Carluccios offers authentic Italian style food, in a simple, clean-cut and unpretentious environment.

The Venue
The design of Carluccios is simple but stylish; the restaurant is very white (white tiled floor, white walls, white ceiling) with touches of colour coming from pictures, tables and of course, the food. The kitchen shop and deli (now a familiar part of every Carluccios restaurant, where stuffed diners can buy even more food to take home for later) takes pride of place, strategically positioned next to the main entrance to catch the spontaneous spenders on their way out. All the outer walls here are made of glass which adds flare to the modern design and a feeling of increased space inside the restaurant. It also makes diners appear to be in a living John Lewis Kitchen and Dining window display, and feels somewhat like your evening is taking place within a huge Perspex box for the amusement of passersby.

The Atmosphere
Although visually impressive, the solid shiny surfaces mean that sound can become exaggerated; at times, the clinking and clunking coming from the kitchen becomes a bit of a cacophony. The glass fronted showroom allows London’s best neglected street lamps to beam their steady orange glow onto your table, whilst the rather open nature of the restaurant (to the outside world) means that patrons might feel a little uneasy, at least until a few glasses of wine have passed their lips.

Diners are a mix of English and European, predominantly over 30. Dark haired arty Italian couples hold hands and drink espresso next to tables of middle-aged English groups. The staff are highly trained: friendly and polite and almost entirely Italian. Meals are served quickly, as is wine and other drinks. The waiters and waitresses are impeccably attentive and offer useful information on the food and drink. Most importantly, they smile. Top marks.

The Food
Unlike most Italian restaurant chains, Carluccios doesn’t serve pizza - but what it does serve, is tasty Italian food. Their large Antipasto Massimo is a delicious introduction to Antonia Carluccio’s concept of the Italian meal (no wonder he won an OBE for his services to the Italian food industry). The plate is filled with such exciting little morsels as salami, stuffed chicken and caponata and comes large enough for two to share, without any arguments over who deserves the best bits! The dressings, of course, are excellent too.

The steak with potatoes and peppers is cooked almost perfectly; the meat was tender and succulent, although the peppers were a little limp. Lasagne Tradizionale goes down a treat - creamy, a good size, and tastes home-cooked. Naturally, pasta dishes are well represented on the menu, each with an unusual addition such as the deep fried spinach balls which come with the Penne Giardiniera.

Unable to force down more rich food, the evening was brought to a close with gelati, stylishly served on miniature silver trays, with a glass of water to cleanse the palate (good thinking, and like the rest of the meal, another example of the server’s great attention to detail). Also be sure to try the the Affogato, vanilla ice cream served in a tall glass with an espresso shot to throw over it.

The Drink
In his youth, Antonio Carluccio was a wine merchant, so there’s no way the wine can be anything but perfect. Like the food and the style of the restaurant, the wine list is simple (7 reds, 7 whites, 1 rose), effective (gentle fruity whites - Soave and Frascati, and full-bodied warm reds - Montepulciano and Merlot) and well priced (everything is between £10.00 - £25.00). The wines available would compliment almost every dish on the menu, and the lack of more expensive varieties is of no detriment whatsoever to the restaurant, but rather in keeping with the unpretentious and relaxed attitude to dining. Guest wines are available from time to time, helping to keep the selection more livelily, and non-wine drinkers might like to know that Italian beer is on hand at about £3.00 a bottle.

The Last Word
Nowhere else beats Carluccios right now in London for good Italian food served with a smile at a decent price. And where else do you have the chance to buy a vespa (£1,849, fully automatic and especially shipped in from Italy) after your gelati? For once, an Italian restaurant in London that is really Italian! Bellissimo!

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