Single Origin Osteria Is Your Next Go-To Neighborhood Italian Restaurant In Salcedo Village

Jar Concengco

March 1, 2019, 07:47 PM

With five branches scattered around Makati and Bonifacio Global City, Single Origin has become especially popular for its specialty coffees and breakfast and brunch menu. “A lot of people assume that we are just a coffee shop, but technically we are a restaurant. We have a lot of comfort food,” says Marketing and PR Manager Monica Modomo.

To prove just that, Single Origin recently reinvented itself as an Italian osteria in the middle of Salcedo Village. An osteria is usually an informal, family-owned restaurant in Italy that serves wine and home-cooked food, and acts as a gathering place for the community. Single Origin Osteria is proving to be the same way for the neighborhood in Salcedo.

The restaurant’s rustic, homey appeal comes from the heavy planks of dark-stained wood that clad the counters; the bare brick walls sporting vintage curved pipe lampshades; and wooden trusses and beams on the ceiling. A large chalkboard menu features the different selections for coffee, while large sacks of flour and coffee beans line the way as you pass the bar. The floor is tiled with geometric patterns that leads you to a black cupboard filled with fine Italian ingredients. This is the first Single Origin branch that features a mezzanine, allowing for bigger groups to gather with more privacy.

A cozy atmosphere is created in Single Origin Osteria with bare bricks and counters clad in dark stained wood

The façade at night

Interiors of Single Origin Osteria

Borrowing its sibling restaurant Nikkei’s Italian-Argentinian chef Juan Barcos, Single Origin Osteria hopes to create a truly authentic Italian experience for its customers. Modomo reveals, “There’s a pasta called Lasagna Della Nonna in our menu. Nonna in Italian means grandmother. So we have a few dishes here and there in the menu that are inspired by (chef Barcos’) grandma’s heritage. It’s very cool.”

One such heritage dish on the menu is Melanzane which is eggplant baked with tomato passata (like a tomato purée), grilled onion, and mozzarella served in a small cast iron pan. Chef Barcos adds a sunny side up egg and a couple of strips of bacon to make it more savory. It feels like a light entree or a side dish good for sharing.

Melanzane – eggplant with passata, grilled onion, gratin of mozzarella, fried egg and bacon

One Roman tradition that Single Origin Osteria proudly offers is the aperitivo. This custom involves a drink (traditionally vermouth or prosecco) to be enjoyed at the end of a workday, as a prelude to the long dinner feast ahead. The restaurant serves a wide selection of drinks perfect for an aperitivo such as Americano Perfecto (made with Mancino Vermouth, Rinomato Americano, and Blanco Ambrato), Rosetto (Rinomato L’Aperitivo Deciso and Fentiman’s Ginger Ale), or any of the Italian wines served by the glass. It’s also important to note that during Happy Hour (from 4 pm to 8 pm), select cocktails, beer, and wine are 25% off.

The restaurant keeps an extensive wine collection?

Rosetto – Cocktail perfect for an aperitivo made with Rinomato L’Apertivio Deciso and Fentiman’s Ginger Ale

Spirits that make for great start of a meal or aperitivo

Liquid Gold Prosecco sold by the bottle

Tito’s Handmade Vodka – this vodka is featured in their version of the Mule called Tito’s American Mule?

The menu has all the favorites and classics of an Italian restaurant. Among the main courses, the bestseller is the Bistecca Fiorentina, an 850-gram US Prime bone-in ribeye with roasted tomato garlic confit and arugula salad. For lighter fare, they have sandwiches like the Tagliata, made with skirt steak, garlic confit, roasted tomatoes, and Emmental Cheese served on Pane Rustico.

The restaurant’s Italian pizzas are not too thick with an airy, cripy, and slightly charred crust. The dough is made the traditional way, using Italian flour and fermented for 24 hours. The pizzas are baked in a state-of-the-art oven made entirely in Italy. The no-frills pizza menu offers just three choices: Romana (sliced potato, Pecorino and Parmiggiano, egg, and olive oil), Margherita (passata, sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil), and Classic Italian (passata, arugula and basil, bacon strip, ricotta, and mozzarella). They do give you the choice to add extra toppings such as guanciale and prosciutto.

Margherita Pizza

Seafood Pasta – Penne, pomodoro sauce, baby squid, shrimp, mussle and fresh basil

As a closer for the meal, the Pavlova is refreshing and satisfying. The sweet tang from the mango curd works well with the baked Italian meringue. Although Single Origin has food on the forefront, let’s not forget that they serve award-winning specialty coffee from LAMILL. To get your cup of coffee just perfect, you get to choose your preferred extraction method (French press, Syphon, or pour over are some) and single origin coffee of choice.