Global flavors and diverse cultures come together at Orma, Roy Caceres' Michelin-starred restaurant. The Colombian chef continues to impress in his new Roman venture, where he can count on the dynamic duo of Pier Mario Fiengo and Giovanni Olivieri, two young sous chefs with a promising future.
Photo credits: Sara Scanderebech for Cultivar
The restaurant
Less than two years after the closure of Metamorfosi—a former Michelin-starred restaurant in Rome and a hotbed for young talent—Roy Caceres could not resist the lure of haute cuisine, launching the Orma project in April 2023 (owned by Vincenzo Fiengo). We are in the Sallustiano district, an elegant neighborhood that has always been rich in restaurants and a hub for high-spending tourism.
A modern structure, with every detail carefully designed by Hangar Design Group, which divides its offering into two distinct areas: the bistro on the terrace and the Michelin-starred restaurant on the ground floor, which received a Michelin star in its first year of opening. The French guide's recognition was well deserved, as it did not take long to appreciate the investment and gastronomic solidity of the restaurant led by the Colombian chef, accompanied on his journey by Pier Mario Fiengo and Giovanni Olivieri, daring sous chefs ready to keep pace with Roy Caceres. The restaurant's strong point is also a vegetable garden on the outskirts of Rome, in collaboration with the Santa Teresa farm, which allows the kitchen staff to source 40% of their herbs from their own plots, for a total of over 600 vegetables throughout the year.
The chef
Registered at birth as Roy Salomon Caceres, the chef born in 1977 at Orma seems to be enjoying a second youth. A creative hub on the lower floor of the restaurant allows him to continue experimenting and bringing new ideas to his dishes. If we had to think of an adjective to sum up the restaurant's philosophy, it would be “international.” Italian, Latin, Syrian, and Japanese recipes are mixed together and take on complexity in the two tasting menus (Tracce Indelebili and Tracce Correnti, €150 and $190, respectively). An exercise in style? No, if anything, it is a tribute to his diverse origins, which enrich the culture of the chef, who arrived in Italy to play basketball and has become one of the best interpreters of fine dining.
The dishes
The experience begins at the bar, a small corner where you first encounter Orma's philosophy. Here, the welcome snacks speak the language of South America, including blue corn cob with miso, quinoa, and paprika, and corn tartlet with jalapeño, lime, peas, and marjoram. The almond paste bignè with cocoa and mole is a savory treat—perfect for cleansing the palate—before taking a seat at the open kitchen counter, where Roy Caceres presents the amuse bouche: scallops with salt crystals and a white soy and extra-virgin olive oil emulsion. “For this dish, we also work with two ingredients,” says the chef, “lemon kosho and sea lettuce, which we dry to obtain a powder and give the dish an additional marine note. The scallop is eaten like sashimi and finally you sip the leche de tigre to take an impromptu trip to South America.”
On the table, corn empanadas with caviar and chives and tartlets filled with smoked eggplant, yogurt, marigold, and toasted sesame seeds pay homage to Colombia, boldly showcased by the chef. Bread is served in the form of a loaf made from ancient Sicilian grains, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds, to be enjoyed with kaymak, a Balkan butter revisited with white soy miso, mascarpone, wild yogurt, Maldon salt, and wild fennel. Not your everyday fare. The first appetizer is a 360-degree take on cauliflower with a seaweed cream, pickled cauliflower, and vegetable stalks, enriched with a sprinkling of black truffle. A dish that reveals something new with every bite. The same goes for the artichoke in broth, where we find a touch of charcoal, the outer leaves transformed into a crispy wafer, artichoke coffee, and the broth.
The best trip to Latin America is undoubtedly the Chawanmushi, coconut and shellfish. “A recipe we came up with during the renovation of the restaurant, when we often went to eat at Kohaku,” reveals Pier Mario Fiengo. The chef was enthusiastic about their chawanmushi because it reminded him of his trip to Japan." Orma's version is a shellfish flan with grilled blue lobster tail, coconut, sweet potatoes, and Paz (an acronym for chili pepper, garlic, and ginger). To accompany the dish, sip on coconut leche de tigre, which is ideal for offsetting the sweetness of the dish.
Highly provocative is the Spaghetto freddo, a cold pasta ceviche with a distinct acidity. A meeting of two cultures (Italian and Colombian) that gives life to a winning recipe, full of freshness and clearly expressing Orma's philosophy. “We overcook the pasta and then cool it in a soy sauce and rice juice mixture,” explains Giovanni Olivieri. "This gives the pasta the right consistency before finishing it with lacto-fermented corn juice, seaweed, and oroshi sauce (a paste made from lime, jalapeño, and spring onion). There is also room for a tribute to Sardinia, the chef's homeland, with Fregula cooked in a duck stock and seasoned with mole verde (tomatillo, pumpkin seeds, jalapeño, and lime) and XOrma sauce—a reinterpretation of a famous Hong Kong dish from the 1980s—with the flavor of Galician sea urchins and cognac.
The catch of the day is amberjack (aged 7 days) seared on the grill and served with white asparagus and elderflower. Topped with an elderflower beurre blanc and chickpea miso. A dish of remarkable intensity and interesting in its different flavors and aromas. The savoury menu concludes with the surprising Tamal, Beef and Muhammara, a Syrian-inspired dish that Roy Caceres learned to appreciate thanks to his grandfather, who was born in the Middle East. It consists of rice cooked in banana leaves, flavoured with lime juice and chives. The Syrian sauce (muhammara) is made from pomegranate juice, pepper concentrate, pecan nuts, and cumin. The chef's signature touch? Bites of wagyu beef, as delicate and persuasive as Orma's cuisine.
Bright colors and different textures are the stars of the show in the hibiscus ice cream with papaya salad, topped off with a delicious peanut soufflé to share, which rounds off the tasting perfectly.
CONTACTS
Orma Roma
via Boncompagni 31, 00187 Roma (RM)
Phone. 06 854 3182
