Hello! We are in bella Roma.  I lived in Roma for six months back in 2007 and was here for a week with Zorba in 2010 – coming back to Rome feels like I’m coming back home.

Still tired from jet lag and physically tired from the massive hike we did yesterday in Cinque Terre, walking around the streets of Centro Storico and Trastevere felt like a bit of an effort. Zorba was scratchy and just wanted to have a drink and stop walking around.  Most places were ram packed full with no tables outside and no atmosphere (or air con!) inside.  The only bar with spare tables is where I directed us to, just to quieten the Greek.  Logically, there was good reason why that bar was not ram packed.  A beer cost us 6 euro each.  That’s heaps when you think in the touristy town of Monterosso in the north I was buying Corona’s for 3.50 euro.

Hunger set in and we both wanted to have a wonderful first meal in Rome.  The Pizzeria and micro brewery next door, Bir & Fud, was recommended in the Lonely Planet and it was packed.  The pizzas that were coming out looked good too.

There was a 40 minute wait-list, but we were told we could sit down if we were happy to sit at a bar table – no problemo!  I was thinking let the Greek eat before he really cracks it!  A pilsner for Zorba and yummy zesty almost sweet kolsh beer for me.  Yum!

We decided to take it easy and not over-order. We shared a buffalo mozzarella caprese salad which of course was gorgeously simple, fresh and delicious.

Caprese salad with buffalo mozzarella

We then had a pizza bianca with melanzane (eggplant), mushrooms, buffalo mozzarella, and parmigiano (parmesan cheese).  With no tomato sauce, this made the pizza base so crispy – it was crunchy and amazing. We relished every bite… and sorry, I was enjoying it so much that I forgot to take a photo for you until it was almost all eaten!

Pizza bianca with melanzane, funghi, mozzarella and parmigiano

The trusty Lonely Planet said to save room for dessert.  Our cute waitress recommended the ice creams and made us a special mix that they don’t normally do.  Out came a mango sorbetto, and then the dish of the night, special handmade ice-cream with cinnamon and a hint of ginger and then there was hand made pistachio gelato.   O.M.G. The mango sorbet was fresh and nice – but next to the other one it paled in comparison. The cinnamon and ginger ice-cream was like nothing I’ve ever had before. So delicate, well balanced, creamy and very, very moorish.  Zorba said it was the best gelato he has eaten in his life – ever! The pistachio was amazing also – so much better than pistachio you normally find at a gelateria.  Again, the flavour was delicate and the ice cream was so creamy.  It was hard to pick a winner between those two flavours.

Mango sorbetto and the mix of cinnamon and ginger gelato (top) and pistachio (bottom) – best EVER

We will probably try to have another meal at Bir & Fud before we go, just so we can have that gelato again.

We walked home under a full-moon. Just gorgeous x

Full moon

Off exploring now – have a great day!

FACT FILE

Bir & Fud
via Benedetta, 23, Roma (zona Trastevere)
Tel: +39 06 589 4016
www.birefud.it