Molo10: Seafood and beach clubbing in Rome

So I found a cure for Monday-itis and you should try it. It’s called: an 8 course seafood lunch at Rome’s Molo10.

I swear, not only was I blown away by freshness and creativeness of the plates, the friendly attentiveness of the staff, the casual nautical boat house kinda beach club feel, but it put me in a top mood to face the rest of the week. If you’re not from Rome, even though you think you don’t, you may still know Ponte Milvio. It’s the neighbourhood north of the centre, at the foot of the Stadio Olimpico and renowned for its famous love locks bridge (which doesn’t really exist anymore because the locks were weighing down the bridge!). It’s also a very lively area at night, well-known for its aperitivo bars.

It’s a short 15 min taxi ride from the centre and take it from me, if a seafood feast sounds like it’s right up your alley, then the trip will be well worth it.Chef Vincenzo Ciano is of Calabrian descent, has lived in Rome for years and has travelled and worked at restaurants around the world. His plates are so pretty that for a minute I felt like I was fine dining instead of sitting on a deck chair! While the menu is fun and tasty, most of the plates I tasted were plates of the day – created with whatever fresh fish comes in from Puglia and other coastal parts.

And so without further ado, here are the 8 plates that turned my Monday right around:

1. Mixed raw seafood: amberjack with fresh tomato and basil, Tyrennian scampi with olive oil, salt and lemon; marinated red prawn, tuna tartare with potato and capers2. Linguine with pecorino cheese and pepper, scallop and buffalo mozzarella and chicory cream3. Grilled octopus with potatoes 4. Tuna tataki “porchettato” – basically coated in the same herbs and spices as the classic Roman porchetta (spiced roast pork) 5. Cannellini bean purée with mussels6. Black cod, cannellini beans, escarole and tobiko7. Grilled calamari on squid ink, san Pietro fish fillet, bottarga, orange and sea asparagus (salicornia)8. Flourless chocolate cake with ganache, crushed pistacchio and strawberries