La Pentolaccia

Ok, another Rome post coming your way.  And I'm sorry if you're getting bored of this theme, but let's be honest - the food in Rome is just SO good that not blogging about it would be a travesty.  So, here goes.

We arrived in Rome on a sticky Monday afternoon, and after managing to make it through the chaos that is Fiumicino Airport (how is it that there aren't any signs regarding flight details on the baggage carousels?!) we decided that we needed a good (read: massive) meal at dinnertime.  The concierge at our hotel, seeing our tired and hungry faces, knew just the place for us: La Pentolaccia.  It was a cosy and welcoming restaurant with attentive staff and, even better, just a few minutes' walk from the hotel.  So far, so good.

La Pentolaccia

Now, let's get down to the food.  Given that it was my first meal in Rome, I had to start with the spaghetti alla carbonara.  As with pasta ai funghi (see my post on Ristorante Santa Lucia), carbonara outside Italy isn't particularly great - it's usually drowned in cream and is generally rather sickly.  At La Pentolaccia, however, I was treated to the perfect carbonara: the bacon was crisp, the spaghetti al dente, and the sauce, well, not too creamy.  I was in heaven!

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

My friend went for the bucatini all'amatriciana (hollow spaghetti with bacon and tomato sauce).  I had a mouthful, and can report that the tomato sauce was light and fragrant and, as with the carbonara, the bacon crisp.  I still think, nonetheless, that I made the better choice!

Bucatini All'amatriciana

For my main course, I chose the calamari alla griglia (grilled squid).  As anyone who knows me will tell you, I am a calamari fanatic - yes, I know, bad for my cholesterol, but whatever.  Anyway, the dish was perfect due to its simplicity: the squid was well-seasoned and very tender.  

Calamari Alla Griglia

Being much more adventurous, my friend went for the trippa alla romana (Roman-style tripe).  I know nothing about tripe and don't care for it very much if I'm being honest, but by all accounts it was lovely.

Trippa Alla Romana

By this time, we were absolutely stuffed, but we just HAD to have some pudding, so we decided to share their cannoli siciliani - crunchy 'tube' pastry stuffed with ricotta, candied fruit and chocolate chips.  I must say that I wasn't a huge fan of this dish: the pastry was a bit thick and there wasn't enough sweetness to counter the sour/saltiness of the ricotta.  That said, perhaps we were simply too full to truly enjoy this delicacy.

Cannoli Siciliani

If you are in Rome and fancy a hearty home-cooked meal, do try La Pentolaccia - the food is good, the service is friendly and efficient, and the prices are quite reasonable.

Ristorante La Pentolaccia - +39 06 485 777 - www.lapentolaccia.eu

Via Flavia, 38, 00187, Rome