I really and truly love Italy. So much so that if my finances ever return to ‘normal’ after the battering they’ve taken from buying a flat, it’s where I hope to spend a week over the summer getting some much longed for Vitamin sea.
I love everything from the sing-songy nature of their language, to the style and panache of their locals. And of course, there’s the food. To me, there is literally nothing better than a plate of pasta. Like a hug when you’re feeling blue, it has restorative powers.
Propaganda 12 is so much more than pasta though. It’s like bypassing passport control and finding yourself in the land of limoncello, despite not having left the cocoon of barrio Chueca.
As mentioned, I bought a flat – a process in Spain that felt akin to a root canal, but I survived. And after you’ve survived something there’s only really one rightful thing to do and that’s – celebrate. So off I went (with my Dad in tow) to toast my freshly signed mortgage.
No sooner did we arrive, out hostess (who couldn’t be faulted the entire evening) offered us two glasses of champers – I liked the place already and the fizz combined with the decor (my current obsession is all things paint and plate related) made an excellent first impression. The tiles in the bathroom along with the wallpaper are sure to be papped and all over the ‘gram.
Again, we completely trusted our wonder of a waitress when it came to wine and she gave us a back story with each bottle.
So on to the food. We shared anti pasta to start. Now so far, you may well think so predictable, but the roast pork that we plumped for was literally so a-ma-zing, that we ordered a second portion.
Now I enjoy pork as much as the next person but this was something else. Tasting of rosemary and served with freshly baked bread, I honestly think I could eat it day in, day out. Whilst I’m becoming increasingly open minded with food, my Dad’s a tough crowd and even he couldn’t find enough superlatives to pile on the praise.
We both then had a beef red curry which was spiced to perfection – not bland, not blow your head off hot and two delicious puds, tiramisu and a red fruits cheesecake respectively. Everything was heavenly and as good as anything that I’ve eaten in Puglia. All the while, the setting is chic yet cosy, the staff friendly but not overbearing.
I also spotted that come weekends, they do a champagne brunch for the non too pricey sum of 25 euros. Good food, good booze, good times.
An ideal place to brunch, lunch or dinner, pop propaganda 12 on your to-do list right about – now!
All photos from Propaganda 12
