A group of people were going for dinner to discuss a new project and I was invited to a free meal. By now you've probably figured out that just the word 'meal' gets me to a restaurant; making it free only gives me more of an incentive to go!
I didn't pick the place but Carluccio's at Covent Garden seemed central for everybody and Covent Garden is a nice area of London to wander around. It's not somewhere you mind getting lost in per se.
So Nikita (told you you'd be mentioned!) and I, armed with the trusty iPhone, headed to Garrick Street to meet the rest of the group and this is kind of how it went.
The Place
Quite small and noisy were my first impressions. The staff seemed very nice - our waiter was attentive and sensitive to the fact that we were waiting for 9 people to arrive from different places - and eager to please. He brought us over wine, topped up our glasses without us having to ask and brought us jugs of water, starters and olives. Yummy!
The restaurant is of a middling size, no real privacy unless you have a booth however. We were on a table near the bar and there didn't seem much room for the staff to squeeze past us which was quite off-putting.
The Food
Food choices (that I remember):- Chargrilled garlic bread
- Chargrilled garlic bread topped with provolone cheese
- 10oz Bone in rib steak, chargrilled and served with rosemary potatoes and pepolata
- Fillet of sea bass pan-fried with a tomato salsa and sautéed potatoes
- Pumpkin risotto
It was of a middling standard to be honest. Despite ordering my steak medium, it was very well cooked and very thin considering it was 10oz. I was expecting more of a juicy steak than the thin frying steak I got on my plate but then this isn't a meat restaurant; I perhaps picked wrong. Those in my group who ordered pasta seemed to get very good portions of lovely food.
We also had some starters which were very nice and easy to share: great when you have a group of nine people who need to talk and eat at the same time.
The Decision
It's not somewhere I'd hurry to go to again but this is mainly because I'm a little wary of Italian chains or chains in general. Whilst I can generally predict the standard of Zizzi or Pizza Express, Carluccio's is not somewhere I've been before and I'd have to go to a few others before I could really make an informed decision.
However with the wealth of restaurants in London, I doubt I'll be making a return visit any time soon.
The Vitals
Carluccio's Covent Garden,
Garrick Street, Covent Garden, WC2E 9BH
Tel: 020 7836 0990
Website: http://www.carluccios.com/
Nearest tube: Covent Garden
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