Beginning its life as an Italian grocery store in the 90s, Carluccio’s expanded quickly into a restaurant and has now become one of the most popular Italian chain restaurants in the UK. Using the motto of ‘minimum of fuss, maximum of flavour’ (MOF MOF), the menu features a range of simple Italian dishes using the highest quality ingredients.
Changing its menus seasonally, you can try a range of dishes at the times of year they are usually served in Italy. The use of seasonal ingredients means you’ll get the best quality when you visit. Try the polpette di fagioli, penne giardiniera or orecchiette alla luganica if you fancy something different. If not, standard pasta dishes are on the menu, too.
As well as this, the restaurant also has a chef’s menu where a selection of regional Italian dishes are selected for guests to choose from. The menu is small, so if you have trouble deciding, this menu basically does it for you. You’ll find the likes of courgette flowers to start, Vitello al limone for mains and a dolce di fragola fruit sponge dessert to finish.
To accompany your meal, the list of Italian wines and cocktails will compliment all the dishes nicely. And you can’t forget dessert, of course. The menu features a host of Italian desserts such as Tiramisu, torta di cioccolata and polenta cake. The chocolate bread and butter pudding is also an exciting take on the traditional British pud.
Keeping to its roots, all the Carluccio’s restaurants also have a small grocery store section at the front of the restaurant selling lots of artisanal Italian food products and sweet treats. So if you enjoyed something from the menu so much that you want to try and recreate it when you get home, pay the store a visit before you leave.