Tuscany
Satisfy Your Italian Food Cravings
The food culture in Pakistan is one of its many alluring aspects that keeps eateries – be it a restaurant or dhabba – open well into the night, as, we, Pakistanis, cannot resist food no matter what time it is. Not only that, it is extremely important that we are served with the most scrumptious food.
Local cuisine, however, beats foreign 10 to one, so when we at GLOSS heard of the opening of the famed Italian Tuscany Courtyard, we headed over to tuck into its many offerings.
Located in the heart of Lahore, on one of its busiest roads M.M. Alam Road, Tuscany Courtyard sure has a lot of competition after launching in the city of foodies. Having said that, M.M.Alam has become a quasi-food street operating with a number of other restaurants and cafes.
As we walk into the restaurant, it is safe to say that one would not help but notice the design and structure, giving the experience of being in an Italian countryside building. The structure of the building with narrow-arch shaped windows to the painted walls in subtle tones of beige made us feel like we were sitting in a villa in Italy. In addition to that, the music and the art pieces hanging around also added in setting the countryside ambience.
The owners Khurram Khan, Sikandar Bakhtiar and Aamir Rashid decided to cater to people looking for the authentic Italian cuisine in this part of the world.
Their menu offers a range of different entrees from soups to steaks, Italian entrees to Panini’s, and most importantly, the pasta and pizza options.
Before ordering the main course, we ordered mint margaritas, because nothing beats the heat than a cold minty drink, which has a right amount of salt and sweet in it, followed by the Calamari Tuscan Salad and the Grilled Chicken Pesto Salad.
The Calamari Tuscan Salad was a little sour for our taste buds; one possible reason is that being a ‘desi’ we have always loved meat cooked in a lot of spices. However, the Pesto Salad seemed to be the right balance of sour and fresh greens. 
The wait staff at the restaurant was well informed as we asked questions about every other dish, which automatically gave them bonus points for their overall service, well before the main course.
Being in an Italian restaurant, we thought it was best to try their Italian specialities and we ordered the Pollo Tuscan Chicken, Grilled Chicken in Lemon Butter Sauce and Lamb Chops. Upon the arrival of food, we were amazed by the perfect presentation of the dishes placed in front of us. As most of us know that simplicity is central to Tuscan food, we could not help but decide to share our main courses, so we could try the different entrees.
Let’s talk about the main course now, starting with the Lamb Chops, which was medium well cooked leaving a hint of pink in the meat and had just the right amount of spices. The Pollo Tuscan Chicken had chicken breast pieces filled with herbs and coated with spinach and cheese. Served with white sauce, the dish was cooked perfectly and the serving was very filling. It had a balanced taste and the right amount of sauces. The sides included sautéed vegetables and rice along with crispy potato and boiled carrot strips on the chicken. The only issue was the rice served alongside the dish made the taste a little too bland, it was the spicy tinge of the creamy sauce that made it special for us.
Next was the Grilled Chicken in Lemon Butter Sauce, which had our heart. Served on a puff pastry coating, the sour lemon tastes along with the herbs was immensely appetising. Not only that, the white sauce along with mashed potatoes made the dish appealing and we could not get enough of it. This definitely had to be our favourite dish that was cooked to perfection by the chef.
GLOSS talked to the Chef Imran Malik at Tuscany Courtyard asking the process of making a new recipe to which he said that they make sure to experiment with new things and new products rather than sticking to the traditional recipes. However, their most popular dish remains the Pollo Tuscan Chicken.
Coming all the way to a new restaurant, we could not leave without having tasted the dessert. We ordered the Chocolate Fudge Brownie Skillet— a slice of brownie served on a sizzling skillet topped with hot chocolate fudge, almond crunch, sliced bananas and ice cream. We had it on our table for one minute and it was gone in the other. Not only was the brownie super moist, the chocolate fudge on the top was another reason we could not stop. It was oozing chocolate and perfect in taste.
Thus, our final verdict is that even though the price may be a little heavy for your wallet, the quality of food, the service and the ambience make it worthwhile. Even though it is nothing extraordinary, it definitely is setting a new trend amongst the foodies in the country. Should you find yourself in Lahore or Islamabad, do stop by at least once.
