I had always wondered why the Italianni's at Greenbelt was always packed in the mornings. Whenever I'd happen to be in the area, I'd see businessmen and women enjoying their power breakfasts over iPad presentations, groups of Sex in the City cliques sitting down for a bit of catch up before they start their day, and expats sipping their coffees while going through the newspaper or tablets.
Until I discovered that they had breakfast meals! Other than your usual Filipino, Western, and continental favorites, Head Chef Josh Boutwood of The Bistro Group has also come up with a few Breakfast Creations to add to the menu, too. Enjoying brunch is always a great excuse to wake up early, so I bugged Jericho until he grudgingly agreed to go with me to their Bonifacio High Street branch, one of two branches that are open for the hungry breakfast crowd.
Invited by the good folks of The Bistro Group, I was lucky enough to get to try a little bit of everything. Thank goodness for that - I don't think I could handle so many eggs in one morning.
Read more on The Bistro Group's other restaurants:
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★ Bulgogi Brother's New Barbecue Specials
★ Modern Shanghai's Guide to the Xiao Long Bao
★ Yee-Haw for Tex-Mex at TGIFriday's
★ Spanish Iberico Pork Tonkatsu at Tonkatsu by Terazawa
There were quite a few egg dishes in Chef Josh's lineup of Breakfast Creations, like the Classic Eggs Florentine (P275) - two soft-boiled eggs are placed atop a bed of spinach and a toasted English muffin with a generous drizzle of creamy Parmesan sauce. This was alright, but to be quite honest, forgettable. If the eggs were soft-boiled, it may have had more appeal.
I did enjoy the Prosciutto Ham, Soft Egg & Asparagus (P275), made with premium salty prosciutto ham, again with the soft-boiled eggs and asparagus spears as a base on toasted English muffin served with the same creamy Parmesan sauce. Again, this would've been taken up a notch if the eggs were just soft-boiled, but I understand it would a bitch to peel and plate.
The Homeamde Corned Beef Brisket with Potato Omelette (P295) was interesting, with the crisp, house specialty corned beef served with a sunny-side up egg, and a some spinach on a Mediterranean potato omelette. The potato was a tad dried out from the egg, but all it really needed was a little bit of salt and pepper and I was in business!
Also, all of the new Breakfast Creations come with a cup of brewed coffee, so you're set to conquer the world after breakfast!
Going back to the regular breakfast menu, I'm happy to say that the 3-Egg Omelette (P295) doesn't disappoint. Italianni's special omelette is filled with sliced of smoked ham, diced tomatoes, onions, bell pepper, olives, and a generous heaping of Cheddar cheese, served with a side of French toast.
Jericho got the Filipino Platter (P395) for himself. A combination of spicy tuyo, Vigan longganisa and corned beef, this is great for the Filipino rice-vore who wants his sweet, spicy, and garlicky flavors with garlic rice and a sunny-side up egg, and an orange muffin. I didn't hear any complaints, so I'll take that as a good sign.
Somebody ordered the Beef Steak Manileña (P395), which was a revelation to everyone at the table because it was so good! The beef tenderloin was marinated and sauteed in garlic, giving it a sweet, smoky flavor and topped with caramelized onions. This comes with two sunny-side up eggs, garlic rice, and an orange muffin.
Another favorite was the Crispy Pancetta Bacon (P375) - crispy pancetta bacon served with garlic rice, sunny-side up eggs, and an orange muffin. The pancetta was like a crisp, salty liempo almost. I wanted more of this thick-cut bacon!
For those who like to start their mornings on a sweet note, the pancakes at Italianni's will put a smile on your face. The Banana & Walnuts (P275) are your classic buttermilk pancakes, generously topped with chopped bananas and roasted walnuts, drizzled with maple syrup. Oh, happy days!
Of course, the Chocolate & Orange (P275) pancakes was what I had my eye on. The chocolate-flavored buttermilk pancake was topped with orange slices and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Light, fluffy, chocolate-flavored pancakes - the four words every girl wants to hear first thing in the morning.
When mucking around Bonifacio High Street or Greenbelt in the mornings in search of a place to get a decent breakfast, consider Italianni's. Not only do they have a wide selection of dishes for your first meal of the day, they have also have coffee, teas, and fresh juices to get you started on your day.
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Italianni's
+63 2 856 4094
Space 1E14, Quadrant 5, B5, Bonifacio High Street
9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Open Daily: 8am - 10pm
