A Creative, Inspiring & Delicious Take On Raw Food In The Heart Of Rome
Viale Parioli 192
Roma - 00197
Tel: + 39 06 90236251
Website
Viale Parioli 192
Roma - 00197
Tel: + 39 06 90236251
Website
Having only discovered Rome's hidden passion for raw food last week I went in search for more new inspiring restaurants to sink my teeth into. Not surprisingly there are only a handful of completely raw restaurants and cafes so this weekend I decided to visit Solo Crudo. It's a bit out of the way if you're basing yourself around the Trevi Fountain and Campo Dei Fiori but it is definitely worth journeying out to. Solo Curdo is the baby on the block, all other restaurants on Viale Paroili have been open for years and years and are more or less your typical Italain family owned and run restaurants, but in saying that having only been open for a short six months, Solo Crudo are giving the older guys a run for their money as they are already going ahead with the opening of a second and much larger restaurant.
The inside of the restaurant is tiny, as all of the dining is 'al fresco', but there are a few bar stools inside for people to sit and slurp away on a fresh juice or smoothie. The interior is simple yet affective, they kept it looking very organic and fresh with the use of wooden panels, potted plants and fruit, and vintage style hanging lightbulbs. The outdoor area is partly sheltered with a white and clear gazebo which houses simple wooden tables and chairs. Its no wonder they've allocated all their seating outside as the sun shines down on the restaurant for the most part of the day.
The menu is small, graphic and easy to follow. As I got chatting to the wonderful manager of the restaurant she told me that they change the menu every 3 months, so they can use the best of the vegetables in season, and it being Italy, you can imagine the variety of fresh vegetables they have to offer. This particular menu had delicious sounding raw 'sushi' rolls, tartar of an array of different vegetables, spaghetti made out of zucchini, carrot and beetroot with tasty sauces made to match and an intricate list of desserts, that had my mouth salivating as I read them. |
I sat out side in the sunshine and ordered the zucchini spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce. As I waited the lovely manager informed me of the success of the restaurant and how there is great excitement about raw food in Rome. She also informed me of their happy hour which is every evening from 7pm-8.30pm and has proved to be more and more popular as the weeks go on. All the wine they serve is locally produced from organic vineyards, and usually has a much greater alcohol content than your standard red and whites.
For me, this type of eating is my favorite, when you know all the products are of the highest quality and so much effort has gone in to sourcing the best and freshest ingredients - when my dish arrived to the table you really could tell this was true. I immediately got the smell of the sweet tomato and basil sauce (even though all the food is served cold) and the light crunchy zucchini noodles were luminously green and vibrant. This was all topped of with a scattering of pistachio nuts, which finished the dish off perfectly and gave it that extra bite.
For me, this type of eating is my favorite, when you know all the products are of the highest quality and so much effort has gone in to sourcing the best and freshest ingredients - when my dish arrived to the table you really could tell this was true. I immediately got the smell of the sweet tomato and basil sauce (even though all the food is served cold) and the light crunchy zucchini noodles were luminously green and vibrant. This was all topped of with a scattering of pistachio nuts, which finished the dish off perfectly and gave it that extra bite.
I left feeling completely satisfied and I know that I will most definitely be back to tick off a few other tasty items from the menu. A big congratulations to the owners for doing such an amazing job of transforming raw food into something interesting, inspiring and mind blowingly delicious. I wish them all the best in the future with the opening of Solo Crudo number two, there's no doubt that it won't be an outstanding success.