Andrea Scaramuccia says the restaurant offers something different with its typical Roman dishes

The owner of an Italian restaurant said he felt a mixture of “pride and joy” after winning an award for its “typical Roman cuisine”. Tradizioni, which can be found on Mill Road, was recently named the best restaurant in the East of England at the UK Italian Awards.

Andrea Scaramuccia, the owner of the restaurant, could not “describe properly” how he felt after winning the award. He said: “It’s a reward for the hard work we have put in. I have a good team with me. One of the staff has been with me for 11 years and the chefs have been here for seven and six years. So we grew up together.”

Mr Scaramuccia believes Tradizioni was recognised for the award thanks to its “typical regional cuisine” it offers on the menu. He added: “Most Italian restaurants serves things like lasagne, pizza, and bolognese. But we do something a little different. We do saltimbocca alla Romana, which is one of our most popular dishes and is from Rome. We also do beef escalope with mushrooms and truffle that is not common in the UK. I brought my granny’s cuisine here to the UK but it is really original and typical Roman cuisine.”

For new customers visiting the restaurant, Mr Scaramuccia recommends trying out the saltimbocca alla Romana. He also mentioned trying the seafood pasta, which he described as “great” and the steaks that are “very high quality”.

Tradizioni has been open on Mill Road since 2014 and Mr Scaramuccia puts his success down to “patience” and his customers recommending the restaurant. He continued: “I think the most important thing to to keep working and not be afraid if success doesn’t arrive quickly. You have to be patient. You have to stay doing the same thing for a long time before people recognise you.

“Word of mouth is also very important. Social media can be good because people can see you and what you do but the most success I get is from people coming to the restaurant and telling others naturally. That’s the secret I think.”

Mr Scaramuccia also mentioned how “team work” was hugely important to his success. He said: “Without my staff, I probably couldn’t achieve this award. The award belongs more to them than to me.”

Tradizioni is popular with “a mix of people” from young families to professionals. The most important customer base for the restaurant is the people living near Mill Road because Mr Scaramuccia wants the spot to “feel part of the community”.

For the future of the restaurant, Mr Scaramuccia would like to “keep it as it is” and add a few new dishes every so often to offer customers something different each time they visit. Tradizioni can be found on Mill Road close to Sedgwick Street.

The restaurant is open from 12pm to 10pm on Mondays to Saturdays and is open only for takeaways on Sundays from 5pm.