italianni's

pasta, pizza & salads have been perpetual fixtures & table staples of filipino dining at home or commercially. in the last decade, meditteranean, french & italian culinary massively invaded the food scene & while most consumers initially found them costlier than other cuisines, the distinct flavors & flare merit & perk the usual adventuroustastebuds of the filipinos. the other thing is that these cuisines represent quite a sophisticated & important status in society which by all means come very appealing to a culture that is society conscious. step into any stable of this brand and instantly, you are taken to a cozy rewind of old venice & mama rosa's kitchen dining. seating by the " cabizera" brings out the " god father " feel as one is surrounded by murals & wooden framed paintings. the green checkered table cloths, large spoons & oil cuplets plus milano inspired ceilings bring the total experience to life. acoustic italian music at the background with some stretches of orchestra are add ons to the already moving ambience.
the insalata meditteraneo kicked things off with a unique synergy of shrimps, feta cheese, black olives & romaine lettuce dressed with olive oil & lemon. the baked ravioli was a winner! cream cheese stuffed ravs bathed with mozzarella cream, pomodoro sauce & basil pesto! that combo was a whack!
spag & meatballs may be ordinary in name but certainly a goliath in their foodlist! different orchestration of the tomato, basil & meat that glorified its definition!
lasagna was equally formidable. was hard to tell which ones were the meat from the gooey cheese. pasta was firm but custardy on bite. another good choice!
chicken parmigiana was a rockstar! ultra tender fillets well coated by flavorful batter that went so well with tartar dress. the pomodoro pasta that went with was a perfect sidekick to bring the italian concept to the dish. went simple with the tropicale & once again, a good choice. crust was thin but felt like pan due to the firmness of the dough. the pineapples & bacon were embedded into the fixture & were not mere toppings. good find!
overall, was a great gastronomic venture to a culturally & cuisinely aligned concept we do not oftenly get. for the price we had to pay to experience italliani's, i'd say it was all worth it. although i wish they could jack up their serving portions like how it was before

food as always is guaranteed not to disappoint! the freshness andtasteof each part of a dish is distinct. the serving size, even when one chooses the small order, is still good enough for sharing.😍

this is the first time though that i didn't feel welcome at an italiannis restaurant. our waiter seemed to be in a bad mood. his manner of speaking was polite but the nonverbal cues such as the facial expression and body language seemed to me that he wasn't all too happy for me and my friends to be there. he didn't even smile at us almost the entire time.

food - 5 stars
service - 2 stars

complementary house bread
they offered 2 different kinds of house bread. one is filled with herbs and its super delicious. the other one is plain but still moist on the inside yet crunchy on the outside. both tastes better if dipped in their signature herb sauce.

toasted ravioli
the cheese and tomatoes complement well with the ravioli. you can see the oozing cheese once you get a serving.

seafod cioppino
we ordered only the small serving. they used real tomatoes instead of tomato sauce, giving it authentic italian taste. the different seafoods gave it a light yet delicious flavor.

truffle chicken and mushroom
the truffle sauce goes well with thetasteof the chicken and mushroom. fettuccine pasta holds the sauce well. the sauce is thick yet creamy and delicious.

peach mango lemonade
it is sweet as mango and peach with a hint of sourness from the lemon. it has real mango and peach bits.

four seasons mango
the flavors go well with each other. real strawberry and mango bits are there. it is sweet, perfect for a hot day.

ambience
the restaurant is very cozy and blocks the sunlight well. even though its broad daylight outside, it feels like 4pm inside. after eating, we had to leave cause if we stayed, we might end up having our siesta there due to its cozy ambiance.

overall, their price might be above average but you get what you paid for.

food selections are a bit pricey buttasteamazing. i especially love their spinach and artichoke formaggio, quattro formaggio, margherita, four seasons insalata, and chicken and cranberry insalata. their crispy pork ribs and grilled pork chop au poivre are great as well 😊

while waiting for our lunch, complimentary bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip were served to us. the bread is just as good the way i remember it from four years ago. it has a very crunchy crust yet it’s very moist inside.

i decided to have baked ziti. the penne pasta was cooked al dente, just the way i like it. i couldtastethe distinct flavors of the italian sausage. though i like pasta dishes with ground beef, the smoky flavor of sausages takes anything a notch higher. the baked ziti of italianni’s is perfectly seasoned. i loved how the melted mozzarella cheese sticks to the pasta. the combination of parmesan and mozzarella cheese fueled up all my senses.

the grilled pork chop is served with vegetables, black peppercorn sauce, fried spinach and garlic rice. as juice flows out of the meat, i knew at that moment that this pork chop is different. i also loved the peppery flavor of both the pork chop and the sauce. the garlic rice isn’t oily which is an added point for us. even the vegetables were perfect!

it has thetasteof real italian food! quite delicious and tasteful! their spinach artichoke is really good, so is their spaghetti and meatballs matched with their very refreshing lemonade twists . service is fast and all the food servers are attentive. this place in ermita is worth visiting again.

i am a pasta lover and so i tried italianni's midtown lasagna and spaghetti meatballs :) then i ordered sicilian for my salad.  and to my surprise the spaghetti meatballs is truly a wow!  i really appreciate the meatytasteof italianni's pasta. i also tried their strawberry cheesecake for my dessert and oh god its heaven! i will recommend this restaurant to my friends :) oops! one more thing, the employees there are very nice and accommodating! good job! #reasonableprice