Metamorfosi
Crisps
Cereal Bread, Olive Oil-Honey Butter
Octopus, Potato, Onion, Squid Ink Powder
Scallop Ceviche, Roasted Avocado, ‘Nduja Struffoli
Carbonara Egg 65°
S-foglia, Broccoli, Pork, Almond Cream
“Encased” Risotto, Mushrooms, Hazelnuts
Mallard, Carob, Pumpkin, Bay Leaf
Mallard Confit, Herbs, Chestnuts / Mallard Liver, Perigord Black Truffle, Balsamic
Stilton, White Chocolate, Blueberry
Malaga 2.0 with Egg Yolk Ice Cream, Almonds Gelee, Raisins in Port, Bay Leaf Brioche, Citrus Salad
Mignardises
Serving The Eternal City since late-2010, Metamorfosi has carved a niche amongst Rome’s largely traditional dining scene, Chef and owner Roy Caceres doing so by taking local Ingredients and “transforming” them into plates that evoke ideas and emotions.
Located on Via Giovanni Antonelli, in the Parioli area, it is immediately upon entry that guests are drawn in by neutral colors and wood, the warmth exuded by staff expected from a Michelin-starred Restaurant and service particularly attentive on Monday evening where only three other tables were occupied over the course of 140-minutes.
Deliberately paced, and referencing everything from Chef Caceres’ Colombian childhood to time in Japan, diners are asked to decide between tasting menu and a la carte after Water is poured, the latter chosen out of desire for specific items and beginning with benign Wheat Crisps followed by far more interesting housemade Bread with a blended spread of Honey Butter and Olive Oil.
Dabbling in modernism, an iSi charger undoubtedly involved in Potato Foam with Octopus and Onions to whet palates, course one featured Metamorfosi’s signature “Carbonara Egg 65°” riffing Rome’s signature dish via immersion circulator with suspended Chicharrones while Scallop Ceviche approached a South American spice profile using Calabrian Sausage in place of Aji Peppers.
Whimsical again with Primi, Caceres’ S-foglia replacing Pasta with Broccoli surrounding Pork bathed by Almond Cream, “Encased” Risotto hinges more on the tableside preparation than anything else, a bit gimmicky though the taste and texture of Rice, Mushrooms and Hazelnuts are delightful.
Suggesting the €85 wild-caught Mallard “for two,” a tableside preparation plating Breast alongside Carob and Squash with its Seeds, steep-pricing became justified through the addition of satellite plates offering Confit with Chestnuts and Liver beneath Truffles lightly sweetened by Balsamic.
Using English Stilton wrapped in White Chocolate as a bridge to Dessert, an unexpected but enjoyable choice in Italy, it was after a somewhat protracted delay that “Malaga 2.0” arrived, the idea somewhere between Halo Halo and deconstructed Panettone thanks to Egg Yolk Ice Cream, boozy Raisins, Citrus and Bread.
www.metamorfosiroma.it
