Luciano Cucina ItalianaRome

We went to Luciano driven by all those rankings that place it among the temples of Roman carbonara. Result? Half convinced.

We start well with a stuffed artichoke with meat, that one was really good. Then the main courses arrive: half a mancia all'amatriciana and the carbonara. Look, between the two I prefer the amatriciana. The carbonara had everything at the right point, eh. The spaghettone cooked perfectly, the cream perfect, the pepper dosed with that acidic touch that works. Except the guanciale... well. Big chunks, excellent quality, but not crispy enough and especially too little. Way too little. At 18 euros a plate you can't afford half measures.

But the tiramisu. Guys, the tiramisu deserves a separate trip. It arrives with a wafer suspended above a dark chocolate base, you break it and release the coffee that flows down. It's amazing. The mix of cream, ladyfingers, coffee and chocolate really hits.

The point is this: excellent restaurant, high-level cuisine, but at 41 euros per person you expect perfection. And instead something's missing. The guanciale too scarce in the main dishes, the prices a bit steep for what you get on the plate. Let's say that for the fifth star the quality-to-price ratio needs to be more honest.

Will we go back? For the tiramisu definitely. For the carbonara... eh, in Rome there's better for less.