by Cedric | Dec 10, 2018 | Food and Drink, General
Ah, Mr Brown! So many excellent and foggy memories stemmed from this bar. The drinks are dangerously cheap, the location is shockingly central. What more could one possibly ask for from a Roman bar?
The cocktails are all three euros fifty. The atmosphere is incomparable. One downside is that it opens relatively late. As a Brit, one makes a point of dining out around 6. Do not ask me why. I don’t understand the practice myself. Mr Brown opens at around 7, negating the possibility of an early sloshing.
Those more filthy among you will have their eyes drawn immediately to the bottom left hand corner of the above photograph. Mr Brown’s famous porno shot consists of chocolate liquor poured out of a skull shaped bottle. They are absolutely delightful and help anyone with deep seated issues forget their problems, for a short time at least.
The bar is well stocked with any and every possible alcohol you could desire. And the decor is really something. All over the walls and ceilings, you’ll find pop references to your heart’s delight. My favourite decoration is the poster of Fight Club on the ceiling in the back room. I was born on the same day as Brad Pitt, which s a fact I’m equally proud and disturbed by.
In all, Mr Brown is an iconic bar in the centre of Trastevere which very much deserves to be visited. You won’t spend anything and you’ll have a great time, even if you forget half of what you did. Let me know what you think!
by Cedric | Nov 25, 2018 | Food and Drink, General
Given the length of the previous post, I shall keep this one brief. Crispin of Viterbo was a Capuchin monk living in the 18th century. It is said he made a shrine to the Mother of God everywhere he went.
The calls for him to be named as a saint began as soon as he had died and the formal cause to investigate his holiness opened on 16 September 1761 under Pope Clement XIII while he was named as Venerable in 1796 under Pope Pius VII. Pope Pius VII beatified him in 1806 while Pope John Paul II canonized him as a saint on 20 June 1982 – the first canonization in the latter’s pontificate.
The ice cream parlour named after him perhaps does not represent the sanctity of his devotion to the Capuchin Franciscan order, but they make a damn good gelato. Amaretto and the vanilla; blueberry; pistachio – each flavour I tried blew me away. But the flavours change daily. There is a choice of about 15 at any one time. I can’t tell you which to try because at present I do not know which ones are available!
In any case, their awards speak for themselves. What I must advise you to do, however, and this goes or every roman gelateria: ask for extra cream (panna).
by Cedric | Nov 22, 2018 | Food and Drink, General
When my friend Colin suggested we meet in Harborne, I was skeptical about the quality of food we were to ingest. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is small, with only five or six tables. It is tucked away in a busy corner of Harborne High Street.
Once you breach the threshold, smells and sounds meet you with their full force. The staff are attentive and the wine is served in big yet light glasses. This was the first oddity I noticed. the second was the concealed toilet. The door is so covered in posters that it seems to form part of the wall. Look out for the protruding handle, which denotes the existence of the prized loo.
Moving on from terrible toilet humour, the food at Wok Chi was certainly of very high quality. Colin went for the prawn crackers. They are pictured below.
This was quite a unique take on the traditional dish. I was taken aback by how tasty they were. I wouldn’t opt for fish without having my head examined, but these were no ordinary crackers.
My starter was the BBQ tofu. I would advise against ordering this. It fills you up to such a wild extent that one cannot fully appreciate the following main course.
Now, if your stomach is bigger than a Rubik’s cube, you may be able to handle this flavoursome delight. Mine, alas, is not. The flavours blended magnificently, with the tofu equally as chewy as it is crispy. This came as a surprise.
For the main, Colin opted for the vermicelli on the Specials menu. This time, I objected to the inclusion of prawns and did not try any bit of it. But Colin’s plate was empty within 20 mins. That is indeed telling. 
My main was quite spectacular. The lemongrass chicken stir fry with coconut rice. Also from the Specials menu. It is pictured below.
The bursts of oscillating flavours drove me close to insanity. Coconut rice is seldom badly received. This was no exception. If this dish is still on the menu when you visit, I strongly recommend you try it. I can say with certainty that this was among my top three stir fries of all time, thus far.
Let me know what you think about Wok Chi!
by Cedric | Nov 10, 2018 | Food and Drink, General
Nice Life BioBistrot is a classic case of ‘does what it says on the tin’. During my sojourn in this wonderful restaurant, everything was nice. This might be on account of being in my parents’ company. An all too rare phenomenon now I live alone. Those of you blessed with excessive youth are not aware of your luck.
