Salumeria Roscioli, Rome

Lunch today was at Salumeria Roscioli in Rome. This was recommended to me by blogger KatieParla, who knows where all the good food in Rome is. I suggest you check out her blog if you will be travelling by that area.

It's not the first time though I try try this place. I was there a few months ago, but unfortunately did not try their Carbonara. What a huge mistake!! As some of you may know, I'm obsessed with carbonara. Making my own, trying it all over, I've even made my own Guanciale (there will be a separate post on this) and soon I'll probably make my own pasta.

Hands down for me at least, the carbonara in Roscioli is the BEST I've had. Before we get into the pasta, some pics of the other food we had...

First photo, some cheese, olives and sun dried cherry tomatoes. I must say the tomatoes are delicious. I think they make them in house. We also had a plate of mixed salumi: Parma ham, Mortadella with truffle, salami and others. All were delicious. I had this with a glass of their house red, which was a Chianti.


Now for the main attraction, the Carbonara. The menu says Spaghetti Carbonara, Guanciale, Pecorino and Paolo Parisi organic eggs. These eggs come from goats milk fed hens from Livorno. They're quite famous in Italy and I think that's what males this dish.

Anyway I order it and it comes after 5-10 minutes:


Hands down the best Carbonara I've tried. It's hard to explain, since many may think that Carbonara is such a simple dish, but this was perfection. The pasta was coated with egg yolk probably mixed with some cheese (since it was quite thick) and small cubes of crunchy Guanciale (as on really crunchy, but still soft and tasty). The Gianciale really adds the another dimension to this dish. I know this could also be do be done with pancetta, but it does not have that deep, earthy strong flavour that Guanciale has. The Pecorino Cheese, sharp and saltier than Reggiano is also a winner.

This is another shot of the Carbonara half way through:



Look at that creamy golden yolk!! Needless to say I wiped out the whole plate, egg yolk included. So far this is the best I've had, but I'll continue my quest on finding better ones if they exist around here.

Ciao! More posts from Italy coming soon.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Spaghetti alla Carbonara - the real deal

As many of my friends would know, I can get quite obsessive when it comes to food and wine and once a certain dish gets in my mind, I can't get it off until I've had it several times over. This time its Carbonara. I travel quite of then to Italy and I'm lucky enough to get to try the best pasta dishes while I'm there. My favorites are the 'simple' ones, like Carbonara, Bottarga, Cacio e Pepe, etc...I dont like creamy pastas and neither the tomato based ones, with some exceptions like the Bucatini All 'Amatriciana and a few others.


My disappointment comes when I've been to several Italian Restaurants in Manila and none of them serve authentic Carbonara (egg based and not cream based). So I decided to just make my own. I took it one step further by ordering the base ingredients from Italy. The basic and original Carbonara is made with Spaghetti, Pecorino Romano Cheese and Guanciale (cured Pork Jowl) and Egg. Basically, you cook the bacon, toss the pasta in the pan. Once warm, you toss the pasta in a big bowl of raw egg (ideally one whole egg and one extra yolk) mixed with the cheese, salt and pepper. Give it a couple of quick turns and voila! Carbonara!!

What you have is the most delicious, creamy tasting pasta, mixed with the strong nutty flavors of the Pecorino Cheese and Bacon fat. Really, I could eat this everyday and not get tired of it. I wanted to pair this with wine or Beer but since it was a quick lunch at home while I was alone, I decided not to. Will try this next time with a Pinot Grigio maybe or a light Ale.

Jamie Oliver's in London

I'm still cramming and trying desperately to update my blog before the year ends..not sure if I will be successful.

A few months back during one of my trips to London, we happened to see Jamie Oliver's restaurant, in Kingston and we decided to give it a try. Its a very simple down to earth place, serving homey Italian Fare: Pastas, Pizza and other basic dishes. At the entrance, you see a huge old pasta making machine (which they actually use)..

For starters, Italian Nachos (Crispy fried four Cheese ravioli with angry arrabiata sauce)

Scallop with Squid Ink Angel Hair pasta..this was actually very good, so light but very creamy. Small capers included to give it some acidity.

Carpaccio with Arrugula Salad. You cant really make a lousy Carpaccio, unless you don't use quality meat. This dish was correct.

For main, I had salmon with Sweet Potato and mushrooms. Simple grilled Salmon, with a lemon vinaigrette. This was very straight forward dish which I enjoyed. I had this with a glass of Pinot Grigio.

Over all this place was worth going to and I would definitely return. Its a place to have a quick, healthy meal. Prices are very reasonable and for that, 2 thumbs up for Jamie Oliver. He was not clouded by his fame as Celebrity Chef to take advantage and make a killing out of his customers.

