Ristorante Sora Lella: wonderful Roman food

Looking towards Sora Lella & Isola Tiberina

Nothing beats the London winter blues than dreaming of a holiday in the sun. Forgo the seaside pleasures of Sharm el Sheikh or Lanzarote and head to the ultimate European city for art, architecture, culture, pleasure and culinary delights (and good weather): get yourself to Rome.

I love this city for its crumbling mass of history and the enormous array of restaurants (and gelaterias). On a recent visit, whilst London shivered, Rome shone. It wasn't only the sun that quickened the step, it was chancing upon the wonderful Michelin-stared Sorra Lella, located on the tranquial island, Isola Tiberina in the historic centre of Rome.

Continuously owned by the same family for over 50 years, Sora Lella dedicates itself to the art of classic Roman cooking in traditional surrounds. This is not a restaurant for those looking for nouvelle cuisine, deconstructed foams or style over substantive. What you will find is engaging staff, well spaced tables, a calm atmosphere and lots of dark wood.

Crisp and light croquettes

I must admit that I made one grave mistake in ordering, I decided to forgo the pleasures offered by the antipasti course. Fellow diners (all of whom were local Italians - a good sign) raved about the traditional small veal meatballs in fragrant tomato sauce and the artisan prosciutto with fresh buffalo mozzarella. The gods were smiling however, as the waiters took pity and provided me with complimentary potato, mozzarella & prosciutto croquettes. (They provided complimentary bits to anyone who didn't go the whole hog and order antipasti). The croquettes were light, crisp and very delicious.

Awesome tonnarelli

The pasta course (between €12-14), delivered all of the traditional Roman delights that a happy man could want. I loved the sounds of the homemade ravioli stuffed with spinach & fresh ricotta in a pecorino, pepper and fresh Roman mint sauce and the jumbo rigatoni with fish ragu with tomato & fresh basil. However, I couldn't go past the homemade tonnarelli pasta with sausage, guanciale (Roman cured bacon), eggs and walnuts. The tonnarelli was perfectly cooked and the sauce (to me, like a souped-up carbonara) gave off a creamy, nutty texture with rich, salty pork highlights.

The best baby lamb

Don't just visit Sora Lella for the pasta however, as the main course menu is full of the sweet/sour tastes of the region. Roman cuisine delves into the underbelly of the culinary world - literally, as it focusses on the wonderous things that can be done with offal. I wish I had tried the Roman-style veal tripe with tomato and mint sauce (€16) or the mixed lamb offal (liver, heart, spleen) with sage and rosemary (€18).  Nothing however, could stop me from consuming the braised baby lamb with a white wine, vinegar, garlic & rosemary sauce (€20). This was, I can assure you, one of the best lamb dishes I have ever consumed, with the meat meltingly tender and sauce salty, rich and damn delicious. I wish I could have it again and again.

Just something light

Roman food is not known for its lightness, and after three generous portions of deliciousness, I was sure that I really couldn't stretch to dessert. At another visit, I am sure that I would partake in the ricotta cake with sour cherry jam or the ricotta and dark chocolate parfait with amaretto. Once again, the gods of Sora Lella smiled upon me, providing me complimentary vanilla gelato (rich and creamy) with homemade almond biscotti. Simple, but awesomely flavoursome.

Don't go to Sora Lella if you want mod, moody and cool. This is extremely good, traditional Roman food in the calmest and most convivial of settings. The prices might be higher than those on the mainland (ie off the island, over the road in Rome), but it is certainly well worth the short trip.

Ristorante Sora Lella
via Ponte 4 capo, 16
00186 Roma
T: +3906686101

http://www.soralella.com/ita/home.php



If your Roman dreams turn into a wonderful reality, you can't go beyond Trevi BnB Roma. I found it by chance, but it has all of the hallmarks of a fantastic pitstop: large historic rooms, plush beds, high ceilings, luxurious bathrooms and in-room sofas for lounging. To cap it all off, it is a hop, skip and jump from the Trevi Foundtain. The breakfast is pretty damn good as well. My superior double was only €120 a night.

Trevi BnB Roma
via del Lavatore, 83
00187 Roma, Italy
Http://www.bbtreviroma.com/
Tel: +390669380944

http://www.bbtreviroma.com/