Gustocissimo

Gustocissimo means 'very tasty' in Italian, according to the Rome waiters who served us free choc-mint martinis to attract customers to their ristaurante... free martini? I think yes!

Italy's palate consists of two of my most favourite foods; pizza, and of course pasta.

During our one week consummation of three cities in Italy, George and I managed to devour: x5 spaghetti's, x2 fettucine's, x1 gnocchi, x1 risotto, x8 pizzas, (with the help of friends of course!) needless to say after one week of this I am awfully tired of pizza and pasta... however, it had to be done!

Some foodie things that stood out to me in Italia were:

•  They put corn on pizza and in salads as a norm
•  Pasta sauces tend to be simple i.e tomato and onion
•  They don't use garnish... I would normally have beautified my meal of tomato pasta with basil leaves - they did not do this anywhere!
•  The black olives were not as good as the green olives
• White pizza consists of pizza without the tomato base - its more likely to be cheese or oil mmm
•  A cooked breakfast is non-existent - you will have to suffice with a coffee and a croissant!
•  Pizza does not come sliced - you will need to specifically ask for this to be done (tourist alert!)
•  The bread most ristaurantes will serve you with your meal is insanely crusty... so crusty in fact that it is a struggle to eat!
• I am now addicted even more to olive oil, and balsamic vinegar with fresh bread (not so good for the waistline!!!)

I will now leave you with an assortment of my favourite tastes of Italia - Enjoy!

First stop in Europe : Roma, Italia!

Rome welcomed my friend Georgina and I with open arms. It's delightful paved streets and beautiful atmosphere is exactly how I pictured Italy.  With numerous ristorante's and trattoria's (less formal than a ristaurante) to keep the mouth watering... it was hard to pick just one for a meal! My first taste in Italy was at a cute ristaurante in the Piazza del Popolo (a main tourist destination).  It consisted of pasta and pizza - in traditional Italian style! And a small antipasto of meats to share with George.  Salami, parma ham, olives and artichokes made up the antipasto which we devoured with the complimentary bread (in most ristorantes they will bring out courtesy bread when you order so do not fall into the trap of ordering it first!). I would rate this about 3-5 again. Still on the search for the perfect antipasto!

Our first experience of pizza and pasta in Italy was divine.  The chosen pizza : Capricossa, a tomato base topped with parma ham, mushrooms, olives, artichokes and a hard boiled egg.  And the pasta : All'amatriciana, a simple tomato bacon and mozzarella sauce spaghetti. Both Italian specialties left us eager for our next meal! All of this was washed down with a beautiful bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from the South of France, which went down way too easily. 




Despite the joyous occasion of our first night out in Italia, we soon realised that after the bill arrived that we could not live a life of luxury on our two week adventure around the Med!

Sunday Pub Roast Experience

Last night I had my first pub roast experience. Although we had spent a few hours at a different pub prior to dining at 830pm which meant we were limited with our choices of roasts! Only beef to be exact.

The plates came out served with sliced roast beef, some 'English' hot horseradish sauce (which definitely clears the nostrils!) and another plate piled with golden roast potatoes (a weakness of mine) with spinach and carrots. As we arrived so late in the evening apparently this was only the 'dregs' of the classic Sunday Roast where the plates are even more piled with veges. However despite this the six of us devoured the meal without any complaints... except a friend of mine who got horseradish in her eye!!! BURN!

First Sunday Roast session at The Durrell, Fulham = splendid but still can't beat a good old family roast in New Zealand!!

I think lamb will be the choice for next time... just have to get there earlier!

Touchdown London!

My first day in London did not disappoint the taste-buds...

The first two meals I devoured in the northern hemisphere have lived up to my expectations. A cute little Mediterranean fusion cafe caught my eye, as my partner Adam and I perused the pavement of the local shops, down the road from our new home in West Brompton. We enlightened our palates with a gorgeous rocket salad, engulfed with cherry tomatoes, olive oil and huge mounds of buffalo mozzarella, followed by gourmet cibatta paninis. This lunchtime meal was not to be let down by my first dining experience at a small Italian restaurant called Pappa Ciccia (www.pappaciccia.com) in which we devoured an authentic Italian pizza with baby spinach, Parma ham, red onion and randomly, an egg... (Which was a rather splendid addition to pizza which I have taken note of for future LoveBites). We also couldn't resist trying the antipasto of home-cured meats, olives, cheeses and rocket... However it did not include bread so we had to inquire for some.
On a side note I am a lover of antipastos so am going to rate the platters I devour all over the UK and Europe. For starters the antipasto at Pappa Ciccia, Fulham, London's rating: 3/5, great on Italian authenticity with home-cured meats but lacking in sundried tomatoes, olives and bread.

Needless to say, my first meals London (seemingly both Mediterranean) totally lived up to my expectations and I can see myself eating out a whole lot more over here... Better watch that waistline!