"This is the Roman way, don't worry," Italian chef Daniela del Balzo said cheerfully, as she reversed her Fiat 500 the wrong way up a one-way street. Not that she could really see out of the window anyway, as the boot was full of delicious goodies that we were taking back to her stylish apartment in a ritzy area on Aventine Hill near the Colosseum to cook for lunch.
Daniela's irreverent charm made the time we spent with her, learning to buy and cook as real Romans do, the highlight of a recent trip to Rome. We'd just spent an hour in Testaccio Market, where generations of Italians have gone to shop since it opened in the 1800s, sniffing, tasting and elbowing the weak out the way to get the freshest and most perfect food possible.
The neighbourhood is a working-class stronghold known as Rome's stomach – it is here that you would have once found the city's slaughterhouses, but they've been closed down and transformed into chi-chi art galleries and apartments as the area undergoes galloping gentrification. Daniela explained that she'd recently taken celebrity chef Gary Rhodes around the market and he'd been poking and prodding the produce just like any good Roman housewife.
The market's 50 or so stalls include the freshest glistening fish on display at a fishmongers that proudly displays a picture of Italian legend Marcello Mastroianni, the stall holder's cousin; picture-perfect fruit and vegetables such as shredded chicory and ready-trimmed artichokes that looked as though they were dug out the ground that morning; plus one of the best selections of cheese, ham and meat that you will find in all of Italy.
After lugging our bags into Daniela's apartment, over espresso and biscotti and with Italian opera on in the background, she talked us through the menu which included both local and Neapolitan dishes from her hometown.
While Daniela poured us a generous glass of prosecco, we made some snacks to get us in the mood: bruschetta and prunes wrapped in bacon, a rich courgette frittata and slices of Bresaola topped with ricotta cheese and arugula. Daniela encouraged us to taste, seasoning and pouring on extra-virgin olive oil at will, which had been made from groves at her family's holiday home in Abruzzo. Then we started on our pasta course of fettuccine with artichokes and pasta with Broccolo Romano. The thought of the last dish did make my heart sink as the vegetable was described as a combination of broccoli and cauliflower which aren't exactly must-orders for me, but once it was braised with anchovies and made creamy with pecorino, I could have licked the bowl.
Our main course was Involtini alla Romana, strips of veal rolled up with prosciutto and celery and braised in a white wine and marjoram sauce. Oh, and tiramisu to finish, followed by more coffee, biscotti and chocolates. Or at least I think that's where we finished, as Daniela generously topped up our wine whenever we weren't looking.
After we bade farewell, with heartfelt kisses and thanks and promises to come again, we walked - or rather staggered - down Aventine Hill armed with our recipes, feeling like we didn't need to eat again until we next returned to Rome.
Testaccio Market is open everyday bar Sunday from 6.30am – 2pm.
For more details of Daniela's Cookery School contact Context Travel (www.contexttravel.com).
There's plenty of chow in the Big Mango and it's cheap, delicious and super fresh. Here's a handful of recently discovered gems.
DECK BY THE RIVER, ARUN RESIDENCE
What? Great food on a luscious wooden deck above the Choapraya River. Deck by the River overlooks the mighty Wat Arun so you can soak up some culture whilst you wolf down your lunch. What could be better? Choose from a Thai or a Western menu. Delicious spring rolls, tom kha gai and salads. 1000 baht ($30) for lunch for two.
Where? 36-38 Soi Pratoo Nok Yoong, Maharat Road; +66 2221 9158.
LE LYS
What? Simple, filling, good Thai food washed down with cold Singha beer (no wines available). Sit on tables around a grassy courtyard amidst posters of the 2007 French rugby team and St. Tropez. One guidebook says it feels more like a dinner party here than a restaurant, and it's easy to see why, Ly Lys is a very laidback, friendly place.
We gorged on spicy carrot salad, aubergine and shrimp salad, green curry and red curry, plus plenty of Singha for 845 baht ($26).
Where? 104 Soi 7, Th Narathiwat Ratchanakharin; +66 2287 1898.
EAT ME
What? Slick and sexy, this "art restaurant" is both hip and delicious. Enjoy great Australian / Pacific Rim food on an outdoor terrace cooled by overhead fans, or sit inside underneath work by Bangkok artists.
Wet your whistle with a cocktail then dive straight into the starters; we chose mountain bread nachos with salsa and lentil and sesame soup. No rest for the wicked, next up was a feta, lentil, green been, tomato and paprika salad and salmon steak with capers, broad beans and lemon zest pulp.
All this and a good wine list. 2,700 baht ($83) for two people, two courses, plus wine.
Where? 1/6 Soi Pipat 2, a small street off of Convent Rd. just south of Silom Rd; +66 2238 0931.
What? Super stylish space-esq party pod. A favourite amongst well-healed expats with surprisingly good food. 1,750 baht ($54) buys you a three course set menu and entertainment galore.
Tomato and coriander soup was chased in by a waitress dressed as a rat (it being Chinese New Year). Then came a duck salad accompanied my Monsieur and Madame Massage who, for 200 baht, pummel your pressure points and ease away your aches. A quick rubdown was followed by sirloin steak then a mango, ginger and pomegranate sorbet. One treasure hunt later and in came a chocolate brownie with ice-cream and raspberries. The meal was rounded off by dragon dancers and acrobats performing vertigo-inducing feats to celebrate the year of the rat.
Non-stop entertainment plus supine supping and, if you’re feeling really energetic, an adjoining club pumping out house music.
Where? 26 Soi 11, Th Sukhuvmit
THE BLUE ELEPHANT COOKING SCHOOL
What? Where better to master the art of Thai cuisine than in the country’s crazy capital? ½ day or whole day courses with menus that change daily. Visit a market, watch fish have their heads ripped off and meet water beetles that smell of mangoes, go back to the school and get stuck in. Four courses, four classes, four chances to cook it yourself. When it’s all over you go downstairs and feast on the fruits of your labour.
Where? 233 Th Sathon Tai; +66 2673 9353; ½ day classes cost 3,250 baht.
