People often ask me if I get tired of eating Italian food all the time. While I love pasta and pizza as much as anyone, I admit that do get cravings for something without cheese and/or tomatoes. There’s still not a ton of ethnic restaurants in Rome, but we make do with the few that are here, heading out for either Indian, Spanish, Sushi or Chinese.
So I was thrilled to learn that my friends at the Beehive have begun offering a rotating array of non-Italian chefs to take over the burners at the little cafe in their hotel. Last week Sophie and I stopped by for an evening of Asian Vegan Fusion cooked up by Kat.
Kat is from the Philippines and has been living in Rome for a while. She makes beautiful videos focusing on personal stories. And she can also cook.
Like all the dinners at the Beehive, it was an extremely reasonably priced fixed menu. We started out with a fresh green salad tossed with a spicy avocado dressing. While we sipped beers and chatted with Steve, the owner of the Beehive, Kat was cooking away. The space is small, and very intimate. Kind of like eating in someone’s big open kitchen.
Pad Thai followed, full of barely cooked peppers and zucchini, chunks of pan fried tofu and lots of crunchy peanuts. I loved her innovative take on agretti. A type of Roman vegetable that’s also called monk’s beard, the green, grass-like stalks are usually just steamed and eaten dressed with lemon and olive oil. Instead Kat chopped them up, mixed them with linseed flour, and fried them till crispy. They were delicate and light, but at the same time completely satisfying.
For dessert we each enjoyed a cup of tapioca pudding drizzled with melted chocolate.
The only down side was that I would have loved to chat more with Kat. But since she was busy cooking I’ll just have to catch up with her another time. Maybe at one of the other dinners at the Beehive when a different visiting chef is doing the cooking.
For more information about the rotating schedule of dinners visit the Facebook page of the Beehive. Dinners include Vegan, Sri Lankan and Mexican . A mixed plate is 10 Euros, plus wine or beer at 2 Euros a glass.
The Beehive Hotel
Via Marghera 8
+39.06.4470.4553
Thank you so much for sharing this. I didn’t expect it and yes it is frustrating not to be able to hang out as much on these nights! hope to catch up minus the pans next time. 🙂 xo
Great write up. Kat told me about her dinners at the Beehive. Spreading the word.
Thank you for this info as it does indeed look inviting. We are vegetarians although also believe in having relaxed attitudes when travelling especially in Italy! But this could be a welcome break from pasta and pizza.