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Rating: Standard, solid mid-range Roman coffee
Coming across the Friend’s Bar Caffè feels like stumbling onto a lost piece of Sicily, or a place where some serious mafia deals occur. Or simply this is my imagination, whatever, it was a cool place to encounter. The interior is an early to mid 80s black on steel and hazy brownish mirrors, and it’s spartan. Bare bones, and two small tables inside. On the outside however, you find people waiting around. The first time I passed by I saw even cops sitting there lounging about. It’s off the beaten path, but a fun place to experience, if only for the fact that you feel like you’re in the middle of a mountain village…. while being in the middle of Rome.
Asking for a coffee got me this delightful thing:
Presentation: Plain, simple, clean, sleek. The spoon was shiny as heck, and no water offered.
Temperature of Cup: Gosh, it was warm, hot, almost scalding.
Quantity: Very short shot, ristretto by US standards, a mature strong dose by ‘mafiosi’ standards.
Temperature: Yup, super hot. For some reason, the locale intimidated a bit and I drank it fast, burning my tongue.
Volume/Consistency: After letting the internal bleeding come to a stop, the coffee was not sirupy, nor watery, nor sandy. It was thickish. Somewhat indescribable due to the burnt tongue! But it wasn’t bad.
Crema: It was rather uniform, cakey and it started to break into marble like slabs once I started drinking it. It was persistent. It was good, for Roman standards.
Odor: No real odor. Non that I felt at least.
Taste: It was very bitter, but nowhere rancid, and it was a short in intensity. No color of fruits or anything….
Overall: … but the burnt tongue might have misguided me in this tasting! But it was a good and solid strong traditional Roman coffee. I was glad to have it, and not disappointed in any way. It isn’t third wave, but it’s not crap either. Its a very decent solid espresso.
The setup: Again, spartan but solid. A nice three-group Astoria E-61 based group machine with a Mazzer grinder, and they were churning out Tintori Caffè which I dig.
Feels like a dump when you’re approaching the place, but it’s definitely worth a cup of java. If only for the good quality and the authentic non-challance of the joint.
Friend’s Bar S.R.L.
Via dei Malatesta, 22
00164 Roma