Livello 1, the sea in a room

A group of friends who shared a passion for fine dining and quality ingredients have made their dream come true. Livello 1 opened in May, in Via Duccio di Buoninsegna 25, in the Roman neighborhood of EUR where a lot has been going on recently.

Owner Emilia Branciani is an interior designer and she created a restaurant that seats 60 in the main room and another 30 in the dehors. The décor is done with taste and each detail recalls the sea and is sinuous transparency, which is also highlighted with the use of Casali glass with long copper branches to separate the dining room from the open kitchen and the adjoining fish market which offers the same fish found in the menu.

An interesting novelty here is that a client can buy fish to take home and receive tips from the chef on how to prepare it. In the background is a spectacular digital and sound-proof aquarium filled with multicolored fish which makes the setting even more comfortable and relaxing. Elements of ‘turf’ can be found in the ‘forest’ of birch trunks on one of the walls of the main room. Overall, this is an elegant restaurant where great attention is paid to detail, from the choice of lighting to the mise en place.

Chef Felice Lo Basso is a Bari native who met Emilia and her husband during their stay at the Alpenroyal Grand Hotel and they established a deep friendship based on reciprocal esteem. He personally organized the kitchen, trained its staff and chose the dishes which change according to the season. For the day-to-day running of the kitchen he chose, after various interviews, the young chef Mirko Di Mattia from Gavius. His skill and passion for what he does is evident in every plate. Sitting with us he explained how the fish comes in daily from Fiumicino, Anzio, Ponza and Gaeta and is treated with the utmost respect. What he then seeks to do is offer traditional dishes but make them modern in an engaging and stimulating way without ever losing their essence.

This attention was evident in every serving I had the pleasure to sample, like the red shrimp carpaccio, burratina, rice chips and Bronte pistachios, Mezzaluna with stracciatella, lobster and vanilla or salmon cooked at a low heat with a broccoletti cream sauce and purple potatoes. Fresh herbs are cultivated on site and used, among other dishes, in an exquisite squid. Gelato with Baileys Cream, licorice sponge cake, dulce de leche and caramelized hazelnuts brought to a delicious end this experience of the highest level (Livello).

Aside from dinner, the restaurant offers a host of alternatives. Along with the classic menu, at lunch one can enjoy daily specials prepared depending on the fish available and quick business lunches or dinners can be organized. For those looking for a gourmet aperitif, Livello 1 offers an irresistible formula with a fish menu and a selection of oysters and other raw fish paired with Prosecco, Franciacorta or delicious cocktails mixed with expertise by Nicolò Andrenacci, a young barman who has worked at Dorsia and La Pergola in Rome.

Livello 1 restaurant is open from Tuesday through Saturday from 12:30 to 2:30pm and from 8pm to 11pm.

On Sunday it is only open from 6pm to 11pm.

The fish market is open from Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30am to 6pm and on Tuesdays and Fridays it remains open until 7pm.