Ai Balestrari - Campo dei Fiori

I stopped by Balestrari around lunchtime, no reservation. Classic Roman trattoria just a stone's throw from Campo dei Fiori, plenty of tourists but not overwhelming. Warm atmosphere, tables outside and three small rooms inside. The only thing is, the tables are low—really low. I'm 1.85 meters tall and my knees were practically jammed in.

Let's start with the problem: the amatriciana was underwhelming. Tomato too watery, guanciale in big chunks all mushy because they'd basically stewed it, pasta a touch overcooked too. And barely any pecorino, which with that tomato sauce was really needed. But anyway, the flavor was decent, I'll give it that. A stretched 6 out of 10.

The carbonara, on the other hand, hits the spot. Spaghetti, not my first choice but fair enough. Good creamy consistency, guanciale crispy in little batons, properly peppery without overdoing it. Only minor gripe: a bit on the loose side, I prefer it more compact. But there's 435 grams on the plate, they don't mess around. A solid 7.

Before that we'd had supplì and fiore di zucca. Homemade, not frozen stuff, flavorful. Only thing is the frying could've been crispier.

Service from young, likable guys—a bit cheeky, as any self-respecting Roman trattoria should be.

12 euros per person. For Campo dei Fiori, that's fair, actually. The carbonara is worth the price of admission, the amatriciana less so. Let's just say if I end up back there I'm ordering two carbonaras and calling it a day.