Was it enough ? No, I never wanted to leave.
Not my first time, so quickly wandered around the attractions. Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Colleseum, Roman Forum and Spanish Steps.
So what do we eat in Rome?
Pasta.
Roman pasta big four - Cacio e Pepe, Carbonara, Gricia and Amatriciana.
Cacio e Pepe: Pasta with Pecorino Romano cheese (cacio) and pepper (pepe). Rome speciality, you will see it almost in every menu.
Carbonara: Pasta with eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, cured pork and pepper. Done right it's heavenly.
Grico: Guanciale cured ham, pecorino Romano
Amatriciana: Guanciale cured ham, pecorino Romano, tomato
Pizza. Roman pizza is thin and comes as round (tando) or sliced (la taglio).
Artichokes:.You can get it either alla romana (garlic and mint) or fried.
Cornetto: Italian chocolate filled croissant that locals eat for breakfast with their coffee. Not like pain au chocolat as the filling is nutella like and shape is crescent like croissant.
Coffee is mostly served with a small treat like mini cornetto, tiramisu or canolli.
Where did I eat ?
Truffle and Friends - truffle heaven
This place is all about the truffle. It is located very close to Spanish Steps. Mostly quite, so great place to get away from the crowds. As a starters we went for Bruschetta, followed by Cacio e Pepe.
Antico Enoteca - authentic Roman trattoria
In a corner 5 min walk from Spanish Steps, Said dal is serving the best of Roman cuisine. It has an extensive menu to choose from and pasta dishes I tried were pretty tasty and authentic. Exhausted from walking, it is nice to calm down while watching people go by.
I went for Cacio e Pepe. Simplicity at it's best.
And that Lasagne al Forno.... the ragu sauce was incredible.
La Bottega Del Cafe - perfect breakfast spot
After visiting Colosseum and walking for a good 5km, it is perfect time for a coffee break. As I approach to the cafe, I quickly grasp it is a popular spot with few people queuing for outdoor-seating. Whilst waiting, I saw so many people going inside quickly drinking coffee at the bar and grabbing their cornettos on the go. It took us a short wait to sit and enjoy our lattes with mini cornetto. The atmosphere is so relaxing, borders of cafe closed with trees.
The tiramisu was handmade, for me just the right amount of coffee and cream. It was simply amazing.
Ciuri Ciuri - Sicilian pastry shop
We left Bottega del Caffe, me knowing that it is super close to a Sicilian pastry shop Ciuri Ciuri, I hesitantly mention my friend there is pastry shop close by. My friend laughs, as we just ate a tiramisu, but I couldn't help myself... and I head straight the Ciuri Ciuri. It was so worth it.
Cannoli, the ever famous Sicilian crispy tubes are filled with ricotta cream to order. It is perfect as longer the cream stays inside less crispy is the pastry.
There are three fillings to choose from plain, chocolate and plain with chocolate chips. They are topped with Maraschino cherry, pistachio or chocolate chip.
Mine was plain with pistachio on top. Tasted like a dream.
We grab another coffee, and my friend does not resist, joins me on my cannoli/coffee rush.
Rome is supposedly not big on pastries as Sicily or Napoli, but I think otherwise.
Rinascente - spot for a coffee quick break and shopping
Keep an eye for the shoeshops in Rome. There are many shops of ateliers that sell their handmade shoes at decent prices.
Rinascente's, Italy's famous department store is good for shopping.
Tip. Most of the time Rinascente's have a panoramic/nice viewed restaurant at top floor. You can go there, drink your coffee, take a break.
Here is some views from Rinascente.
Pompi Tiramisu - not for me
It is so popular, you can see people tucking in the tiramisu, their faces in the Pompi package. However, it was a huge disappointment for me. The pre-packing and tiramisu waiting in fridge for who knows since when was a sign, but the hype around Pompi was so big, even for the one in London, couldn't resist to try.
Having ate homemade tiramisu earlier, this one tasted too industrialised. Didn't want to ruin the tiramisu image in my mind, threw away after one spoon. Not like the nonna at the corner made it this morning taste I was waiting. You can have it in classic or with strawberry topping.
Novi Chocolate - best hazelnut chocolate ever
The best chocolate I've ever tasted is Novi's milk chocolate bar with full hazelnuts. It is almost in every supermarkets. Hard to find it outside Italy. Stock up in local supermarket like Carrefour as last time I checked it is more expensive in Airport Duty Free.
