For the past couple of years, we have been making a journey to Rome to watch a game with Italy play in the six nations. Luca is very good at organising it. One of the places that we try to frequent is a place called La Carbonara.

It is definitely one of those places where you need to book in advance. Luca was good enough to also organise that on our latest trip. They do two sittings, and we ended up with the later sitting at 20:30 although you can turn up for a drink at the bar whilst waiting. We did see quite a number of people enter, only to be turned away because they didn’t have a booking. If you’re in Rome, get your hotel to make the reservation for you. It’s very worth it.

You also have to be careful because there are two places in Rome called La Carbonara, and they aren’t even related.

We started by sharing some fritto misto (mixed fried stuff) – almost very much like a tempura coating.

We also shared a fried artichoke (it’s one of those things in Italy where I’m surprised they fry a lot of things). Of course, it tastes pretty good because they do it with olive oil, and the ingredients are super-fresh.

Of course, the star of the show is the carbonara, and it would be wrong to order any other pasta dish as a first course, unless you have a dairy intolerance, or just don’t like bacon (who doesn’t?!) Like classic Roman style, the dish is creamy without the addition of real cream, just an egg yolk to bind it all together, plenty of black pepper. Just perfect.

The other classic dish to have in Rome, is the Saltimbocca, or pieces of veal topped with some prosciutto. Good to have a couple of green sides to go along with this as the main dish.

And what would an Italian meal be without any tiramisu? A nice, light way to finish the meal.

Name: La Carbonara
Website: www.lacarbonara.it
Found at: (Viminal Hill) Via Panisperna, 214, Rome (it’s not the one in Piazza Campo Dè Fiori)