In Rome, Eat As Romans Do!

We are in Rome, enjoying a holiday that all of us – myself, my wife Alyona and our two daughters Rachita and Kriti – had been looking forward to for a long time. Whenever we venture out it is a delight to enjoy food together and help increase their culinary knowledge.

For dinner one night we choose a place called Clok in Rome. It is a typical Italian joint, a ristorante-pizzeria-wine bar, with clean-cut looks and modern ambience, centered in a commercial area and choc-a-bloc. As we have worked up an appetite with the sightseeing, all of us look forward to a real cheesy true blue Italian meal. It is a good thing that the menu also has English descriptions. Tourists need a refreshing drink first, so we ask for Succhi di Frutta, which are fruit juices! My glass of Green Apple Juice (3 Euros) not only quenches the thirst but also cleanses the palate beautifully.

We browse the whole menu and then decide to go course by course. Get started off with Bufala E Prosciutto (8 Euros). It is simply Campania's Buffalo mozzarella with ham. The mozzarella deserves a few good words: it is nice and moist, slightly chewy (well, we expected that!) and not at all crumbly. My daughter remarked that it looks like a nice big rasagulla! The description is apt!

Then it is on to the Il Bufalcacio (5.50 Euros). It is a remarkable presentation of smoked Buffalo cheese, which has been melted and baked in a wood fired oven. To keep it piping hot till it reaches the table, it is served in a sizzling casserole. We have one filled with aubergines and cherry tomatoes and Alyona and I exchange knowing glances because the girls generally act difficult about brinjals back home! But cheese is such a winner and it blesses everything with a pleasant rounded flavour.

By now we feel the edge of the gnawing hunger going. But one can't be in Italy and not have pizza. Pizza, as we know it, is credited to one Raffaele Esposito of Naples. In 1889, to honour a visit by King Umberto I and Queen Margherita, he created a special pizza, which resembled the Italian flag. The pizza consisted of basil (green), mozzarella (white) and tomatoes (red). This dish set the standard for our modern day pizza. It was an instant success. He named it in honour of the Queen and the world got the Margherita. So first it is good old Classic Margherita (6.50 Euros) with its tomato sauce, Mozzarella cheese and basil. We order special toppings of salami and sausages. Sure enough, at first bite, I see pure bliss written on my girls' faces. It is a huge pizza and we all share it. We put in another order of Pizza Speciali, named Parma Fondue (8 Euros). This is one up on the Margherita with a creamy sauce over ham.

By the time the last crumbs of the pizzas vanish we think we can stop eating but things look incomplete without a taste of the Risotto (8.50 Euros). The creamy risotto with classic basil Pesto lives up to our expectations.

With a stomach pleasantly full, the taste buds clamour for a sweet ending. As there was not much on offer for desserts we settle for Tiramisu (6.50 Euros), which seems to be a safe bet. Unfortunately, our choice proves to be wrong because we have tasted better Tiramisus on home ground.

Such is life. Anyway, the kids are sleepy but we pick up the tab for less than 60 Euros. All in all, a fair deal. And tomorrow is yet another adventure in our Roman Holiday.