MANILA -- Just how do you put innovation in Italian cooking? That’s what Mamma Mia, the youngest member of the Parmigiano restaurant group, would like its guests to try.

The Iapinos are the family behind the restaurant group, which started out when it acquired the Parmigiano restaurant in Resort World Manila.

The family patriarch, Toni Iapino, ran three restaurants back in Rome so they were pretty confident that they could bring their nonna’s (Italian for grandmother) recipes to pizza- and pasta-loving Filipino foodies.

Toni and Sergio at the Venice Piazza soon followed with a menu that had both Spanish and Italian food. This became a favorite among the office crowd as they could have pizza, pasta, and sangria by the mall's canal.

Mamma Mia is a bit different from the two because it’s meant to serve a younger, more corporate crowd.

“We wanted to open a concept where customers can come in for lunch, stay for coffee, or have dinner, and stay on for drinks and cocktails. The menu is also more modern with innovations in Italian cooking,” explained Giulius Iapino, the CEO of the Parmigiano group.

The high ceilinged interiors are wide and spacious, with an extensive bar area at the back. There is an al fresco section right in front of the Uptown Mall fountain for those who are more comfortable in a more open dining area.

Perhaps the most representative of Mamma Mia’s innovative Italian cooking is the Mortadella Pistachio Pizza. This is surprisingly not a dessert pizza but a rather filling pizza with slices of Mortadella sausage that balances out the sweet nuttiness of the pistachios.

Another dish that Iapino is proud of is the Pasta Pulpo Marinara. Pulpo or octopus is usually served as antipasti in olive oil and herbs. In this case, it’s the protein in the tomato-based sauce. Octopus is pretty tricky to cook as it can get rubbery, but in this case, the octopus was still soft and tender.

For those looking for the classics, Mamma Mia has those too!

If you’re bringing kids to Mamma Mia, they’ve got Spaghetti al Pomodoro alla Mamma Mia, their great version of spaghetti and meatballs. Cut up the meatballs, spread some of the mascarpone cheese, and have it with the spaghetti.

Other highlights in the menu are the Spinach and Salmon Fettucine and the seemingly simple olive oil-based Tagliatelle Frutti De Mare. Both come with fresh pasta made in the restaurant. While fresh pastas tend to be overly soft, Mamma Mia’s pasta is properly al dente even when it’s soaking up all of that sauce.

Staying after dinner? Check out the Italian Negroni as well as the extensive selection of liqueurs and libations from the bar.

Mamma Mia is located at the ground floor of Uptown Mall at the Bonifacio Global City and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday to Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.