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Rating: Standard, mid to low-end Illy coffee
This place tends to want to be hidden. Depending on where you approach it from, you simply can’t see it. Look at this photo, so typically ‘Roman’….
I don’t know what tha ruin is on the photo, some kind of shrine to the Virgin Mary, but there it is right next to a child playground, and facing the big plaza of the Portuense area market. Then behold, the café is right behind. This is the Alari dal 1951 Caffè. I write that it wants to be secluded because the address given in the reciept throws you to some suburban house that is simply wrong. So, go figure. Either way, the place is a whole corner lot and has lots of bar space, tables, and some nice potential for coffee.
Asking for an espresso got me the following:
Presentation: Nice isn’t it? Really nice. The spoon, the cup, the glimmer, the artistic drip on the left of hand side, it’s simply all there. Except, of course, for a nice gleaming cup of complementary water. They probably would have given it to me, but the baristas weren’t too interested in the folks at the counter, but were busy talking about something going on somewhere else.
Temperature of Cup: The temperature of the cup was warm, not hot, not scalding.
Quantity: In this potentially hazardously-sized cup, the espresso was good and short.
Temperature: This was also great. On the mark, no complaints. No darned super hot boiling cup.
Volume/Consistency: Well here’s the interesting aspect of this espresso- it was sandy it was raspy, it felt like there were too many crispy pieces of coffee beans in the drink.
Crema: Additing to this not so pleasing taste was the fact that the crema was very bitter, almost rancid in taste. So on top of having this sub-par texture, the crema was cuttingly bitter. It was thin and lasting. Not oily, but lasting.
Odor: No real odor emanating from here, unfortunately.
Taste: Well, aside from the raspy taste, it was thin, cutting, very bitter, moving towards the rancid side of the spectrum. I was surprised because Illy is usually a sign of a sure run-of-the-mill level of espresso. But it wasn’t there.
Overall: So yes, I was taken in by the machines, but not by the product they were producing. Maybe it was the barista, maybe it was something else, but the day that I gave this a try it wasn’t there.
The setup: They had two simply AMAZING espresso machines, these La Cimbali's for Illy... wow, what a pity that they didn't take the time to actually fine tune them. They're beasts waiting to be unleashed! The coffee, is of course, Illy. But note on the lower right corner of the picture what they have there, it is a very nice bowl of 'crema di caffè'. It is not milk based, but sugar and coffee... man what a temptation that was!! Next time I'll just have to order another espresso!
Alari dal 1951
Bar, Pasticceria, Tavola Calda
M. Ant. A. 97 S.L.R.
Via Portuense 106
00146 Roma
Tel. 06 580 6577
[This is the address their receipt gives, but the address given at the title of the post is the address of the actual cafe reviewed here... this is Italy, go figure!]