Enrico

Via Dei Coronari is one of my favourite streets in Rome. Much quieter and more sheltered than the capital's crowded roads, it used to be home to many antiques shops, and does in fact still harbour a few treasure troves of art and furniture. Now, however, it is also home to revitalized businesses such as Ora De Re - a newly opened, edgy, urban eating place, which is mixing the old and the new to cook up a storm. Here I met Enrico, who introduced me to supplì.

Can you tell me a bit about this place?

Our shop is a typical Roman food shop. We have got some old recipes for Roman street food and we are maybe one of the best places in Rome for fried stuff like supplì. Supplì is a rice ball with some stuff inside: tomato, mozzarella, meat.

Our project and our idea is to review the old recipes of the Roman food so people can taste it in the street food way - you can eat here, or take away, or get it delivered. We only opened a little under five months ago. This place is a kind of laboratory. We prepare everything ourselves and like to present the food and the place in quite a Roman style.

How would you describe Roman style?

Roman style - it’s traditional, it’s fresh and it’s friendly food. It makes people talk it about, question and discuss it. That is the Roman food.

Have you always been interested in cooking and food.

Yes. I like to cook and prepare food with my colleagues and also with my partner. His name is Arcangelo Dandini – he’s a chef and also has a restaurant in another place, where we make only fried food.

Is fried food very Roman then?

Yes. Our fried food is very typical Roman food – you only find it in Rome.

In your opinion, what’s the best piece of Roman street food?

Maybe it’s the supplì. It’s made with rice, and we put different stuff inside, depending on the style: for the matriciano style we put tomato and pork, on the carbonara we put egg, we make the classical with chicken and pork, we put breadcrumbs on top, and then we fry it.

Where did you learn to cook?

I learnt to cook with my partner, chef, Arcangelo. He taught and is still teaching me all the secrets of the Roman cuisine.

Do you want to taste a supplì?

Which one’s the best?

The classical one.

Yes please! Grazie.

I can definitely recommend a visit to Ora De Re, if you ever find yourself wandering down Via Dei Coronari.