BGC's Manarola Changes the Italian Dinner Game With HK Goose Ravioli
Formerly La Spezia BGC, Manarola makes Italian their own by using ingredients like HK roast goose and kamias.
Published on Apr 24, 2026
(SPOT.ph) For many restaurants, a new branch is simply that: a new avenue to replicate what they’ve already built and serve the specials they’ve come to be known for—and there’s nothing wrong with that. But then you’ve got the the folks of La Spezia in Quezon City, who opened La Spezia BGC (one of our 50 Great Restaurants in 2025) as a way of doing new things and expanding on their identity. The restaurant solidifies this expansion in the BGC branch with their new name, Manarola.
Owner Vin Yuquimpo explains the backstory: When he opened the first La Spezia with Chef Aaron Shiu in 2016, they focused on more purist executions of familiar Italian specials—a decision that matched the needs of the market, and was in line with Yuquimpo and Shiu’s own capabilities to run a restaurant at the time. A charming hole-in-the-wall it turned out to be, and one that helped raise the bar for food quality in the Tomas Morato area. But they had always longed to go more playful, personalized takes on the cuisine, and they found the opportunity to do just that when they got hold of their BGC space.
They initially kept the name La Spezia to help draw in their existing audience from QC. But by November last year, they decided to embrace the shift in direction, and they’re marking that change with their new moniker, Manarola. It takes after one of the villages in Cinque Terre, a UNESCO heritage site in La Spezia, Liguria, and the original inspiration for the restaurant they wanted to open. In this sense, the renaming symbolizes a reuniting with their original vision—and moving forward to a bigger dream. “La Spezia is the starting point, and if you want to go to Cinque Terre, Manarola is a part of that,” Yuquimpo explains.
Yuquimpo and Shiu inject their own personality onto dishes with an Italian backbone—fresh starters, pasta, meaty mains, and more. The approach and the resulting flavors are uniquely theirs, with less-traditional ingredients like kamias and Hong Kong roast goose alongside Italian staples like 18-month Parmigiano Reggiano and high-quality olive oil. Much like the food, the space is polished with its high ceilings, but retains a laid-back, homey charm that’s hard not to fall in love with.
Manarola in BGC
Ceviche Di Capesante
Most ceviche or crudo dishes start with raw fish, but Manarola’s Ceviche Di Capesante (P980) uses Hokkaido scallops that are barely cooked—just enough that its natural umami comes out a tad, while the texture stays succulent. From there, sliced strawberries, a strawberry coulis, kamias gel, and basil oil contribute brightness and color.
Goose Ravioli
Cantonese and Italian influences come together in the Goose Ravioli (P1,200), which is inspired by a similar dish Yuquimpo had enjoyed at the two-Michelin starred Ristorante San Domenico in Imola, Italy. They make all their pasta in-house; each pillow of ravioli, in this case, gets a meaty stuffing of shredded Hong Kong roast goose. The whole dish is then blanketed by a velvety foie gras emulsion, whose buttery richness goes beautifully with the dark-poultry taste in the filling. The resulting dish is nothing short of decadent, and as unexpected as it is unforgettable.
Lamb Rack
A main that’s bound to please on a special occasion is Manarola’s Lamb Rack (P3,400). Featured here is a half-rack of Kinross Station MB2+, a clean-tasting lamb with a good amount of marbling, cooked low and slow until the meat is buttery soft as can be. You'll want to alternate forkfuls of the juicy lamb with that of its sides: an earthy-sweet pumpkin terrine, beetroot gel, and a lush pumpkin foam.
Milanese Risotto
More uniquely Manarola dishes aside, they maintain the art of doing tradition right where applicable, evidenced by their Milanese Risotto (P980). Essentially their take on osso buco, this stick-to-your-ribs number has slow-cooked beef shank (so tender it yields easily from the bone!), surrounded by an equally hearty risotto of Acquerello rice infused with saffron.
Manarola has managed to create a flavor library that’s distinctly theirs—one that isn’t shy about examining the lesser-explored paths of Italian cuisine, but is able to do so without sacrificing comfort.
Also read:
La Spezia Opens in BGC—And It’s Still Serving Unexpected Italian
These New Dishes at La Spezia BGC Are Playful Updates on Italian Favorites
For Trish, food is as much a source of pleasure and fuel as it is an outlet for creativity; a medium by which stories can be passed on; and a way to connect with others.