The Time Has Come to Challenge Filipino Diners, According to La Spezia Chefs

It’s been a little over five years since a trattoria joined the throngs of heritage restaurants in the Scout area of Quezon City. The place was practically missable if you didn’t know what you were looking for. The chefs were a pair of 20-something-year-olds, unheard of at that time, with a marketing plan that consisted mostly of emailing food writers to swing by and give them a chance. It was, however, the type of place that didn’t need much of a promotional effort. Word got around and determined food enthusiasts sniffed it out, taking the necessary photos. It helped, of course, that Aaron Shiu and Vin Yuquimpo were as sincere as they were talented. 

Back then, La Spezia was different from other Italian restaurants that people-pleased with carbonara and pomodoro. It did serve those dishes albeit in an extremely successful and uncompromised fashion. Despite finding themselves in a neighborhood known for habitual comforts, Aaron and Vin refused to compromise their culinary sensibilities: flying in tomatoes from Italy for that specific flavor, refusing to support their carbonara with cream. They spent long hours in the kitchen; created bold, picture-perfect plates, including a lemon tart that looked like a continental breakfast. They were the kind of artists that performed for self-expression more than to please the crowd. They certainly had the skills—and the confidence to do it.  

A roasted rabbit quarter with veal sweetbreads, foie terrine, rabbit jus

Photo by Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa.

Photo by Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa.

Their passion translated to eagerness and enthusiasm to an almost Hermione level. When they were chosen to compose a dish for the canceled Madrid Fusion 2018, they came up with an impressive masterpiece in less than a week. They changed menus as fitfully as their creativity allowed. 

Five years down the line, their fervor has only been validated and amplified—and transformed in the way only maturity and experience deliver. Their plating became more refined as their flavors became more pronounced. Their dishes have become bolder and more unapologetic. They have become more seasoned, with Shiu even being named a regional finalist at the 2020 S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition in Tokyo, the only Filipino to manage such a feat. 

Still, the pair remains as idealistic as they were in day one, but with a noticeable grace and restraint. 

This isn’t to say that they’ve lost any of their old edge; just the opposite, in fact. They still know how to turn on the wow and, on Valentine’s Day, they made it rain truffles—shaving generous amounts of the stuff tableside on practically every course on the menu, including over the homemade tiramisu. But they’ve changed in a way a teenager eventually grows into his features as the years passed. They’ve found a comfortable place in always pushing themselves and their diners. 

Cannelloni with truffle spinach, 18-month aged parmeggiano reggiano turned into tuilles, chlorophyll. Aaron Shiu showered it with truffles tableside 

Photo by Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa.

Photo by Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa.

Lessons in finding your value 

“La Spezia started with just serving roast chicken as a main because despite being idealistic, we still understood the realistic side of the business,” says Yuquimpo. Four years ago, they added duck to their menu and were met with requests for substitutions.  

“People weren’t ready for dishes that challenged the norm,” he explains, adding that he and Aaron would always talk about forward-thinking restaurants in the early 2010s that would have fared better with today’s palate. “We knew that timing always has a say in everything, and we just felt it was time.”

After initially cutting their menu short to accommodate the restrictions of the quarantines, La Spezia hit the ground running. According to Shiu who leads the kitchen, the pandemic gave them time to mull over their market and customers have become more open to trying new things, likely because the lack of travel encourages people to seek out new ways of adventure.

“Now, we refuse to substitute anything and accepted our choices fully,” he adds. “It shows how the market has grown…we can freely serve rabbit leg, veal throat, and chocolate sauce with meat. Our customers accept what we offer them because they trust the La Spezia standard.” 

On Valentine’s Day, La Spezia stepped on the gas hard, with their main course featuring rabbit two ways (roasted quarter and a loin) with chocolate sauce and veal sweetbreads. Anyone hesitant, however, was won over with automatic blockbusters, such as lobster and spinach cannelloni on the menu as well as cocktail pairings by Some Young that deserves its own article. Designing the courses with crowd-pleasers was a clever pull, but the rabbit stood on its own: beautifully cooked, tender with crispy skin. Poached apple gave it brightness while chocolate, richness. These two plates were the beacon of what Yuquimpo and Shiu have come and have yet to achieve.  

Photo by Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa.

“We always wanted to be progressive, to constantly challenge the norm,” says Yuquimpo. While rabbit is hardly the most exotic protein and this type of experimentation is not unheard of in QC, it was more common in the likes of Bonifacio Global City and Makati, or even further down South. 

The pandemic has been going on for almost three years, which is almost half of La Spezia’s life. “We are very lucky to still be around in this industry,” shares Vin. “Why not now?” He also explains that the distance from eating in restaurants and enjoying great chef-prepared food made people realize their value. “We’re using that as a business decision to move in this certain direction.” 

With the challenge of uncertainty always within our midst in the current context, the two chefs are jumping in with both feet: teasing their customers with bolder dishes and stretching the limits of their palates. While you can expect new items on their menu, Yuquimpo is adamant that they’re staying within the path they’ve set themselves on. 

“Our goals didn’t change,” Yuquimpo says. “I promised a star to Shiu. We’re far from that, but we’re trying to be a few years closer to it.” These new plans are just their ways to stay committed to becoming an unassuming but relevant restaurant.