Il Convivio-Troiani, Rome, 12/14/15

front door
front door

 

A medium sized place composed of 3 well lit rooms rather starkly decorated, but there is a feel of elegance to the place. It is run by 3 brothers and the night we were there Massimo Troiani, who is over the wine selection, was there but his brother Angelo who runs the kitchen and Giuseppe, who is over the dining rooms, were not. They want to be known for their healthy cuisine and are open about their suppliers as well as content of the dishes.

interior
interior
another dining room
another dining room

In fact their menu lists 14 different common allergens and has them noted on dishes that contain them.  Another quirk of their menu is that the host’s is the only one with prices, denoted by the man on the front as opposed the bare breasted woman on the “guest’s” menu. Wonder how they figure out  who gets which?

Men's menu
Men’s menu
Ladies menu
Ladies menu
inside
inside
organic statement and supplier list
organic statement and supplier list
Grand tasting menu
Grand tasting menu
Starters
Starters
Meats, Fish
Meats, Fish
table set up
table set up
embroidered napkins
embroidered napkins
purse stool
purse stool
Frankie checked out the table decoration th where some snacks were hung
Frankie checked out the table decorations where some snacks were hung

We were well advised to try and get Eric as our waiter. He speaks great English and is helpful in making your selections, except for wine where Massimo rules. The have a tasting menu as well as a la carte, which we chose, and a huge wine list. The tables are set with homemade chips that hang from the table decoration. They start everyone with a couple amuse bouche.

IMG_6987
Bread with chickpea filling. Flavors of India and green dot in background is hot sauce. They brought us extra!
hot sauce
hot sauce
bread selection: olive, chestnut, focaccia, raisin nut?
bread selection: olive, chestnut, focaccia, raisin nut
IMG_6998
“Almost macaroon” – fried raspberry cookie with chicken liver filling. Extra delicious!
Masssimo Trevano
Masssimo Troiani
wine
wine
Frankie thought the wine holder was a sliding board
Frankie thought the wine holder was a sliding board

The salad with prawns was a very nice combination of tastes and served with a chip for crunch. It was almost sweet.

IMG_7007
Shrimp with dried figs, radicchio salad, pears and Balsamic vinegar. Served with red shrimp chip. Very nice combo of tastes.
red shrimp chip
red shrimp chip

The quail came with a large salad that was somewhat underdressed. There was also no sauce on the quail and it made the dish a little dry. It came with a hard boiled quail egg.

Roasted quail, black truffle, artichokes and mixed countryside salad
Roasted quail, black truffle, artichokes and mixed countryside salad
salad close up
salad close up
Roasted quail and truffle clsoe up
Roasted quail and truffle clsoe up
inside the quail
inside the quail

The duck ravioli had pomegranate sauce on the top of each and a celeriac sauce underneath. The duck had been cooked in red wine. It was cool looking and fairly good.

IMG_7040
Burnt wheat’s ravioli with red wine braised duck on cleriac, bay leaf and pomegranate cream

The spelt spaghetti had Asian flavors and was a tad spicy. The pasta had a nice chew and the almonds added crunch. It was delicious.

IMG_7045
Spelt spaghetti by Felicetti, oil and garlic, spicy pepper, seasoned pecorino cheese, red prawns, lemon, mint and shaves of almonds

The lamb cooked 4 ways started with a steamed spinach bun with lamb. It was nice.

Baozi (Chinese steam cooked sandwich) filled with lamb ragout and spices
Baozi (Chinese steam cooked sandwich) filled with lamb ragout and spices

The main plate had lamb belly on polenta with mushrooms, fried lamb and a sauce of balsamic and plum. The little flowers were beet and cream cheese. The lamb was cooked perfectly rare but was too tough to cut but the other portions were quite edible, but none left you wanting more.

IMG_7075
Roman lamb in four preparations: loin filled with lard, olives and thyme, fried breaded chop, sous vide and roasted belly, and steamed bun (separate photo)
Frankie checked to see what was left
Frankie checked to see what was left

The palate cleanser of pumpkin was quite nice.

IMG_7112
Pumpkin and Tonka bean ice cream with praline nuts and dried fruits topped with balsamic vinegar

The dessert was a rum soaked cake with meringue powder and chestnut paste followed by puff pastry and then vanilla and violet cream. It was topped with beignets filled with dark chocolate.  It was really different and had a strong taste of violet. It helped to try and eat all layers together as the really sweet bottom ones offset the bitter chocolate at the top but that was a challenge.

Chestnuts, violet and chocolate
Chestnuts, violet and chocolate
Eric, great waiter, with Sous Chef Daniello Liefe
Eric, great waiter, with Sous Chef Daniello Liefe
Frankie's had enough fun and food
Frankie’s had enough fun and food
interesting sculpture
interesting sculpture
ladies room bathroom door
ladies room bathroom door
Frankie explored the bathroom decoration
Frankie explored the bathroom decoration
A parting gift
A parting gift

 

2 thoughts on “Il Convivio-Troiani, Rome, 12/14/15

  1. I publish the following list:

    http://www.opinionatedaboutdining.com/2015/europe.html

    Voting for the 2016 list, as well as the U.S. and Japanese lists, are currently going on and I would like to invite you to participate. If you are willing to and have the time, just click the link below and click on the tab labeled “Register an Account.” The certification code is the word olive which will give you instant access. As you will see, many of the top bloggers already participate and it would be great if I could add you to the list. Thanks and I hope you accept my invitation.

    Steve P

    http://www.opinionatedaboutdining.com/survey/login.php

    1. Wow! Steve,thank you so much for asking me! I look forward to participating. I’ve enjoyed reading other’s blogs (which inspired me to start my own) which help shape where we go and maybe I’ll find some new ones! Thanks for visiting Diningwithfrankie – hope you’ll keep looking in! You made my day!

Leave a Reply to Steve PlotnickiCancel reply