L’asino d’oro is a restaurant you don’t want to miss if you’re staying in or passing through Rome. Tucked away nicely in a small street in the city centre (Municipio I), you would easily pass it if you didn’t know about it. Or perhaps if you didn’t have time to do your research before going out to eat 🙂
I would describe the food here as slightly experimental (which isn’t very typical of Roman restaurants), but still having enough Italian classics for those who swear by them (e.g. tiramisú). Every dish we had was prepared very well and very reasonably priced (primi & secondi: around €14, dolci: €6). In addition, the odd wine lover will love the great variety of great wines they have. We had a beautiful deep plum red wine (recommended by the waitress) from the La Marche region; a Montepulciano and Sangiovese blend.

The interior is very minimalistic, some might call it modern, which doesn’t make you warm, fuzzy and filled with anticipation immediately. Though the experienced waiters and waitresses and the great food make up for the slightly less cozy feel of the restaurant. By the way, I just love it when waiters are knowledgable about the food and wine they serve. I always pick their brains and ask them for their favorites, in a way to flatter them but also to mask my immense indecisiveness.

So here’s what my boyfriend and I had to eat:

                                                               Polenta & soup shot

                                                      Veal cheek with balsamic glaze
                                                          Sausage with white grapes
                                                         Papardelle with rabbit ragú
                                                     Slow cooked pork cheek with persimmon and berry sauce
                                                        Foam of coffee and ricotta
                                                    Cream of dark chocolate, mint and ginger

This cracked us up, although I’m pretty sure it wasn’t meant to be funny.
You can just see the Italian chef go “No! We only serve real coffee! No milk!”.

The above dishes were all very good, though my favorites were the slow cooked pork cheeks in persimmon sauce. The meat just fell apart with just oneI get the impression L’asino d’oro changes up their menu quite often (certainly with each season). If you want to have an impression on what the chef’s been cooking, Lucio Sforza posts pictures of his dishes on the restaurants facebook page every other two months or so (yup, no real website with menu, etc) and updates with regards to opening hours. Personally I feel the pictures of the dishes on the facebook page don’t do the creativity and skill of the chef justice. But if you’re curious you can check it out at: www.facebook.com/asinodoro

Be sure to make reservations by phone as this restaurant is popular and not the most spacious.