the Sage Bar called Aperitivo Italiano, and it's fantastic! First up is the aperitif. You can choose between the Cocchi Spritz {left} and the Cocchi Americano {right}. The spritz is an aperitif which came from Austrian practice of adding water to Venetian wines. To be specific, it's liquor, prosecco, orange twist or lemon slice, and soda water.

I was so satisfied even with the Prosciutto di Parma Galloni alone. Those thin slices of silky cured meat were excellent! But then there are also fine slices of soppressata and capicola! The prosciutto-wrapped breadsticks were a crowd-pleaser as well.

Other nibbles in the smorgasbord are candied pecans, salmon quiche with goat cheese {not exactly Italian, but it's really delicious so..}, asparagus quiche with goat cheese, and various kinds of crostini which I failed to take a snap of. The salmon crostini was excellent, by the way.

For cheese freaks, there's the parmigiano-reggiano, gorgonzola, and provolone. And since a collection of delicious dairy chunks is placed on the table, it's just apt that a bevy of dried fruits are added into the mix as well.

Sage Bar's Aperitivo Italiano includes a risotto station and pasta station beside the buffet table. You're guaranteed fresh batch each and every time. I think I had about three servings of the Risotto Acquerello with Saffron - al dente grains with the flavors of the stock absorbed by each morsel. It's delicious! 

Penne {with tomato basil sauce} enmeshed with seafood, spinach, and ricotta.

Aperitivo Italiano will be available on the 19th, 21st, and 23rd of October 2015 from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m. Tickets is priced at PhP 1,500++. It includes an antipasti buffet and selected drinks.

If you want to go heavy on Italian cuisine, Michelin-starred Chef Rocco Iannone has curated a 5-course dinner entitled L'Artisan at Sage Bespoke Grill. It's composed of traditional Italian dishes and light classics. This will be on October 20, 21, 22, and 23. There's a specific featured premier Italian wine for each night. The 5-course dinner is priced at PhP 5,500++.

Sage Bar's Aperitivo Italiano

2/F Makati Shangri-la Hotel Manila

Ayala Ave., cor Makati Ave.,

Makati City, Philippines

Contact No.: (+632) 814.25.80

Website: www.shangrila.com

Facebook: Makati ShangriLa

Twitter: @MakatiShangriLa

Onward and Upward!