English Breakfast in Rome?

Breakfast in Rome is typically quite small, so when Hilary told me that she found a place for a Sunday brunch I was eager to try it. The restaurant is called the Stardust Cafe. We made sure of the hours they were open and the location before leaving for the open market in Trastevere Sunday morning. Numerous websites said that it was open for brunch on Sunday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. It couldn't have sounded more perfect.

They supposedly have a real English breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, baked beans (which I could do without), bread, and a coffee all for only 11 Euro.

If you are wondering why I have yet to tell you how delicious it was, it is because when we finally made it to the tiny alley way and read the tiny sign with the restaurant's name we discovered something horrible. The restaurant's metal gates were down and they were closed! Yes, the websites were wrong and the restaurant (which was to be the highlight of my weekend in Rome) was not open for Sunday brunch.

Needless to say I was not a happy girl after this. I went straight to the apartment to call my dad and explain that this only made my desire for his fabulous pancakes even stronger! Only 12 more days until they are mine!

Spremuta!

As I stated in my previous blog I am not a coffee person at all, so today I was ecstatic to try spremuta. It is freshly squeezed orange juice served in many of the cafes. The orange is cut in half right in front of you and freshly squeezed into a fairly small glass.

This morning I, along with Ilana, went to Bar Amore for breakfast. It is on our way to school, and although it was a bit pricey, 3,50 euro for a glass of spremuta, it was worth it. The first thing I asked the man who worked there when I walked in was, "do you serve spremuta?". When he shook his head yes, I immediately ordered one. Then I saw all the delicious pastries they had to offer. There were croissants, donuts, danish, cookies, cakes and more. Everything looked so good I had no idea what to choose, and the man serving me was getting a little impatient with my indecisiveness so he moved on to the locals in need of fast service.

I finally decided on a donut. I don't even like donuts at home but these looked amazing. They were covered with sugar and didn't appear to be greasy. He asked if we preferred to sit, which surprised me that they even had seats because most cafes don't inside, and we immediately said yes. I did want to try and emulate the locals by standing, conversing, and eating my breakfast but with my bag, computer and umbrella it was too much. I will have to try it on a day I don't need my laptop for class. I think I am addicted to the spremuta!

Café: A great way to start off the day!

The first day of class in Rome meant the first day of breakfast in Rome as well. On the walk to school alone it is possible to come across 10 to 20 cafés that will serve various items for breakfast; they are everywhere! For my first taste of a real Italian breakfast I chose to have a croissant, a banana, and a water. The croissant was amazing. The outside was layered with what seemed a sugary icing that really did help to sweeten my first day of class. The inside was light and fluffy. I kept telling myself to eat it slower but I couldn't control myself. It was so delicious that I ate it in less an three minutes! I know that water is not typical for most Italians in the morning but I just don't like the taste of coffee; I am much more of an orange juice person. I told myself though that I have to try a cappuccino some time while I am here. It was interesting to watch the locals order and eat their breakfast and compare it to how I was eating my own breakfast. They seemed much more comfortable with the idea of standing and enjoying breakfast, where I was dying for a nice chair. It seems that the cafés are a meeting place for people in the morning time. They seem cheerful and excited about their upcoming day. I chose to observe and learn about cafés in the morning because I enjoy breakfast and found the activity in the café interesting. Each time I am in the café for breakfast I plan on trying something new. I hope every morning just keeps getting more and more delicious!