Twenty years have passed since Ambrogio Mori, together with his wife Giuliana and their children Alessandro and Francescohe decided to create a Ostiense the dream of a restaurant of his own. Indeed, family. Of those that make you immediately feel at home, where the warmth of the welcome is reflected in the recipes brought to the table: traditional dishes but which also tell little stories of ingredients, cooking and pairing licenses born in the kitchen of the Mori house. Like the courgette flowers in Roman style batter but stuffed with taleggio cheese (instead of the classic mozzarella and anchovies), which underpin a menu of proposals with identity and at the same time respectful of the best local cuisine. To celebrate the twenty years of activity – today that Ambrogio is no longer there and the neighborhood has become one of the reference points for street art in the capital – Osteria Fratelli Mori wanted to celebrate commissioning Emans the first mural in the city dedicated to Roman cuisine: the title is a play on words and references, «Magna and Mori», and the work pays homage to the specialties for which Rome is famous throughout the world.
Art and gastronomy
Give it to him spaghetti carbonara to Roman gnocchi, then the inevitable rosettepecorino, artichokes, lamb, saltimbocca, the inevitable husbandzo with cream – which has now also conquered Americans and Japanese – and a glass of good Castelli wine. A laid table is the protagonist of the work, in which two cheerful guests appear (perhaps the Mori brothers themselves) and in the background the Gasometer symbol of Ostiense, which is located a stone’s throw from the Osteria. Emans, artist of illustrations and murals with defined lines and pop colors – born in 1991 Emanuele Serra Nicoletti – he enclosed in a two by three meter wall all the icons of Roman cuisine, trying to capture that confidential atmosphere so dear to the Mori brothers, who explain: «On this occasion we wanted a special project and considering that we are in a neighborhood also known for its urban art we opted for the creation of a work dedicated to Roman cuisine on the wall located at the entrance to the restaurant”.
The themed menu
An idea that works, with the mural open to the public and already visited by hundreds of people (as well as a boom in social sharing). But that’s not all, for the entire month of June the Mori brothers have developed a special menu – also entitled «Magna and Mori» – which brings together the Osteria’s most loved dishes: battered courgette flowers stuffed with Taleggio cheese, bacon and eggmeatballs boiled and ricotta di Ambrogio, made with buffalo ricotta, candied orange peel and caramelized pistachio (cost: 35 euros per person excluding drinks). They are the same ones who sign the selection of the wine list Alessandro and Francesco (both sommeliers) who remember: «Before there were labels on the menu that did not represent the craftsmanship of our dishes – they clarify Francesco and Alessandro, both sommeliers – so we went looking for small producers, we appreciate winemakers who work sustainably and today we have approx 150 labels, mostly organic and natural wines.” While mother Giuliana every day it bakes homemade tarts and desserts. Nothing is left to chance in this local has now entered the hearts of Romans and tourists – award-winning and reported in the best guides Italian food and wine – yet the atmosphere always remains the one desired by Ambrogio: familiar and without frills. From today with an extra touch of art.
