Palmerie Parioli, in Rome’s Parioli neighbourhood, is that rare beast: a venue which manages to cover all bases with remarkable success.
After launching about a year ago in Rome’s upmarket residential neighbourhood, north of Villa Borghese – and now with a new chef at the helm – Palmerie Parioli has successfully broadened its remit from dinner and dancing to becoming a very popular lunch venue, with breakfast next on the list.
The cavernous space has a club-like feel upstairs, dressed with teal, pink and navy velour, tropical wallpaper and lights like fishbowls. Downstairs, and in its cute mezzanine outdoor courtyards, there’s almost a beachy, Bali vibe in Palmerie Parioli, with lots of cute corners to escape your day.
The new chef has overhauled its Asian fusion dining menu with a greater focus on Italian ingredients. With a fairly selective door policy, Palmerie Parioli strikes a good balance between exclusivity and friendliness.
As the nights get warmer, the few rare outdoor tables and seats are set to soar in popularity. Palmerie Parioli’s ground floor is ideal for drinks and pausing for an aperitivo, with open sides and an indoor garden vibe.
I recently went along to Palmerie Parioli to try highlights from the new menu during a fun evening of live music. The handsome bar area upstairs is the heart of after dark entertainment, and it’s a great spot to hang out.
We started the menu with these delicious algae cones filled with hot mango and spiced mayo, topped with fresh, raw tuna.
Next up, we tried a wonderful basket of steamed king prawns and langoustines, sourced from Puglia in Southern Italy, which were extremely fresh and sweet.
This dish was ideal for diners that don’t eat raw fish, but for those of you like me who are fanatic about sashimi, the next dish really hit the spot.
This stunning platter of raw fish ranged from raw red prawns, salmon and sea bass to tuna, scallops and fish eggs. I would recommend this dish even as a complete meal for two, accompanied by prosecco or Franciacorta, or delicious in-house cocktails.
Next, it was time to dip into Palmerie Parioli’s famous sushi menu. These uramaki were filled with lobster poached sous vide, avocado and lemon gel, and topped with salty bottarga.
We continued with this delicious poached scallop in teriyaki sauce, served with crisp asparagus tips.
This exceptional poached egg was covered in crispy breadcrumbs and served on thinly sliced Jerusalem artichoke.
The next tasting dish was a fusion style dumpling, filled with Italian veal and topped with a creamy Parmesan sauce. While the ingredients were individually interesting, I didn’t enjoy the textures of this dish, and the meat was difficult to eat in a single mouthful.
Our final savoury course was an artfully prepared dish of black cod, combined with miso paste, crunchy vegetables and celeriac. Again, the crisp vegetables were perfectly set off by the light, crumbling fish.
There was still room for dessert, and I shared a sweet pastry open tartlet filled with white chocolate and hazelnut mousse, topped with fresh raspberries and oriental yuzu. This was a little sweet for my tastes, but I really enjoyed sampling half the dish.
All in all, the evening at Palmerie Parioli was a real success, with live music in the open plan space next door providing welcome entertainment (although the volume was loud). I’m next planning to check out Palmerie Parioli for lunch, where I hear their Poke bowls go down a treat.
I also can’t wait until Palmerie Parioli opens for breakfast – from mid-May – as I think it will make a great co-working space and pleasant daytime option for hanging out with friends or catching up on laptop work.
Highly recommended.
Palmerie Parioli |Viale dei Parioli 7| 00197 Rome|Italy|Tel 380 741 7379
Testaccina was a guest of Palmerie Parioli
