Italianni's newest lunchtime treats

Long drawn-out lunches on a regular workday are a luxury that one can ill afford. There is that obligation of returning to the workplace, the remaining pile of paper work that must be dealt with and the deadlines to beat. When at work your neurons are already wired such that you can function like a well-oiled, systematic, exceptionally organized and extremely productive whiz, lunchtime should provide a more relaxed, well-deserved pause with good food to buttress your energies for the remainder of the day. For this, the new lunch menu at Italianni’s should provide a delicious and fortifying break.

Most recently, Italianni’s corporate executive chef Jonathan “Boom” Jota unveiled the latest lunch specials. The three course meal consisting of soup or salad, a main course and dessert, will be served from 11:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon.

The meal starts with a nice, creamy soup—a shrimp bisque that is just the thing to cheer you up on a gloomy day when the skies are pouring. The morsels of shrimp are tender and fresh, and one can soak up the remaining soup on your bowl with bits of bread. Italianni’s freshly baked breads are among the restaurant’s draws, and baskets of foccacia and Tuscan bread that one dips in olive oil and balsamic vinegar come complimentary with every meal. Not in the mood for soup? One can start instead with light and refreshing salad of mixed greens that comes with a fruity and tangy Four Seasons dressing.

Braised Beef Shank, the iconic Italian dish of cross cut shanks that is braised with vegetables, wine and broth with fork-tender meat and heavenly marrow

The entrees come in fairly substantial portions. There is rich Braised Beef Shank, the iconic Italian dish of cross cut shanks that is braised with vegetables, wine and broth. The meat is fork-tender and easily separates from the bone, and for meat enthusiasts like me, the marrow makes for pure, silky, (albeit dangerous) heaven in a mouthful. This meat dish is served with a siding of vegetables (zucchini, carrots) and garlic rice.

Dreaming of the bygone summer? The seafood brodetto will cure the rainy day blues. The savoury Italian seafood stew is traditionally simmered slowly so that the flavors of the seafood are able to meld beautifully with the tomato-based broth. In addition, the aroma of the stew is enhanced even more with herbs. As a lunch special at Italianni’s, this stew is served in a bowl of foccacia bread. Perhaps it is a throwback to my childhood, but I find that eating from a bowl made up of bread always makes a meal more fun.

Just as delicious is a third alternative—a grilled chicken and crabmeat dish called Pollo e Granchio. And surely, this should be a healthier option than the Braised Beef Shanks which would inevitably be my (and other meatlovers’) top choice.

With a full meal such as what Italianni’s serves for its set-lunch meals, it will be difficult to find room for dessert and resist a siesta. But certainly, there should be enough room to cap the meal with a sweet ending. For this, a scoop of ice cream is just right.

Pollo e Granchio is chicken and crabmeat. Photos by Manny Marcelo