Piatto Romano



Piatto Romano has fast become our 'go to' trattoria in Testaccio, not least because of the seasonal vegetable dishes prepared by Andrea.




As you enter the restaurant the raw materials are displayed on a table. On our recent autumn visit funghi & squashes played a leading roll.
Beyond that is the wood burning oven from which emerges the thin crust pizza, slices of which appear as you peruse the menu.



A little further in is the cart on which the finished vegetables are presented.



Andrea's menu has all the Roman classics but we think the trick is to turn the page to the seasonal specials.

On our most recent visit these included Crema di Zucca Mantovani.



Mantovani are the 'King of the Pumpkins', according to Alice Adams, who is somewhat of a pumpkin guru!



Cucuzella are a type of zucchini or courgette that are grown in Southern Italy and are often curious shapes.



Here they are grilled and served with a salsa di Senape, a salsa verde.



The leaves and tender shoots of the cucuzza are known as tenerumi and they are sauteed with olive oil and served as a contorni or side dish.


The funghi made an appearance both as fritti, which went so well with the crema di zucca.....



..... and with pasta


I am admitting to funghi overload but 'tis the season'.

Quite a lot of Andrea's dishes have Southern Italy/Sicilian influences such as Alici Arraganate, a spicy anchovy dish.



Also Filetti di Pesce Spatola Fritti, a long flat silver fish that is filleted then deep fried.






Rachel Roddy serves up a variation on this dish with an almond & breadcrumb crust for Guardian Cook 

Dessert could be home made biscotti to be dunked in vin santo



As an extra treat you may be offered guiggiole with your espresso. These are little fruits that taste of apple and dates.



Even better is the digestif, made by Andrea, maybe from artichokes but my memory is very hazy on that having sampled rather too much of the aforementioned digestif.



The dining room itself is decorated in a sunny yellow and appears popular with local residents. We often see Laura from the spice shop in here.



Do go - you won't be disappointed

Oops! Almost forgot to mention the Olives Ascolane which I have to order here every time.



These crunchy orbs of meat filled olives are excellent here, far superior (and yes I know this is controversial) to those at Trattoria Monti which specialises in dishes from Le Marche region where the recipe originates.