Where, oh where would I treat myself to homemade pasta for Sunday lunch? That was my question. I considered going back to the exquisite Le Mani in Pasta but decided why not? Let’s try something else, and be guided by TripAdvisor, which seems extremely popular in tourist cities like Rome and Paris.
The funny thing about TripAdvisor reviews though is that the best ratings may have to do with other factors besides just food… So, I was surprised to arrive at Pasta E Vino (which Google Maps has translated to “Pasta and Wine”: knock it off Google, you shouldn’t translate the name of a restaurant) and see what a humble place it is.
There’s no table service, the cutlery is plastic and the plates are paper. For such a casual place, they have an extensive menu though, with all you could ask for in an Italian meal, including wine, which I decided at noon on a Sunday, I could do without (hurrah for Andy’s willpower).
I decided to just go for a pasta dish (along with delicious mineral water with gas) and opted for fettucini with pesto and crispy bacon (only 8,50 euros). There are daily specials, but also a choose your own menu for matching your preferred pasta to sauce. For my special, the noodles were thick and wide. The sauce was creamy and salty, and the bits of bacon perfectly crisp. It was quite al dente but obviously homemade.
So, I can see that the stupendous rating on TripAdvisor (currently #210 out of #10,250 restaurants in Rome) would be that 1/ This is a very busy tourist area 2/ The food here is cheap and easy 3/ Especially in comparison to the many other more expensive areas closeby, and 4/ The food is tasty. So, perfectly fine for a cheap and easy meal. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but I was happy to eat their delicious pasta (and my first pesto on this trip).