Lay Court: the new spin off of Ginger.

Rome is such a vast and fascinating city that you never stop discovering it. On the bustling Via del Corso, the beating heart of Capitoline fashion, a majestic entrance opens onto an 18th-century palace that, after more than 20 years of closure, is coming back to life, opening to the public in all its imposing beauty. Result achieved by the founders of Ginger, a restaurant reality present in Rome since 2012 with its two locations in Piazza Sant’Eustachio and Via Borgognona, thanks to a careful restoration that preserved the structure’s artistic and architectural heritage.

Palazzo Raggi is an imposing architectural complex that almost perimeterally embraces Via del Corso via Via della Vite, Via del Gambero and Via delle Convertite. The facility, historically, was also home to the archives of the Chamber of Deputies and an electronic business center before its 20-year closure. As of August 2023, a new era has begun for Palazzo Raggi, becoming a place to indulge in a wonderful gourmet break on Via del Corso at any time of the day. From breakfast to mid-morning aperitif through lunch, snack and evening aperitif to dinner.

Here, at 173 Via del Corso, the Spin-Off of Ginger, which has won wide audiences in 11 years in Rome, has come to life. In addition to its choice of locations, always in central areas (Ginger’s other two locations are in Piazza Sant’Eustachio and Via Borgognona), Ginger has distinguished itself for its gastronomic offerings based on healthy, sustainable cuisine that winks at the Mediterranean diet by favoring organic products.

“The leitmotif is the same here at Corte Laica, where the spaces have allowed us to add to our usual offerings, some proposals that are real novelties for our format: the pizzeria, a mouth-watering and healthy selection of fried foods, and a curated mixology offering for the beverage side.” It is Dario Asara, who explains how the gastronomic offer of Corte Laica remains absolutely linked to the classic Ginger one with some necessary adjustments. “The only thing missing from our format was the pizzeria, which we made with a Moretti oven, the Neapolis, created specifically for Neapolitan round pizza. We revised the entire menu, downsizing a few courses such as salads, cutting boards and the smoothie section,” Asara continues. The basic concept, however, remains the same: to minimize food waste as much as possible through a kitchen whose work is marked by circularity, offering dishes that are tasty and healthy while at the same time having a profound plant-based footprint.

Chef Sharon Landersz’s gastronomic proposal.

The kitchen at Ginger – Corte Laica is run by executive chef Sharon Landersz, as is the kitchen at the GINGER PANTHEON location; at GINGER SPAIN, on the other hand, the kitchen is run by chef Carlo Ruta.

Ginger’s philosophy is based on the seasonality of products ensuring nutritionally balanced, tasty and healthy dishes that are the result of meticulous study. “We change the menu every season. The dishes vary according to the calendar, which is anything but trivial work for our menu, which always requires that 70 percent of the products selected come from organic farming and have a strong green footprint.” Explains the executive chef, who stresses that in compliance with maximum waste containment, deep teamwork in which not only the kitchen but also the pizzeria and the mixology offerings are involved is crucial.

“What we put in place every day is a true circular cuisine, in which most ingredients are used as much as possible in their entirety and in every part of our offerings. I think, for example, of certain spices,” says the chef, “that I use in the kitchen and at the same time our bartender Luca Dante uses them in his creations. The scraps of certain fruits, for example, are literally regenerated by his hands to give life to new preparations.”

Chef Landersz has finalized the fall menu. “We will propose a marinated pumpkin with apple cider vinegar paired with burrata cheese and Cantabrian anchovies, but also a plantain and chestnut stew, Sardinian gnocchetti with turnip greens pesto.”
Ample space is given to gluttony with fried foods, which through combinations and selected raw materials, will be tasty and contextually healthy. They are great news for Ginger! “Here we had the opportunity to put in a deep fryer, and of course we didn’t miss it. There are classic Roman-style supplì with fior di latte and pecorino fiore sardo, but also orange-flavored potato croquettes and some dishes that are part of our tropical contamination such as fried plantain.”

The chef is committed to a scrupulous selection of raw materials, without setting herself a regional limit; in fact, the dry pasta comes from Pastificio Felicetti in Predazzo, the cured meats are all supplied by Salumificio Pedrazzoli, and cereals and dried fruits are strictly organic. Spices, such as some herbs, are carefully selected at the Spice Emporium. As for the extra-virgin oil, it comes from Ginger’s family-owned farm: the Azienda Agricola Le Masciare in Avellino, which produces a selection of organic wines including Fiano, Greco and Falanghina but also an excellent Aglianico and an important Taurasi.

Chef Landersz also oversees the morning offering, which includes Ginger’s homemade muffins, pancakes and breads and a selection of tarts, cakes, cookies but also croissants selected from artisan bakeries and pastry shops to go with coffee, cappuccinos and extracts.

Luca Dante and his “circular” mixology

An interesting new feature of Corte Laica is the extensive section devoted to the art of mixology. Personally curated by Luca Dante, a 31-year-old bartender with a long history in the industry, which has led him to work with some of the most important players in contemporary mixology. The basic principle that characterizes the entire philosophy of all three venues remains unchanged for mixology as well: food circularity is at the center of everything. “It is a complex but absolutely stimulating challenge, which has allowed me to create new cocktails-side by side with the great classics-and which the clientele is particularly appreciating.” Notable among his creations are “Mango & Roses,” made with juice obtained from mango peel fermented with sugar and decorated with the dried peel itself. Other interesting cocktails include “Rosalia” made with tequila, grapefruit and tepache, a fermented pineapple peel. As a non-alcoholic offering, starting in the fall, Dante has designed some new drinks based on seedlip, a non-alcoholic distillate with herbaceous hints.

Ciro De Vincenzo’s pizza

Despite its Neapolitan origins, pizzaiolo Ciro De Vincenzo’s proposal here at Ginger Corte Laica deviates from the classic Neapolitan pizza. “Together with the ownership, we chose to offer a pizza that was somewhere between Neapolitan and Italian round.” The dough, made with organic flours from Mulino Naldoni, is made with a double pre-ferment. Baking, unlike the Neapolitan, is done in an electric oven at lower temperatures (430°) and thus baking is slower. The result is a round pizza with a present but not prominent edge. So no, it is not the “dinghy” pizza De Vincenzo points out.

The menu offers 20 variations, divided equally between classic, vegan, seafood and Ginger’s specialties. Prominent among the latter is the tasty Ortolana Autunnale with cream of cauliflower, Roman broccoli, repassed chicory and confit tomato. Very intriguing and always in keeping with seasonality is the one with cream of Mantuan pumpkin, black Lucanian pork belly, pecorino di Moliterno cheese and provolone. Also among the classic options always on the menu is the Vegetarian in Color with cream of pumpkin, cardoncelli mushrooms, fresh spinach and crusco bell pepper. Finally, among the seafood pizzas is the pizza with tuna genovese: a reinterpretation of the famous Neapolitan stracotto made with beef and onions, in which the meat is replaced by tuna seasoned with basil pesto and pecorino di Moliterno cheese.

Ginger has big plans for the future.
While it is true that a winning format cannot be changed, it is equally true that it deserves to be replicated and expanded. In fact, Ginger is scheduled to reach Milan with a new restaurant in the city of Milan, and by spring 2024 the first Ginger is scheduled to open in New York. Stay tuned!

Ginger – Lay Court
Via del Corso, 173 – Rome
Tel. 0622968878
Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 00:00 a.m.