A week after my friend’s visit, my family and I came to this rather delicate Italian restaurant. This was my second visit. My previous visit was rather brief. Due to the limited companion I had (only one) during the last visit, I only managed to try out a couple of their dishes. This time round, I brought more people to try out more!
Food:
There were 5 of us. The plan was to use a pair of 4-course meal Groupon with some add-ons. The groupon that I bought comprised of 2 starters/ appetizers, a main course and a desert. We added on 2 pastas and a pizza.
Dessert was my preference to be served first. It’s called Chocolate Lovers. As what it’s being called, it’s a dessert that was full of chocolate- a slice of chocolate mousse paired with chocolate mud. I was deeply allured by this dessert. The chocolate taste of these desserts was so addictive. I could never have enough of them.
Next to be served was one of the starters. It’s the Sashimi-grade Japanese scallops marinated in calamansi and lime juice. Basically, all the ingredients were being chopped into cubic form, marinated in lime juice. It’s a simple appetizer that whetted our appetites.
Instead of having served another starter, the Salmon Pizza was served. Maybe we were too hungry, the pizza was gone in minutes. This pizza was the skinny type rather than those filling type (like that of Pizzahut). It just melted in my mouth. I like it. I like pizza a lot, if I am honest. I have no complaint to this one.
Next up was the Potato wrapped salmon filet on a coulis of red and yellow bell peppers, one of the main chosen for the groupon that I bought. The portion was not big, just enough for one person, if I am honest. But the salmon was properly baked. The meat was just about right. It doesn’t have the odd smell/ taste that we found in normal fried / baked salmon. That simply means that the chef does have some skills to handle it. I have to admit the crispy salmon skin attached to the meat was excellent! The sauce and salad that came with it was refreshing. This dish is in great balance.
The next main chosen for the groupon was the Roasted rack of lamb with mushrooms, pine nuts, and sundried tomatoes. Similar to the salmon fillet, the portion was not generous. But then again, the lamb rack was roasted as well as it should be, pretty excellent. From the photo, it may seem to be a bit charred (sorry for my low lighting shooting skill). In fact, it’s not like what you see here, it’s slightly charred on the outside, which is good; on the inside, it was still red, exactly how it should be like at its absolute best. Don’t get me wrong, it’s only red, not bloody (forgot to shoot a photo on the inside though). It’s simply sweet and juicy. Great job! Same story to the sides, the salad and cherry tomato were to reduce the sinfulness of us.
The long waited started had finally come, it’s the Sea prawn in lime juice and cilantro. It’s yet another simply appetizer or we could call it a green salad with a few prawns stirred with in lime juice. It’s interesting, but not mind-boggling to me, especially when the prawn tasted a bit charred.
Lastly, it’s the pastas that we ordered. They were the Turkey Ham Carbonara and Chicken Aglio Olio. The Turkey Ham Carbonara was extremely creamy. First bite was great, after a few bites, it was too greasy for me to continue. I believe that I couldn’t finish the whole plate myself. The Chicken Aglio Olio, however, looks like the chicken is the main character instead of the pasta. Reason being, the chicken is add on, which means we need to pay extra for the chicken. According to the waiter, the Aglio Olio is supposed to be served empty, just the garlic stirred pasta without anything else. Taste wise, it was not too shabby, not mind-blowing either. I could cook it myself with the taste that’s close to this one.
Ambient/ Environment:
Not a single thing has been changed since my last visit. It’s a quiet and lazy place to have dinner. It’s neither a particularly comfy, nor unease place to be to us.
Services:
Not friendly, even when there’s only us to serve. I wonder how they could manage when it’s full house.
Verdict:
Gianni’s does serve good foods at a rather steep price to pay. There are still rooms for improvement for food and many other aspects. I would come back if I am in the mood, which is not going to happen in the near future though.
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