Trattoria Da Sostanza, Florence

Back to the trip I did a few weeks back to Spain and Italy, this post is about Florence. There was only one thing I had in mind for Florence: Bistecca alla Fiorentina. After doing some research, I zeroed in one restaurant which I heard was one of the better place serving Bistecca: Trattoria Da Sostanza. It happened to be right beside my Hotel so this was perfect.

This is a no frills Trattoria, where you share table with strangers. They do not accept credit cards, and have very very friendly staff. We were sharing our table with 2 Americans, and an Englishman who was born in Italy and lived all his life in London. We ended up sharing stories with them, which was quite interesting.

For starters we had a plate of Prosciutto, washed down with some house wine (Chianti of course)

This was followed by a salad, very simple as you can see, but so fresh (seemed like they had just harvested it a few minutes before serving, with just some Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a dash of red wine vinegar, salt and Pepper. So simple yet so delicious.

Our first main was Torta de Carcciofi (Artichoke omelet). This can look so simple and boring but wow, this was crunchy, and inside, moist and loaded with fresh Artichokes. This is so straight forward cooking, food can't get any better than this.

Next, we could not leave without ordering Peti di Pollo al Burro (Butter Chicken Breast). Again, this can sound very simple and even boring, but this is the best Chicken Breast I've tried...again very crisp on the outside but so moist and tender on the inside. Of course this is probably cooked with a kilo of butter, but who cares?? One bite, and you will forget about everything.

While waiting for our main course, I decide to go to the men's room, which is through the kitchen. There I see one cook, all by himself, preparing the Bistecca. As you can see the kitchen is simple, in fact it looked more like a home kitchen than a restaurant kitchen. All he had was some charcoal, a grill that looks like it was home made and a hole where a simple electric fan would blow air to keep the temperature high. I knew I was in for a treat.

When I got back to my my table, the meat was immediately served. There it was, grilled to perfection. it was served rare as I ordered it. For siding, we had Spinach and Beans. I ate this while sipping the house wine (Chianti), which was not bad at all. It complemented very well the steak.

This is how I like the steak, seared on the outside and rare inside.

Our sidings, Fagiolo e Spinaci (Beans and Spinach), again nothing fancy but loved every single dish in this restaurant.

This was easily one of my best meals during the Italy trip. I will definitely come back for more of the Steak, and the other dishes of course. More posts to come...

Agata e Romeo, Rome

I Have lots of pending posts over the past 3-4 months...so I'm desperately trying to update my blog. This post was from my last trip, almost a month ago. Agata e Romeo, another husband and wife team (same as Aimo e Nadia, a similar caliber restaurant), execute perfectly Creative Italian Cuisine. The Restaurant from the outside seems very simple, but as soon as you walk in, you know you are in for a great meal.

For starters, they served us several kinds of bread, including a very interesting muffin, made with some Olive oil and Basil...then a small 'appetizer'..squash soup, which was quite sweet and with a bit of Bacon bits...I had this with a glass of Champagne.

For our starters, 2 Great dishes: Gnocchi di Patate con Vongole, Salsa Basilico e Pomodorini Canditi (Dumpling with Clams, Basil Sauce and Candied Tomatoes) and Budino de Pecorino di Fossa di Sogliano Salsa al Vino dolce, Gelato di Pere e Miele di Castagno (Flan of aged Pecorino Cheese from Sogliano, with Pear Sauce (Gelato) and Chestnut Honey. The Gnocchi was great, quite different since it's a Vongole Gnocchi, but this was perfectly executed. The Aged flan blew my mind..one of the best dishes I've had in my meals in Italy. Similar to a twice baked Cheese Souffle, this was so moist and you could taste the Aged Pecorino in every bite. The Pear and Gelato gave this dish a bit of sweetness, which was well in order. This was perfect!

Over all I really enjoyed this Restaurant. I was a bit unsure since I thought it would one of those ultra modern Restaurants. It had the right amount of creativity and excellent service.

For my Main, I had Cinque Modi di Cucinare Il Baccalà ( Salt Cod Medley in Five ways). Poached, fried, grilled, crispy skin, confit...another perfectly executed dish, simple and comfort food for me ( I love Bacalao). The Bacalao used was top notch and had just the right amount of saltiness...

La Cantinetta de Maurilio, Barolo

Lunch this time was in one of my favorite areas in Italy: Piemonte. There are many towns in Piemonte (La Morra, Alba, Barolo, Barbaresco, etc...) and so far, I have been to two of them for spectacular meals: Alba and Barolo.

