Knockbox_blog: Bar Pompi: The Legendary Tiramisu

Ciao Amici,

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of visiting Bar Pompi, a fairly famous dessert café in Rome, Italy. Established in 1960, for over 50 years Romans have been traveling half-way across the city just for their tiramisu.

I have tasted many tiramisu(s) over the years and have enjoyed all of them. When I heard about Pompi’s tiramisu, I was a little skeptical of the reviews. How could a simple dessert, a tiramisu non-the-less, be life changing? I could understand sipping a fine single-malt scotch whisky that was aged 30 years in a French oak casket to be “life changing” … but tiramisu? I had to try this legendary tiramisu for myself.

I WAS WRONG… VERY WRONG!

Pompi’s tiramisu made me question my fundamental understanding of what tiramisu is supposed to taste like. Can a dessert be creamy yet firm, sweet yet not overpowering? The answer is Yes, a resounding YES! As I placed the first scoop of the pistachio tiramisu into my mouth, I felt a light creaminess on my tongue that resembled whipped cream. The pistachio flavor immediately hit me like a slap in the face from an angry girlfriend. The pistachio had bravado and lingered for a few seconds but didn’t overpower the taste pallet. I felt a sense of balance in the tiramisu that created harmony in my mouth and in my life. The second, third, and fourth scoop created a cascade of flavor in my mouth that is hard to explain. Like a fine glass of scotch whiskey, the taste slowly matured from a sweet note to a creamier note. Before I knew it, the tiramisu was all gone. Similar to listening to a Taylor Swift song, once isn't enough and I had to hit the repeat button. I ended up eating a strawberry, banana, and a traditional tiramisu before eventually stopping because of a stomach ache. Was the stomach ache worth it? Yes! Should I have continued eating more tiramisu? Probably, but unfortunately I wasn't man enough to handle another serving of that seductive tiramisu.

Until next time,

Eat well and be happy ~ KoKo