On the Sunday after being included in the Michelin Guide Philippines Selected list, I had lunch with my sons at Fresca Trattoria on Bolanos St., Legaspi Village, Makati. Chef Francesco D’Arrigo was on hand to introduce us to the new dishes on the menu, as they had shut down for about a month to renovate the kitchen and improve the facilities. So while the current menu has some of the old favorites still listed, there’s a slew of new items worth trying out, and that’s why I brought along my sons as reinforcements.

We were a group of five, and we prefer to do family-style dining so we can try different dishes. We opted for four starters — two cold and two hot — and ordered two pasta dishes and two mains. We figured that would be enough to pass around, and if anyone was still hungry, it would be easy to order a second round of a favorite or a new dish altogether.

For the cold starters, we had the Crudo di Cernia, which is lightly cured garoupa fillet with cold tomato and green apple sauce, pickled onions, and fennel. It’s the cold tomato and green apple sauce that had me admiring this starter and giving it my two thumbs up.

We ordered the Cannoli Tuna Tartare, which turned out to be a savory cannoli filled with small chunks of tuna tartare and chives. I liked how the cannoli, normally associated with sweet, creamy filling, was being used to house the tuna. Cannoli literally translates to “little tubes,” and it provided the crunch to the tuna tartare. It had a clean taste, and I personally would have wanted some sauce or dip — but that’s just me.

The first hot starter we indulged in was the Mortadella Skewers — charcoal-grilled mortadella with salmoriglio. These were excellent. Salmoriglio is a marinade associated with southern Italy, traditionally made with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano or parsley. It closely resembles the South American chimichurri sauce.

The second hot starter was the Risotto al Salto — pan-fried saffron risotto served with Parmigiano cream and braised beef. This was an early bet for favorite new dish among my boys. It’s a blend of osso buco and paella, but with the rice extra toasted, like the tutong of a paella. The Parmigiano cream was like a silky mashed potato.

For the Pasta Fresca dishes, we had the Lamb Ragu, which is tagliatelle with slow-cooked lamb shoulder topped with Parmigiano Reggiano. This went down well and should be quite popular, but it was a little too safe and predictable for me.

Much more to my liking was the Grouper Ravioli — mezzaluna pasta stuffed with grouper and served with pil-pil sauce, peas, and lemon zest. The pil-pil is a traditional Basque emulsion sauce made of olive oil, garlic, and juices from the salt cod. The mezzaluna literally translates to “half-moon,” the shape of the ravioli. And you’ll like how a sliver of fish skin chicharon adorns each ravioli.

For our mains, we went back to one Fresca favorite, the Spada alla Mugnaia — pan-seared swordfish belly in lemon, capers, and butter sauce. I can’t imagine a visit to Fresca without ordering this dish, as it’s one of those dishes that is uniquely Fresca.

The Pollo al Marsala was the new main dish we tried. It’s sous-vide chicken served with potato crema, roasted vegetables, and Marsala sauce. The slightly sweet and nutty profile of the Marsala worked well with the chicken pieces, and my boys liked how the sauce also worked with the crema and vegetables.

The Pistachio Tiramisu — espresso-soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone filling with pistachio — would be the dessert you can’t miss when you visit Fresca. I didn’t bother to give you a photo of the Calamansi Granita, as it would look like green shaved ice, but it’s a great palate cleanser that combines calamansi with basil. Super.

Fresca is Italian comfort food that’s served right, consistent, and hits the spot. It doesn’t aim to be fancy, pretentious, or overindulgent. I’m happy for Francesco and that the Michelin Guide recognized the establishment’s merits.