La Cantinetta was recommended to me by a friend I met some time ago through my blog, Giampiero, who works for a wine producer in Barolo called Mauro Sebaste, a boutique winery that produces around 100,000 bottles a year. As we entered the restaurant, I was a bit skeptical as the place was completely empty, and it was about 1 Pm, just about the time most Italian have lunch, but I decided to trust the recommendation of Giampiero, and good thing we decided to stay.

We decided to let Maurilio, the owner, to prepare a degustation for us for the appetizers. When he mentioned degustation, I thought that it would be the typical small plates, lots of design, creative stuff. Thank God I was completely wrong. He brought us a series of dishes, most of them he would serve directly in our plates, so basically we tried the whole menu of appetizers.

He served us first a typical Russian Salad (no pictures) which is a simple salad with vegetables mayonnaise and egg...very simple but a classic at least for me in in Spanish tapas bar. Next, we were served a Pate de Fegatini D'Anatra e Coniglio su Cipolle di Tropea Caramellate (a Pate de Foie/Rabbit with Caramelized Onions) served with Tonatto sauce, a sort of emulsion made with anchovies, Capers, Tuna, etc.. I have still no pictures of this since I was enjoying my meal too much. We enjoyed this with a fresh crisp Roero Arneis (their house white), a very typical white wine of this region and one of my favorites.

Now come the serious stuff..they served us: Pepperoni en Salsa Verde (Red Pepper, Pesto and a Quail Egg)..again a very simple dish which I continued to enjoy with the Roero Arneis. The pepper was somewhat Pickled and grilled and very sweet, a good contrast with the sort of pesto sauce.

Next, Leak Flan con Fondutta e Tartufi Bianco (a Flan made of Leaks, covered by melted Cheese and a teaser of White Truffles). A Very tasty flan made of leaks, strong Cheese and a few shavings of the coveted White Truffle, which is in season right now in Piemonte.

Then came the star of the Appetizers: Uovo in Pasta con Tartufo Bianco (Egg in Pasta with White Truffle). A simple big 'Ravioli' with egg Yolk inside, and a generous served of shaved White Truffles. As I proceeded to cut the Ravioli and take my first bite, the golden liquid of the egg yolk oozed out, a surprise for me since I forgot that the pasta had Egg..well a good surprise that is..

Following wit the theme of our lunch and on classic Regional Pairing, I asked for a 2003 Pio Cesare Barolo. The wine was all I expected from it, a typical classic Barolo, and a good match with our White Truffles.

Now on to the main course (Yes, what we had were just the appetizers) another classic Piemontese dish which I love: Carne Cruda (Steak Tartare)..I know I always have this but I just can't get enough of it..simple hand chopped meat, simply seasoned with Oil, Sal, Pepper and a dash of fresh Lemon Juice. This type of Tartare gives you a chance to taste the meat rather than the dressing that sometimes overpowers the taste of the meat.

The next and last two dishes we had were: Tortelli (small hand made Raviolis with beef) and Bocconcini di Cinghiale con Polenta (Wild Boar with Barbera wine Sauce and Polenta). The hand made pasta was great was served with a generous serving of Parmiggiano Reggiano and the wild Boar was superb, with a thick Sauce made of Barbera D'Alba wine, which gave this dish a very earthy feel.

Dessert was practically forced upon us, since we were very full from the huge meal that we just had, but how could we say no to Maurilio?? A selection of four classic desserts: Panna Cotta, Semi Freddo al Torrone, Flan and Brunet Tradizionale. The Panna Cotta was my favorite of the four, and a great way to end our meal.

This is a meal I will not forget in a long time. Thank you Giampiero for recommending this place and hope to be back there soon. Ciao !!

Il Luogo de Aimo e Nadia, Milan

My last post on my Italy trip is a restaurant Called Il Luogo de Aimo e Nadia. Its a 2 Star Michelin located a bit away from the city center, so going there took a while, but it was well worth it. A mix of Tuscan and Emilia Romagna cuisine, husband and wife team up to create intense and flavorful dishes with the best ingredients available. Not too much fancy cooking techniques, just good old cooking with a modern presentation.

For starters, they gave us a Tomato based soup, like a Spanish Gazpacho, mixed with First Press Extra Virgin Olive oil, capers and a sort of Pesto. I don't remember what this dish was called but it was very refreshing and perfect for a hot summer day.

For First course, of course I could not resist not having the Carne Cruda - Raw Piedmontese young Beef filled with green Celery and Pine Nuts, lemon and vegetables. Yet again another hard core/Old school type of tartare, where the meat is treally the main ingredient, not trying to disguise the taste with Tabasco or Lea & Perrins. I enjoyed this with a glass of yet again, Roero Arneis, one of my new favorite Italian whites.

