A young chef opens a new seafood trattoria in Rome's Garbatella: fine dining with fair prices and generous portions

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Tucked among the historic lotti of the Garbatella district, Alberto Mottola's new project has just opened. A contemporary seafood concept blending Neapolitan roots with a focus on generous portions and accessible prices.

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To launch an ambitious solo project, 32-year-old chef Alberto Mottola chose Rome's most food-obsessed neighbourhood — Garbatella. Since July 10, his restaurant has been serving research-driven cuisine built on serious experience, seafood dishes that nod to his Campanian background, and portion sizes and prices designed to welcome everyone. Here's what to expect at the new Albertino alla Garbatella.

Alberto Mottola, from economics to fine-dining kitchens

Born in 1994 to a Carabinieri general's family, Mottola grew up between Rome and Naples. He studied Economics at university before — somewhat unexpectedly ("nobody in the family believed I wanted to become a chef") — switching to a professional cooking course in Nola. Talent and drive in hand, he began stacking up serious experience, above all at luxury five-star hotels and acclaimed restaurants: Naples' Comandante with Salvatore Bianco, the Grand Hotel Santa Lucia, and Eboli's Papavero.

A stint in Luxembourg at Fani and a boutique hotel on the Belgian border followed, then a return to Campania for his first solo leadership role. He later ran a footballer's restaurants in Milan before Francesco Apreda (chef of Rome's Idylio) called him to Gaeta to oversee the menu at Dolia. After several consulting gigs, the idea of going solo took shape — "which at first I imagined as an events villa".

A seafood restaurant built on "pop" ingredients

Everything changed when his uncle bought the premises of a former trattoria in Garbatella. That's where, on Viale Massaia, Albertino alla Garbatella has just opened — standing apart from other neighbourhood spots for its relative lack of Roman-ness. "It's actually the first time I've worked in the city, and there's no need for me to make carbonara too," he says of a kitchen that sources its seafood from trusted suppliers in Gaeta.

Fish is his territory, with strong Campanian echoes and a clear stance on ingredients. "I'm not interested in picking rare or pricey ones," he explains. "I prefer common ingredients that, with studied technique, can say much more."

"You can do fine dining with proper portions": the chef's idea

The other appealing principle, Mottola says, came from his guests: "To get fine-dining ideas across, you have to let the customer leave full. Bust the myth that elaborate cuisine can only travel on starvation-sized portions. Not here." This approachability — important in a neighbourhood like this — also plays out in the differences between lunch and dinner.

At midday the evening menu is still available, but the number of covers grows, welcoming lunch-break diners who can also opt for pappardelle with ragù, fried calamari and aubergine parmigiana.

What to eat and how much to spend at Albertino alla Garbatella

"The menu changes every two weeks," says Alberto, who is about to introduce three-, five- and seven-course tasting menus starting from a modest €35 up to €80. There are five starters, five first courses, five mains and five desserts, each category including a vegetarian and a meat option. To give you a taste: Carnaroli rice "al salto" with butter and Parmigiano, topped with raw Ponza red prawns, citrus gel and dill oil (€18).

Or the pepper risotto — "I call it risOlio, because it's finished with extra-virgin olive oil" — an elaborate play on Pontecorvo pepper cream, smoked paprika, vanilla-marinated Fiume chilli, sweet-and-sour yellow pepper, roast peppers, crusco pepper powder and pepper caramel (€18). Then there's char-grilled amberjack with a peach-and-tomato gazpacho, served with a tomato salad and finger lime (€23), finishing with a reworking of the Babbaiola (€11): "A very simple Neapolitan buffalo-ricotta tart, which we instead serve on a lightly salted shortcrust base with an absolute lemon sauce, ricotta, black-lemon powder, fermented lemon, candied lemon and Trombolotto lemon oil from Sermoneta."