My last chance for a meal in Rome before beginning a driving holiday: My AirBNB host recommended this place, saying the pasta was great, and referencing the house specialty: the democratic rigatoni.
When I arrived, just past 12.30pm, there was one table of staff or owners or something on the side, and no waiter in sight. I approached them, and comically, as I’ve come to expect from the Romans, they all sort of shrugged, rolled their eyes, and inclined their heads towards the poor sucker who was supposed to help me out. He readied to get up, realised that his pants were undone (or his fly was down or something). He turned away from me, adjusted himself, then turned back and indicated, how can I help you?
I asked if I could sit outside, and he simply indicated, yes, choose anywhere you want, and he was then replaced by a portly waiter, properly dressed for the job, and unRomanly polite.
In any case, macaroni and cheese (Kraft dinner) was a feature of both my childhood and my university days, so I have a fondness for it. This may be the original Italian version, rich and creamy and cheesy, with al dente rigatoni (handmade, I hope) and a sort of crisp bacon sort of addition. Along with a glass of house white, this was a lovely last lunch for me in Rome. Hey, it’s not gourmet food, but as its name implies, it’s democratic: I’d guess it would appeal to a huge amount of people. It did to me.
It was a choice for us between Belle’s Hot Chicken and Ume Burger, and since Ume Burger had chicken burgers (but Belle’s didn’t have anything Japanese), we went for Ume Burger! I opted for the special of the day, which was a tonkatsu curry theme: mayonnaise with Japanese curry flavour and a thick patty of meat, pork mince I was presuming. To tell the truth, I couldn’t really tell that there was a curry flavour.
Similarly, my friends enjoyed their burgers but wondered what was Japanese about them. It was pretty subtle really. But the fries were tasty and crisp, and the food was tasty, and the Kirin beer went well with the burgers, so it’s a nice, casual option among the more expensive restaurants on this strip.
I arrived in Rome at 6.30am, got myself into Travestere a few hours later, and then my kind AirBNB host allowed me to check in at 10.30am. But she still had to clean the apartment, so I went out for a wander.
I couldn’t resist the Jewish artichoke, deep fried so the leaves are crisp like potato chips, soaked in oil, and of course the heart, rich and savoury. I’m not sure I’ve tried their agnoletti before, somewhat crudely formed and filled with ground meat, with a light cacio y pepe sauce (I think I should have also gotten it with a dollop of ricotta). As before, I found the food simple and delicious and the atmosphere charming. It seems from the reviews that the locals aren’t as happy with the place as before: that the quality of the food has gone down or something, but I like it and will always be grateful for Nihan’s recommendation to come here!
I washed it down with a frascati, which is apparently a Roman white wine. It was fruity and punchy with some body, a surprisingly good match for the richness of the pasta. The meal didn’t knock me out as much as previously, but jet lag was coming on and I only ordered the one dish.
At both places, I was amused by the Roman routine: the tables are so close together that after a period of polite distance, soon you can hear neighbours talking to each other, commenting on the food, asking each other about their travel itineraries, one Italian fellow was even pouring a glass of extra wine for a young Thai student at the table next to him.
It’s very charming and convivial. For some reason, I feel compelled to comment that in the day’s wandering, I kept seeing people in groups wearing matching tags around their necks, or all following the same tour guides, led by a colourful cloth on a stick. I myself would find group tours a less charming thing to do than finding a neighbourhood gem like this.
My waiter saw himself caught in a photo I was taking of the interiors and came up to get a welfie, which I’m rather pleased about. As usual, while I’m linking these reviews to Zomato, the food review site, Zomato continues to annoy me. It doesn’t count reviews for the same restaurant, even a year apart (I think it’s very reasonable to update reviews semi-regularly; a lot can happen in a year) and any photos with people in it, they won’t put up on the restaurant’s listing (only in your personal feed). I imagine there’s some sort of privacy restrictions going on, but to me, food is such a social experience, I want to see the people eating at a restaurant. I want to have my photo of me and the waiter be considered an authentic representation of the restaurant.
I finished with an amaro (an obsession for me while in Italy, and for three euros, how can you not?) and wandered off, and as before, I find the street particularly charming, all aglow, a hot September night in Rome. God, I love this city.
Actually, here’s a wonderful article on SBS about 
So, we’ll see how Soi 25 does. For a casual catch-up with a friend, John, it was great. Impressive gold walls, the staff trying hard to please. We liked all the dishes though the most impressive one, a soft pork bone rib in Chiang Mai curry with a tomato and pork mince dip, I somehow managed to not get a photo of.
The betel leaf prawns were particularly yummy, as were the grilled lamb cutlets. They serve sticky rice (which I love…). We also had deep fried calamari AND crispy fried chicken wings.
I also had the cocktail of the house, a slightly blue concoction which was pleasant enough (cocktail prices are a bit cheaper than in Surry Hills). Three appetizers and two mains were a bit too much to eat, in the end. I was overfilled!
