Pascucci al Porticciolo Restaurant in Fiumicino (Rome), Italy

Posted by Rowena Dumlao Rowena Dumlao - Giardina 12/12/2018

Pascucci al Porticciolo Restaurant in Fiumicino (Rome), Italy

The sea is my biggest supplier, where I had to get everything. Chef Gianfranco Pascucci has a vast source of ingredients right in front of him, where fishes of different kinds are taken to the dock by the local fishermen of Fiumicino as soon as they come in from fishing. He doesn't limit his ingredients to the usual sea bass or turbot, because he feels impelled to take out the immense supply that the sea can provide us, more the unknown than the ones we are used to. There is the desire to generate awareness and through his kitchen, his dishes can create stories from the sea, the fishermen then to us.

He strives to give them identity and the importance they can play for our health and appreciation with our palates. Thus, Gianfranco, with his creativity, was able to construct a gastronomic world in his kitchen with a Michelin star shining inside it. Pascucci al Porticciolo is a destination in the fishing town of Fiumicino, a short hop from the Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport and a forty minute ride from the center of Rome.

Having lived in Fiumicino for almost a couple of decades, I witnessed the steady stream of Romans passing through and crowding the town for their weekend fill of seafood lunches. This town is a treasure chest of seafood restaurants and there is a diamond that shines in a small corner of the town that overlooks the canal that connects the Tiber River to the Tyrrhenian Sea and the small port of the town. Known to both the locals and visitors as the best seafood restaurant in town, Pascucci al Porticciolo is a place where you are assured of good seafood kitchen using the fresh harvests from the Tyrrhinean Sea.

A restaurant only becomes completely excellent when both the dining area and kitchen are able to work smoothly together. That's how proprietors Gianfranco and his wife, Vanessa Melis divide themselves at work. Their partnership is profound and they create flawless balance in all aspects of the place. There is a synchronization of the quality of what the kitchen produces and how the dining staff maintains a pleasurable experience for the diners. More than that, at Pascucci al Porticciolo, kids are welcome and the staff is able to cater to their simpler needs on the table. Dining at Pascucci al Porticciolo is an impeccable experience from the professionality of the staff to the ample wine selections and most importantly, the flavors of the food that wonderfully linger in the mouth.

A meal starts with the plate with the word MARE spelled out in a composition of pink salt, dried seaweed and scampi powder. Take note of the aromas and tastes of the sea. Mare means sea in Italian and Gianfranco, with his fondness of the sea, recreates the essential scents with his MARE that we can wipe off with the soft green sponge bread topped with emulsions of oysters and anchovies.

There are a couple of choices for the tasting menus, the Classic Tasting Menu that consists of 7 courses including the petit four is at €80 while the bigger one, the Tasting Menu is at €100. With the à la carte menu, the proposals for the appetizers are around €20 including the selection of raw and cooked seafood at €36, as well as singular oysters at €5 each. First dishes of pasta and risotto are between €22 to €32 while the main courses are between €25 to €28. Desserts are between €13 to €16.