Adelaide Restaurant & Lounge, Rome: Three Must-Try Dishes from the Autumn Menu

Adelaide is the restaurant of the boutique hotel Vilòn, located inside Palazzo Borghese. The restaurant's name is a tribute to Princess Adelaide, who transformed the "house annexed to the palace" into the first school for poor girls, educated in the elegance and hospitality of the time by the French nuns of the Cross. The 5-star hotel, with its 18 rooms and suites, boasts a private, almost secret entrance in Rome's Campo Marzio district. The restaurant at the boutique hotel Vilòn seats forty people in the lounge, bar area, and bohemian-style patio. The restaurant manager and sommelier is Samuele Florio. After the lockdown, Adelaide decided to capitalize on the city's low tourist numbers by offering dining directly on the balconies of private suites.

In the kitchen, we find chef Gabriele Muro, originally from Naples but now a Roman by adoption, with experience as a teacher at the Gambero Rosso Academy and in the kitchens of Michelin-starred and non-starred restaurants, both Italian and European, including El Raco den Freixa in Barcelona and Enoteca Achilli al Parlamento in Rome. Gabriele is keen to emphasize the importance of the people who work with him: "My collaborators are very supportive, both in terms of ideas and preparation. I train the guys and always try to talk to them. I wish we could talk more about the backstage of the kitchen and the people who work there." But let's take a closer look at three must-try dishes from the menu at Adelaide Ristorante & Salone Roma.

The artichoke is cut into three parts

The artichoke made in three (€22) is a dish that "pays homage to Rome," Gabriele explains. "The main ingredient is reworked in three different ways: cream, fried wafer, and finally roasted and cooked with mint and almond milk." The fall menu is still in development, so Gabriele decided to add something new to the dish: "I heard that a certain type of shrimp is being fished out these days, and I couldn't resist. I added a chopped Mediterranean pink shrimp to the heart of the artichoke."

Naples Tokyo

Napoli Tokyo (22 euros) “This pairing was born almost as a sort of game to create a Neapolitan dish by mixing it with Eastern tradition: the ravioli is filled with Genovese cuttlefish. It is served with an Oriental dashi broth made with an infusion of kombu seaweed, katsuobushi, and shitake mushrooms. Finally, the dish is garnished with julienned seared cuttlefish, oil, and parsley.”

Cleopatra

Cleopatra (28 euros) “The Cleopatra dish features all parts of the guinea fowl. The breast is marinated in a brine of various types of mushrooms, cooked at a low temperature, and then roasted.” Gabriele’s desire to find different ways to plating is evident here, too, as Cleopatra is served as two courses. “The first course features the breast served with a melted pumpkin cube, sliced ​​cardoncelli mushrooms, spicy toasted corn, and a smoked guinea fowl sauce. Served next to it in a bamboo steamer is the breaded and fried wing with cornflakes, and finally, steamed bao buns filled with shredded guinea fowl legs.”

In addition to the "Adelaide Menu," we recommend the "Timeless Roman Temptations" (€19), the "My Name is Adelaide" five-course tasting menu (€80), and, Monday to Saturday, the "Adelaide Business Lunch" (€25) curated by Gabriele Muro. The dessert menu is curated by the young Andrea De Benedetto.

Adelaide Restaurant & Lounge is open Monday to Sunday from 12pm to 3pm and from 6pm to 10:30pm.

Adelaide Restaurant and Lounge, Via dell'Arancio 69, Rome. Tel. 06 878187. Website, Facebook.