Carluccio's ,W5 5DA

Carluccio's is a joint deli and restaurant, part of Antonio Carluccio's chain.

Deli

The deli is quite expensive, but the produce is good. Ranging from a cold counter of meats, cheese and cakes, through pasta of various forms to sweets, ice cream and more cakes. They also have a selection of wines.

The ice cream is very good (especially the Zabaglione and Bitter Chocolate varieties), as are their truffles and meats.

Restaurant

Food

The menu is available online from their website, and has quite a variety - including vegetarian dishes. There are no pizzas. They do however have a Vespa on it.

The main courses vary a lot in price and content and offer a wide enough selection that most appetites can be catered for. The portion size is very much of a "traditional" italian approach which assumes that you have had a starter and will have a dessert.

Their desserts seem to be good, with a variety enough to not force a death by chocolate on anyone - ranging from ice cream, to chocolate truffles to lemon tarts, and of course not forgetting the cheese selection...

Prices range from �5->�8 for salads, soups and starters, and from �5 (for a calzone) to �10.50 (for the steak). Desserts are around the �4 mark. [prices as of 200501]

Drink

They have a small wine list, and they seem to be reasonably priced, ranging from �10 to �20. They also have a few italian beers and a normal range of soft drinks.[prices as of 200501]

Service & Ambience

The service was slow - maybe trying to created a "relaxed" atmosphere - which was also reflected in poor management of the people waiting for a table by allowing queue jumping.

The restaurant is decked out in a clean, modern style, leaving it with a slightly sterile feel. Mood lighting makes it feel slightly homely, but the blank services to do allow noise to get up to a loud level quite quickly.

The restaurant is divided in 2 with a half the tables at the front and the rest hidden towards the back.

Overall it has the feel of an upmarket Pizza Express - but I don't mean that in a bad way.

Bathrooms

The bathrooms are down a steep staircase and the men's is very small and cramped. Be careful when opening the door to the stairs as the stairs start immediately to the right of the door and look like an accident waiting to happen.

Other Reviews


OS X co-ord: 517711     OS Y co-ord: 180485     (Latitude: 51.510533 Longitude: -0.303578)
Last edited 2005-01-07 11:06:49 (version 7; diff). List all versions.