Laboratorio Creativo

A corner of my Puglia in Rome. Quality food, a good selection of traditional dishes, with some more creative options, even something for vegetarians like me. The warm pasticciotto leccese, served with vanilla ice cream, was mind-blowing...a perfect ending. Congratulations. The atmosphere was refined and welcoming. We sat inside in the air conditioning on a scorching hot day, but unfortunately, it was impossible to sit outside on such a day. We'll return at a different time, and in the evening, to enjoy the garden atmosphere. An excellent experience, which I highly recommend. We booked through The Fork, no problems with payment, and the bill was spot on, taking into account the discount indicated. We'll definitely be back.

+14

Riccardo Mascello

The waiters were courteous, service was average, and we had to wait a bit for the first courses. The focaccias are excellent as an appetizer, very tasty and generous for the price. The only flaw with the two fish-based first courses I tried was that they were a bit dull compared to the ingredients. The real gem of this restaurant, however, is its meticulously designed location; you won't feel like you're in Rome. The lights, plants, and trees in the restaurant contribute to the overall atmosphere.

Roberto G.

A restaurant with a beautiful location that makes good use of the large outdoor spaces. A fairly gourmet menu featuring typical Apulian products. The orecchiette with seafood and meat are exceptional, the trio of bombette pasta is delicious, and the fried Puntillas are excellent (the Salmorejo sauce is delicious). Average prices, which, thanks to the 50% discount through The Fork, make the bill truly affordable. Definitely worth a try.

+5

Francesca Iaccarino

Great experience! Micaela is the best! ❤️

La location è molto carina, il cibo nella media con una selezione di prodotti pugliesi e non. Un locale buono per una cena/pranzo senza troppe pretese

Roberto Petrone

Original location. Very kind and helpful staff. Excellent orecchiette with turnip greens. The grilled octopus and veal cheek were very good, but with too many sauces. The tiramisu was excellent.

Alessia Bernardini

A very charming place, both inside and out, with lights that evoke the Apulian atmosphere. The only drawback is the parking; there's a paid one, otherwise it's on the street, but it's hard to find. With an open kitchen, it's excellent for both aperitifs and dinner. The dishes are generously portioned, both seafood and non-fish, and feature traditional ingredients, often revisited with a more modern twist.

Patrizia Valentini

The place is nice, although I think it's better in the summer when it's outside. Among the various appetizers, I'd recommend the tacos with nicely creamed meat inside. The first courses weren't the best, both the fregola and the orecchiette, but the bombette pugliesi were good. The pasticciotto, which was supposed to be the best, was a bit lost; instead of custard, it had ricotta, which was unexpected and perhaps not to my taste. In any case, the staff was kind and courteous, and the prices were reasonable.

+9

Ci sono tornato una volta ancora con amici. Ottimo potenziale ma c’è sempre qualcosa che non va per ottenere le 5 stelle. Cibo gustoso. Una volta la cameriera è stata sciatta, un’altra volta il menù non rispecchiava quello che poi ti arriva (salumi, mozzarella e fichi…senza fichi!!! E detto solo dopo mio reclamo), menu solo in italiano e poca disponibilità ad aiutare collega inglese, scortesia dello chef su domanda in merito ad allergia. Insomma tantissimo spazio di miglioramento prima di diventare un luogo del cuore.

Tutto buono, soprattutto le orecchiette. Porzioni degli antipasti più generose rispetto ai primi a fronte di prezzi altrettanto sostenuti. Locale carino con spazio esterno e personale molto accogliente. Parcheggio totalmente impossibile.

Alessandro Campiglia

We came for dinner with a reservation on TheFork, taking advantage of a 50% discount. The restaurant, both aesthetically and in its offerings, resembles a typical Apulian farmhouse. Unfortunately, the experience wasn't entirely positive. Overall, the flavors were bland. The biggest disappointments were the orecchiette with turnip greens, which were truly bland; and the pasticciotto, which wasn't filled with cream as per tradition, and especially not as stated on the menu. The prices weren't justified by the quality of the food. Had we not taken advantage of the discount, the review would have been even lower. A special mention goes to the kindness and friendliness of the waiters.

+9

Rossella Damato

A very large, masseria-style restaurant with many tables close together, making it a noisy location. We were greeted at the entrance and shown to our table, which was basic with placemats. The Apulian menu had variations, but was not very varied. The service was quick and courteous. Prices were higher than average. The food quality was good, but as a native of Puglia, I expected more, even in terms of portions.

SirGiu

Nice location, but the proximity of the tables makes conversation with your fellow diners difficult due to the background chaos that arises. The service is very inexperienced and careless: they forget your orders, they take your plate away when you haven't even finished it yet... The food, appetizers and first courses, is good... but no comment on the side dishes and desserts. Finally, the prices are really high for the specials. The three-euro supplement for a paltry addition to the dish is very annoying. Luckily we had the Fork discount, otherwise it wouldn't be worth it.

