Marzapane & An El Cellar De Can Roca Alumni

Now, Marzapane is a little hidden gem and local foodies would not want the word to get out.  However, I’m like TMZ when it comes to restaurants.  Therefore, I’m letting the world know about them.

Marzapane is a great little restaurant on the East Side of Roma.  The head chef is a 27-year-old chef woman named Alba Esteve Ruiz who was the chef of appetizers at El Cellar De Can Roca.  El Cellar De Can Roca is considered one of the top 3 restaurants in the world for more than 5 years and currently ranked as the #1 restaurant according to the 2015 San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant.  Therefore, I’m incline to believe Chef Ruiz knows a thing or two about cooking at a high level.

Okay.  I’ll be honest.  I only went here because I saw her picture online and thought she was really cute.  I figured I’ll try to court her while I’m dining at the restaurant or stand in front of the restaurant with a boom box playing Peter Gabriel’s In Your Eyes.  If that didn’t work, I would have turn it up a notch and serenaded her with Divinyls’ I Touch Myself.  Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out the way I envisioned and I was stuck with paying the bill.

It’s a bit away from the Central Roma.  The service was underwhelming and the waiter seem annoyed he had to work.  I think the bastard was jealous I was hitting on Alba or something.  It wasn’t as inviting as other Italian restaurants I’ve dined at during my stay in Roma.  The restaurant has a very rustic feel to it.  The wooden tables, interior and chairs was very welcoming and it makes you feel at home in the countryside.  However, the waiter made you feel you weren’t wanted like having a herpes outbreak on your wedding night.

Now, the food.  There are multiple tasting menus you can choose from.  We decided to go with the Marzapene Menu.  I’m going to only touch on certain items I thought were tasty.

1. Amuse Bouche – It was a crab cake like texture with bits of sea salt sprinkled on top.  The tender morsels and a crispy exterior complimented the sauté veggies underneath it.  The dish was very good and comforting like a bag of chips after a heavy marijuana smoking session.

   

2. Cod Fish – The flake pieces of cod-fish was tender and moist with crunchy fried bread used as garnish on the plate.  The cod-fish wasn’t overly fishy but the oceanic flavors of noticeable like when I woman hasn’t wash down there.  The presentation was artfully plated and the colors of the plate came together like walking through a garden on shrooms.

   

3. Carbonara – The pasta part of the meal defined how pasta should taste.  The strings of carbs cooked to à la dente tossed in a rich creamy sauce.  It was definitely made to slurp like a bowl of ramen and your palate is convince of the importance of having a bib.   It wasn’t overly cheesy like some of the lines men use to pick up women at the bar.

   

Overall, I would have to say Marzapene was a good dining experience and another one to add to my list of restaurants.  However, it wasn’t one of my best dining experiences and it wasn’t as expensive as some of the Michelin restaurants.  For the price, diners get more for their money like going to Olive Garden to order a Pepsi and eating the endless bread for free.

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