For Main course, I ordered a classic Tuscan dish: Tuscan Suckling Pig flavored with Edera Honey with a Sweet Red Onion gratin & Red Beet Root with Pear. Ridiculously tender and crispy, I am still dreaming of how tender/tasty/creamy this dish was. I guess it has similarities to Pork Kurobota, but definitely much more flavor in this Pig. Must be the Tuscan air?? I enjoyed this with a 2 glasses of Chianti Classico, highly recommended by the Sommelier, a perfect regional paring for my taste at least...

With again no room for dessert, they served us 'Cafes' (Espressos) and Petit Fours. Very simple Fruit Baskets, Chocolate Truffle Bombons, Chocolate filled with Pistachio cream, etc...very simple yet very tasty.

I enjoyed this place very much, as again it was not as fancy/over the top as some of this modern molecular restaurants, good simple honest food. And the Chef, Aimo, was personally there to cook the food and talk to us. Something that does not happen too often nowadays with there celebrity Chefs, who can hardly even be seen in their own restaurants.

Osteria dell' Arco, Alba, Piemonte

What is an Osteria?? It's a simple Italian restaurant serving wine by the glass as well as regional/traditional cuisine. In this case, the one I went to was a Osteria-Enoteca, where they sold also wines by the bottle, to consume during the meal of to take home.

Alba, a picturesque town in the heart of Piedmont that's renowned world-wide for its succulent white truffles, Barolo and Barbaresco wines is where Osteria dell' Arco located. It was quite hard to find as it's tucked away inside a residential building near the central Piazza. The place was packed with locals and some tourists (as usual I normally make reservations just to be sure) so it was a good thing we had reservations.

I started the meal with 2 very traditional Piedmont dishes: Carne Cruda all Albese Batutta al Coltello (Raw Meat Alba style hand cut) and Vitello Tonnato (Chilled veal with Tuna Sauce). Both dishes are very typical Piedmontese cuisine and looking beside me, I could see that many tables of the locals had ordered the same thing.

The Carne Cruda, one of the most basic I've tried. No capers, no Perrins, no Tabasco, no anchovies - basically just raw beef with a little lemon, salt and pepper, which is the traditional Piedmontese way. They serve you Olive Oil on the side, which you are supposed to pour on the meat and mix all together. Simply a wonderful perfect dish. The Vitello is thinly sliced Veal with a light Tuna sauce...very traditional from this region also. For wine, I had Roero-Arneis, a typical grape of Piedmont from the Roero area in the Province of Cuneo.

For main, we had: Lingua Arrosto con Peperone e Salsa Verde (Roasted lambs Tongue) and Tagliata di Fassone (Ox Fillet). Again very traditional Piedmontese dishes, which is what I was really looking for..

As seen on the pictures above, the presentation is very simple. They focus on the quality of the ingredients rather than the fancy presentations. The Lingua was excellent, a little crisp on the outside but soft and juicy on the inside..this was the best dish of the meal and I wish I had ordered this as my appetizer also...that's how good this was. The Ox Fillet was actually also very good, quite tender and tasty, and cooked rare-medium rare, the way I like it. With these dishes I had 2 glasses of Barolo, which was a great match for the dishes I had.

With no more room for dessert, we paid the bill and had coffee in the main Piazza, al fresco..a perfect way to end a meal like this.

Latteria San Marco, Milan

Next stop was Milan. I had heard many good reviews of this restaurant, so decided to have a quick lunch the day after I arrived. It's a very small restaurant, probably only seats only 20 to 25 people. This a very typical Italian family owned restaurant, where the wife is the cook, the husband handles the bar and the rest of the family are involved somehow...

For starters, I had Coppa Piacentina with Melon. This is a very typical summer dish in Spain/Italy...actually a no brainer: The freshness/sweetness of the Melon combined with the salty Jamon Serrano/Prosciutto or Coppa in this case is just a perfect combination. Coppa is a type of Salami made from pork (neck) salted, aged naturally and stored raw. The finished product is cylindrical in shape and weighs around 1.5 kilos. It's not as salty as prosciutto, in fact a bit sweeter, but it still has enough salt to have a good contrast with the Melon.

For main, I had: Carne Cruda Marinata con Pomodori - a different version of Carpaccio, in this case the meat is marinated in some kind of lemon mixture..which I know is typical from Piedmont. a very refreshing/light dish which, if you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know how I love raw meat. When i see it on the menu, I just cant resist not ordering it.

We opted not to have dessert, just 2 cups of 'cafe', which is how they call the espresso in Italy. Incidentally, I must say that the best espresso I've had, is in Italy. A short, concentrated shot of espresso, served at the right temperature and with the 'crema'...just a perfect way to end a meal.