Roma offshoot a hot little joint in every sense of the word
"Late Again" will be the title of my self-published autobiography in a press-run of one copy, and so I was, when I arrived at the new Restauracja Roma. My associates Hoppy and Pancho, important foreign correspondents, had already ordered the wine. The delightful waitress was standing in front of the table with a bottle of Argentinian chenin blanc, telling them that the variety they had asked for was not quite chilled. She recommended another bottle for the same price. Soon we were sipping a chenin blanc that tasted surprising like chardonnay.
The room was decorated with many of the Mediterranean touches that make Roma's first location such a cozy spot, for instance the fake sky of blue cloth with gold stars and trim, frescos of Italian scenes, and scattered Roman busts draped in silk ivy.
The new location, a few doors down from the Italian Embassy, is a little larger than the first, but still quite small with nine tables instead of five. The setting was intimate, making it easy to eavesdrop on your international neighbors, speculate what language they were speaking, and even bump chairs. How do you say "excuse me" in Danish?
This location's biggest drawback is the insufficient ventilation. The free sauna made us grateful every time a new patron arrived and the door was left open for a while. Our sexy waitress had the right idea by wearing a tank top, not only keeping cool but giving us a chance to enjoy her tattoo.
The menu is the same as at Roma's first location Italian with a few alternatives thrown in. Starters cost zl. 7-zl. 27. Salads range from zl. 19-zl. 26. Far and away the biggest section is for pasta, which varies from zl. 19-zl. 35. Grilled meats and other specials are zl. 23-zl. 48, except for the assorted meat plate for two, which is zl. 70. Desserts cost zl. 14-zl. 19.
Right away, I had to place dibs on the carpaccio (zl. 23). And it did not disappoint. It was a simple carpaccio for purists with beef, olive oil, parmesan cheese and the largest capers I have ever seen. I greedily devoured every bite and looked up to see that my dining companions had barely started their appetizers.
Pancho was in a seafood mood, so he opted for the Przysmak Szefa of New Zealand mussels in red sauce. When queried on the taste, he shrugged and said, "It's like tomato soup with chewy things." There were six large mussels on the half shell placed in a bed of sauce. Sarcasm aside, he enjoyed them enough to finish the entire plate.
Hoppy started with the tzatziki (zl. 11) and was too busy chewing to give a verbal response. She smiled and put two thumbs up, then grabbed another piece of garlic toast and dipped it in the yogurt, cucumber, cheese and garlic mixture. She had not quite finished her appetizer when the pastas arrived, but she hardly missed a bite. When she finished the starter, Hoppy went straight for the Pasta Con Broccoli (zl. 21), which she enjoyed so much we were again denied the melodic sound of her voice until there was not even a trace of sauce on the plate.
A forlorn Pancho looked over and said, "You never finish when I cook for you. Is this saying something?"
Pancho himself was not in a Mediterranean mood, and ordered the Polish-style Karkowka (zl. 23). Even though it came from the grilled meat section, he was expecting something different. "The one they serve at the Gazeta Wyborcza cafeteria for zl. 3 tastes better," he said, explaining how the newspaper roasts its pork shoulder in tomato sauce. Then he changed his tune, "But in all honesty, this is pretty tasty." It came with a salad in vinaigrette dressing and ziemniaki w koszulkach literally potatoes in shirts.
I ordered the Pasta Al Pesto (zl. 22), which at Roma's other location impressed me as the best in town. It comes with the option of cream sauce or olive oil, and I chose the latter. Unfortunately, there was so much that it left a healthy pool at the bottom of my plate. The pasta, however, was wonderful, fresh and served al dente more than just a vehicle for the sauce.
We followed all this with dessert and coffee. The tiramisu (zl. 16) was chocolatey and rich. The ice cream with fruit (zl. 16) was Hoppy's choice, and no trace of vanilla ice cream, sorbet, syrup and pineapple remained when the dish left the table. Pancho went for bananas stewed in butter and covered with cognac (zl. 14). They turned out to be syrupy sweet with a surprisingly tangy orange and cinnamon-tinged sauce. Pancho finally found bliss in his espresso (zl. 6), which he pronounced as being "there." My cappuccino (zl. 8) was generous on the milk and seemed more like a small cafe latte.
Dinner for three with wine, dessert and coffee came to zl. 286 ($65). When we asked for a faktura VAT, we were told to wait or come back the next day. Our waitress, who gave excellent service, was the only one on a packed floor that Saturday night and it would take her time to fill in the anal details required by the Polish tax code. This is an inconvenience but then, Roma is more suited to romantic dinners than entertaining clients.
The new spot lacks some of the charm of the original and needs better ventilation to get through the summer days, but its central location and slightly bigger size make it much more convenient to show that special date just how sensitive you are.
