The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2024 - Issue 35

bitecuisine metres with a 50-cover and a further 12 alfresco, neon signage, stylish lighting and matt black tableware. It’s ideal for meeting up with friends or colleagues or popping in for dinner when you don’t want to cook that evening. Al Dente’s fourth site in Angel opened on the bustling high street in April. Like its sister locations, the 70-square-metre restaurant honours authentic Roman pasta tradition while serving dishes from various Italian regions. The menu has Roman favourites like Carbonara, Amatriciana, and Cacao e pepe. To celebrate the opening, it offered a special pasta dish, la Gricia, with guanciale, pecorino Romano, black pepper, and pasta exclusively. We were invited to dine at one of Al Dente’s restaurants to expe- rience their exquisite pasta. Upon entering the Monument site, I was initially surprised by its compact size but soon warmed to its intimacy and welcoming atmosphere. The open kitchen with the menu above the counter immediately grabs your at- tention as you peruse the delicious dishes. The eatery has sev- eral high tables with chairs, a picture of actress Sophia Loren enjoying a plate of spaghetti and a fridge cooler for drinks. The menu offers a selection of antipasti, oven-baked dishes and soups, hot drinks, wines and cocktails. Claudio, the manager and our culinary guide suggested we try Bruschetta al Pomo- doro, bread with tomatoes, basil and garlic, Piadina Romagno- la (thin Italian flatbread) with 24-month matured prosciutto di parma, mozzarella and rocket, and Pizzotella Mortadella e Stracciatella, fried pizza dough with pistachio mortadella (pork sausage) and stracciatella di burrata (cheese wrapped in a mozzarella casing). Bruschetta al Pomodoro’s cubed tomato pieces blended well with the basil and garlic on a bed of rocket. I loved and enjoyed Piadina Romagnola’s flavour contrast of mozzarella, parma ham, and rocket, which was deliciously enchanting. The Piz- zotella Mortadella e Stracciatella was intriguing, as I had never Piadina Romagnola Pizzotella Mortadella e Stracciatella Paccheri Salsicca e ‘Nduja