Rossopomodoro: A New Discovery and Pleasant Surprise
Seldom does one pick a restaurant randomly to be rewarded by swift service, amazing ambiance and, best of all, remarkable food. Simply put, Rossopomodoro was indeed a pleasant “walk in” surprise.
A franchise owned by a Saudi Arabian food lover in the Middle East, Rossopomodorro’s menu is based on authentic Italian ingredients and recipes.
With impeccable execution in décor and choice of accessories, the space doesn’t feel overdone. Little touches like hanging lamps and dainty white tables that pop against the red and gray walls scream hipster and unique!
Upon first glance at the menu, I was happy to see a fair variety of dishes, whether entrée, main course, or dessert. On the table itself was a small paper advert for the restaurant with a homemade Italian basil pasta recipe. Such simple touches of creativity and fun made the place feel cozy and friendly.
Service:
If you’re craving hot plates that are tasty, of great quality, and are served in unbelievable “fast food” like speed, Rossopomodoro is your place. The speed by which the food arrived made me skeptical of its quality, only to be happily proved wrong: Our entrée was delicious.
Food Break Down
Entrée – Capresana: Circular chunks of Buffalo mozzarella, topped with fresh tomato slices and basil leaves.
While this dish is one of the safest appetizer options in Italian restaurants, most places serve versions that lack taste and freshness due to the quality and quantity of the ingredients.
Rossopomodor’s Capresana was an exception to the often-disappointing execution of this dish. Served on a long white porcelain plate, the mozzarella slices were thick, fresh, cold and tasty. Similarly, the tomato slices were firm and fresh. Green with lots of scent and flavor, the basil leaves were perfectly married to the tomatoes and mozzarella. It was a healthy, enjoyable, and light entrée.
Marinarella Soup – Capri Seafood Soup: Tomato based soup with baby squid, shrimp and fish stock, with croutons on the side.
Served with small chunks of fresh tomatoes and seafood, this soup was comforting to the palate. Each spoon exploded with a blend of flavors leaving one wanting for more. The seafood was cooked to perfection, tender and fresh so that you could still feel the sea flavors but not too overpowering against the other elements.
My only two points of criticism are of their croutons and the size of the seafood. The croutons were boring and lacking that buttery crunch one would usually expect and the seafood was small in size so it was lacking that richness of quality ingredients. However, the chef gets extra bonus points for compensating the size of his seafood with the quantity. Up until the last spoon, I still had seafood.
Main Dish – Casandrinellina: Calzone with tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, ricotta cheese, beef ham, parmesan cheese and fresh basil
leaves
While Rossopomodoro offers main dishes, given that this was a “light” lunch, we chose to have Casandrinellina for a main dish. Baked by their very own Italian Chef Salvadore, the Casandrinellina at first looked like a flat, thick half of a piece of pizza. However, the first bite was very rewarding as all the different cheeses and their various textures and consistencies melted against the beef ham in a perfect mouth-watering explosion, with a satisfyingly strong basil kick at the end. To be applauded as well is the calzone’s dough, which was moist, but crisp from the outside and not too oily.
Dessert – Nero Magna: Chocolate soufflé with vanilla ice-cream on the side
The dessert menu is still under development and hence the selection is not as extensive as the main menu. We first ordered Tiramisu to test how well the place executes a famous Italian dessert. I was very pleased when the waiter came back to apologize for not having freshly done Tiramisu and therefore refused to serve it. This act gives the place credibility and builds trust between the client and the kitchen.
As compensation, we were offered Negro Magna, which was not on the menu. The chocolate soufflé was hot, moist, and slightly crunchy at the edges. After breaking the exterior, out came a sea of melted chocolate that was the perfect consistency and balance of sweetness. It was not too watery or too composed.
To complement the sweetness of the chocolate was the vanilla scoop, which was not at all sweet. While the vanilla-cream is the perfect match to the soufflé, I would have enjoyed it far more if the ice cream was made in-house and if it had more taste. The chocolate soufflé could have been slightly bigger as well.
Overall, Rossopomodoro offers great, simple Italian dishes with impeccable, swift service in a very pleasant, artsy space.
Assessment:
Service: 5/5 scoops
Entrée: 5/5 scoops
Soup: 4.5/5 scoops
Main course: 4.5/5 scoops
Value for money: 5/5 scoops
Ambience: 5/5 scoops
