I was in Rome over the weekend for an impromptu holiday, thanks to budget airline price wars.

Two food recommendations:

'Gusto (Piazza Augusto Imperatore 9): a rambling, modernist temple to cuisine. Part restaurant, part trattoria, part wine shop, part Italian design kitchenware shop, part cafe. Good atmosphere. Fixed price brunch on the weekend (EUR 13 + drinks) was very good.

Enoteca Ferrara (Piazza Trilussa 41 and 41A in Trastevere). 41 is the wine bar; 41A is the restaurant. Famous for its large wine list (850 wines). Each list, one white and one red, is the size of the manhattan yellow pages. We had a '97 Brunello di Montalcino and some excellent food. Only complaint: the sommlier tasted our wine without asking.

The wine bar is a perfect place to sample some of their wines sans food. But it was completely packed.