Helloooo from Roma! After fourteen hours on the overnight train from Siracusa, we are here!!!
As we arrived in the wee hours of the morning, our room was not ready, but, we got to experience how the city rises. Starting with a police horse parade whilst making our way to see the Spanish steps.
Yeah, ”the quiet’ Spanish steps was truly a delight because trust when I say this is a tourist spot. Grabbed a light breakfast at a café bistro close to the Spanish steps and made our way back to the hotel as our room was ready earlier than usual check-in time. Massive s/o to Baglioni Hotel Regina!
Once we had settled in, It was lunch time and that meant finding a place to eat. Not that we were short of choices, Rome has enough places to eat, we were actually spoilt for choice 😱 so we followed our noses and ended up in Casa Bleve, not before checking out Trevi Fountain
The Pantheon, which is not too far away from the fountain, was given a pass today, because, well, we were hungry 🤷♂️! Casa Bleve is housed in what used to be a palace back in the day and it is nay to shabby,
with quite a selection of wines which are displayed as you walk into the dining area. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner with quite a number of options so we knew we were in for a treat! We started with toasted bread coated in olive oil served with the ‘whims’ which is a selection of starters – burrata with fruit compote, roasted pepper rolls with Tuna, capers and anchovies cream, raw zucchini flower rolls with cottage cheese and pistachios, as well as squid, It looked delicious on the plate
and we tucked right in! When I spread some of the fruit compote from the burrata on the toasted bread.. ouuuu weee! It gave me sweet and savoury goodness on my palate. The Zucchini was ever so creamy, the squid with a local variation of asparagus had slightly bitter notes but was perfect with the zucchini; whims for the win!
The pasta though? I mean when in Rome one must have pasta and gelato no? and this here pasta, it was just DIVINE! The tomato base was thick and flavourful okay? With the cheese that was literally the cheery on top; not too much, not too little, but just right!
You lot already know about my ongoing affair with the ‘carpaccio’ 🥰 so I was not about to pass up on the beef carpaccio with rocket leaves and parmesan! If keep it simple was a dish, the carpaccio will win every time! A dash of olive oil and voila!
Claudio, our waiter, came through with the dessert still. Serving some vanilla ice cream with pepper.. and pause! Yep, vanilla ice cream with pepper and strawberries. Let me tell you, the flavours burst through, my goodness it was goodt! But it wasn’t just the ice cream, we also had apple tarte tatin accompanied with a delicious muscat wine which was sweet and had the right amount of frizz 😋
One time for man like Claudio!
Okay, Roma, I see you. Day one is done, defo looking forward to all the other foodie delights you have to offer.
Saluti
Ndidi
