Neil Perry
A longtime lover of Italian cuisine, Neil Perry reminisces about the molto buono eateries he uncovered on a visit to the Eternal City.
The chef reveals extraordinary Roman eateries worth a visit
Rome is an extraordinary city where every corner you turn reveals another fantastic cathedral, fountain, statue and, of course, restaurant. Unsurprisingly, I’ve had some of the best Italian meals of my life there and our recent trip, when we stayed near the Colosseum, was no exception.
Every morning we’d walk down the road to Roscioli Caffè (rosciolicaffe.com), an outstanding pastry shop near the Campo de’ Fiori market. It’s a stand-and-eat space where all the beautiful treats are proudly on display and handed to you in brown paper bags. I absolutely loved the aragosta, a cream-filled pastry native to Campania (it’s often called a lobster tail because of its shape). You bite into this buttery, flaky, layered pastry and your tastebuds are hit with a sweetness that comes from fillings such as Nutella. I had mine with vanilla cream in the middle – not the healthiest of breakfasts but surely one of the tastiest. They do great coffee, too.
One of my favourite places for dinner was Casa Bleve (casableve.com), an upscale wine bar in the courtyard of a 16th-century palazzo right near the Pantheon. Imagine Sydney’s Buon Ricordo (buonricordo.com.au) but on steroids. It’s classic and homely with service that is professional and friendly. I adored the salty, nutty, sweet anchovies with bread and butter – a great way to start any meal (I often do this at home). A salad of soft and delicate squid perfectly matched with the nutty crunch of raw artichoke was another beloved dish. I also found what I think might just be the best riquadro all’amatriciana in Rome – rich, smoky and spicy with al dente rigatoni. I always have my pasta al dente in Italy because you can taste the quality of the wheat in the chew. The wine list at Casa Bleve is full of Italian classics and I couldn’t go past a bottle of 2013 Isole e Olena Cepparello.
For more of a casual meal,
La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali (latavernadeiforiimperiali.com) is an awesome little local; the menu simple but enticing. Although a traditional Sicilian dish rather than a Roman one, the eggplant caponata – a delicious sweet and sour vegetable relish often served on grilled bread – was one of the best I’ve ever eaten. Eggplant can be a tricky vegetable to cook but this was tender and succulent with a huge amount of flavour – the added raisins and pine nuts gave it another layer of complexity. A bottle of 2013 Pecchenino Barolo complemented it to perfection. This was a delightful experience.
Finally, I had a couple of great dinners at Pierluigi (pierluigi.it), a famous seafood restaurant that’s been around since 1938. It’s just down the road from the Museum of Rome with lots of tables outside so you can pull up a chair and people-watch as you eat. The highlights of my dining here were some beautiful briny oysters to start and a truly heavenly spaghetti alle vongole; again the pasta was lovely and al dente and the tiny, salty clams were folded through the spaghetti. I’m usually not the biggest fan of Italian whites but a bottle of 2016 Ômina Romana Chardonnay, a local wine, went superbly with this particular meal.