+5

Andrea Boellis

We took advantage of The Fork's discount for dinner. The staff was young and friendly. The food was average; as someone from Salento and familiar with the various dishes eaten in Puglia, I expected more. The Bombette were good, but the side salad was a bit bland. The cuoppo was good, but for the menu price of €14, I expected the platter to be richer. The pasticciotto was definitely not a good one; we could taste the excessive sugar in both the pastry and the cream, as well as the powdered sugar!

Timur Zaseev

The ambient seems cozy, as for the rest it leaves you to wish better. First of all it was really cold there. The major part of visitors were in their coats (maybe it was the problem of the day, I'm not sure) The second surprise was the First meal (orecchiette con le cime di rapa). Tastless and raw (not al dente but really raw) The final strike was the arrosto del giorno (the cost is 22 euro!!!) actually it was just the chicken leg, one damned chicken leg). First we thought that maybe there's some mistake but the waiter confirmed that it is the arrosto del giorno. I'm ok with chicken, it's not a problem, but ONE chicken leg is way too much... cmn guys! Obviously I shared the impression with the waiter so can do that here too without any hesitation. Tiramisù was not that bad.

Giuseppe Spedicato

I'd already read a few ambiguous reviews, but we advisors are mean, so I didn't trust them and wanted to try it myself. The menu ranges from typical dishes to revisited traditional dishes, but I came for the tradition, so we're playing it safe. Focaccia barese, a platter of capocollo from Martina Franca, bocconcini from Andria and figs, and a macco of fava beans and chicory—at my house in Maglie, a charming town in the center of Salento, they call them "fave nette e cicureddhre" (broad beans and cicureddhre), then meat bombettes, and for my wife, vegetarian bombettes. I have no doubts about the wine, Cantina Schola Sarmenti is a must, including Antieri Rosé, very cold in its seau à glacé. A toast and then the platter arrives: six slices of capocollo, four knots, and a fig quartered. We wait for the focaccia before starting, but after 20 minutes, nothing. I ask the waiter about our... Focaccia and I ask him if it isn't ready yet to bring us some bread, some tarallini, something to accompany the platter. No answer about the focaccia, but he brings us a small plate of excellent fennel tarallini. At least we try the capocollo and the nodini... the capocollo is good, the nodini are disappointing, dry and hard, obviously not exactly fresh from the day. If I had to have them brought from Andria, I would choose an excellent one, I think... but the ones I get in Ciampino at the TODIS supermarket, made fresh every day by a cheesemaker from Bari, are unmatched. Let's get them there, they are better. Try it and believe it, truly a shame!! Meanwhile, the focaccia from Bari arrives, cut into 4 pieces. You immediately notice that it is not the usual focaccia you know well, also because there are no holes for the cherry tomatoes and the dough is completely different. The cherry tomatoes are confit and added a little at the last minute while warming up before serving. Disappointment!! The service is very fast, they clear things away quickly, I'd already read that, so fast they'll bring you the next course and take away the previous one, huh! Anyway, let's move on to the bombette, which are also a whole different story: the typical capocollo ones, but cooked in the oven instead of on the grill, so overcooked, they were dry and not at all juicy; the eggplant ones, cooked the same way, of course, cut too large and partly raw... But let's try the fava bean macco, the look already worries me, it was served without the proper amount of good extra virgin olive oil, as per tradition, to improve them. We drowned them in an excellent Casarano oil, but we couldn't save them: bland, slow, and not creamy. But the worst thing was the chicory: it was dehydrated, a sign that it wasn't at all fresh and definitely not wild chicory. I won't order the pasticciotto so as not to be further disappointed, too bad!! We discuss this with the manager, who initially tells us that the flour was to blame for the focaccia, and clearly annoyed, he cuts the conversation short. When it comes to the bill, I tell him I'm sorry if he took offense at my comment about the focaccia, but that a location like this deserves more attention. I grew up with those fans there and would have truly loved to have found a home again, but I can't help but accept the evidence. Puglia, unfortunately, is truly far from Rome, Salento even further, but it's not right that it should be this way. From a professional, from an entrepreneur to whom we'll be paying our bills, we must expect quality. Therefore, in my humble opinion, the raw materials and the cuisine should be revisited, which, in Roman terms, would sound like: "Everything's great, huh." I hope both the manager and the chef taste the dishes they serve their customers. It's fair to report complaints, but more attention should be paid to flavors, taste, and respect for tradition. I think there should and can be room for improvement. If it stays like this, it's a real shame, but this, of course, is only and exclusively my opinion of the evening!

+18