Our first course, which I managed to photograph before it was torn to shreds, consisted of a taglio misto. Those two words are among my favourite in the Italian language. This one was no exception. I spent a great deal of its presence on the table talking. When I looked down, there was nothing left. So I can but vicariously tell you of its magnificence.
Next, the main course was a true treat.
I had my wonderful amatriciana. As I have mentioned before and shall mention to no end again, this is my favourite dish in the world. Naturally for my first meal in Rome after 5 months away, this had to be my choice.
Mother went for the gnocchi gricia.
This is the second of four staple Roman dishes. Each of which are suffused with flavour and deeply satisfying. This dish was no exception. NiceLife uses only fresh ingredients and enhanced this particular dish with crema al pistacchio, which is not something I had seen hitherto. Father tried the Filetto di cinta senese con funghi. This was by far the standout dish of the entire meal. It grieves me that I was unable to show you a photograph. You’ll just have to imagine it. A sort of Tuscan pork fillet and mushroom amalgamation, presented in medallion which just exploded with flavour. I was deeply impressed.
un secondo piatto d’effetto che vi conquisterà per il gusto ed il profumo intenso di sottobosco.
Dessert consisted of a Pastafillo pere e cioccolato and a limoncelo sorbet. Both are pictured above and both were stunning. My sorbet was especially rich and creamy, yet surprisingly refreshing. The Pastafillo was consumed so quickly, I did not have the chance to taste it. If you’d like to know the secret behind the flavour of this dessert, you have two options. Either go to Cipro, Rome, and taste it yourselves, or ask my mother. Personally, I’m unsure which is more terrifying a prospect.
by Cedric | Nov 7, 2018 | Food and Drink
Now, there are numerous ice cream places in Rome. Most of them aren’t worth going to. There are few ice cream houses which really stand out. Giolitti is one of them. One of the best is Gelateria Dei Gracchi, if you were wondering. But they have no place in this post.
Giolitti has always been a stand-apart ice cream house. Not only for their numerous flavours but also the quality of each one. It does not matter which one you go for, disappointment is virtually impossible.
Since 1900 has nutrured a taste for perfection.
Harmonies of flavors and great tradition for one
of the oldest and most renowned locations in Rome,
famous and appreciated in Italy and around.
I’ve tried many flavours over my several dozen visits. Personally, I would go for the peach; black cherry or banana as my top flavour. But each of them are unique in their own way. And the taste is phenomenal.
There isn’t much else to say about this historic establishment, so I’ll let the picture speak for itself. But always remember one thing at Giolitti: ask for extra cream.
by Cedric | Oct 26, 2018 | Food and Drink, General
It grieves me that I did not record my favourite eateries when I spent my year in Rome. However, my recent trip to the Eternal City proved fruitful indeed. I overloaded myself with countless meals. Actually, I suppose I could count them if I really wanted to. But I don’t!
Pane e Salame is a splendid sandwich shop. The menu is fast and fully amenable to one’s fickle desires. Often, I would order a panini and go to sit by the Trevi fountain, an easy 3 minute walk away, watching the heaving tourists and the resplendent cascading waters.
I must have tried 75% of the paninis there in my time. However, on this occasion, I went for the U panini. You’ll be able to see the menu here:
U was the ham; brie; lettuce and truffle cream panini. Oh what a joyous snack. The bread is made freshly each day. It can be a little crunchy. Masticate with care, as they say. My sandwich is pictured below:
Nel cuore di Roma, a pochi passi da Fontana di Trevi!
Salumi e formaggi di qualità, tutti rigorosamente italiani!
Pane e Salami is #4 restaurant of 10,000+ in Rome, at the time of writing. It is hardly surprising given the location; quality and price combined. All of these prove to be a winning combination for Pane e Salame. I can’t recommend this enough for those who want a quick and exquisite meal in Rome. If you are looking to sit in the restaurant proper, be prepared to wait in line for some time. Peak times are monstrous at this restaurant, queues of selfie-stick-laden tourists stretch around the corner.
Nonetheless, it behoves all of us to try one of their paninis when in central Rome.
I recommend it unreservedly.
