As a pretty loyal customer, once a restaurant delivers great food and great service I’m likely to make it a regular event. Having been a customer of Jamie’s Italian for years I felt a little sneaky visiting Carluccio right under his nose, but after tasting what he had to offer, I’m seriously glad I went.
Carluccio’s is open and inviting; with piles of colourful cakes and treats waiting as you enter the deli section (the lemon tart looked particularly scrummy). Despite being located in Milsom Place’s fashionable, yet sometimes dark, passageways, the glass front keeps it light, and the open doors leading to the al fresco courtyard makes the most of sunny days.
Despite the offer of sitting in the pretty courtyard setting, I decided to sit inside and soak up the atmosphere. As I entered the staff seemed a little rushed, but I was perfectly aware that opening day at a new restaurant can be absolute chaos. Considering they’d be open mere hours I was very impressed.
As I sat down and ordered a drink, I was offered a choice between ‘rich’ or ‘smooth’ coffee, which I thought was a lovely touch. I adore it when people clearly care about good coffee, which to me is worth its weight in gold. Going for a ‘rich’ blend, the only thing that let the latte down was the milk – far too frothy and a bit overheated – but then again, I’ve probably been spoiled by Colonna and Smalls’ scientific precision and dedication to creating the perfect coffee.
Settled with my drink, I turned straight to the food. As a rule I never go for set menus, the reason being that they usually feature the most boring dishes and there’s always a much more appetising pudding on the a la carte menu which screams ‘PICK ME!’. But, for the first time in my life, Carluccio’s two courses for £9.95 deal had exactly the food I wanted, and I got to enjoy the two dishes I would’ve ordered anyway for a bargain price.
I didn’t go for a starter in the end, but the deal featured chicken liver pate, tomato and basil bruschetta or chargrilled garlic focaccia, all of which I would have happily guzzled had I the stomach space. Instead, I went for my all-time favourite pasta dish, Puttanesca, followed by a classic Italian tiramisu.
I had barely started my coffee when my pasta arrived – I kid you not, it probably took 4 minutes from my order to it being on my plate – and considering how hungry I was it was a pleasant surprise. That being said, I know that if I had been with a friend or my partner I would have wanted a little more time to myself before food arrived to catch up.
The pasta was a classic penne and was coated in a rich tomato sauce, laced with chilli, anchovies, black olives, garlic, capers and basil (basically all my favourite things in the world in a bowl). A waitress offered me black pepper and parmesan which I gladly accepted. So far, so good.
The dish itself was delicious. Every mouthful delivered an olive, a caper and the perfect sauce to pasta ratio to please me. I’ve ordered this dish elsewhere and there’s always a sense that I’m saving my precious olives to make sure there will be enough left for the last few bits of pasta (it’s a little bit OCD, but important!), but this dish was so packed full of fresh ingredients I wasn’t left wishing there had been more of anything. It was at once spicy, salty, and rich, with the melt-in-the-mouth quality that a good anchovy based sauce should give. I’m glad I went for a simple, but classic dish, as it did not disappoint.
After requesting a short break between my courses, the tiramisu arrived. The perfect Italian dessert, I was ready to either love it or hate it. Layers of coffee and liqueur-soaked sponge, mascarpone and chocolate dusting were prettily presented on the plate, and on taking my first bite I knew they had nailed it: it was perfect.
What I really loved about this tiramisu compared to others I’ve tried is that you could really taste the alcohol as well as the coffee. I have often suspected that no alcohol has been used at all in some restaurants’ tiramisu, as I suppose it then appeals to younger kids as well as being suitable for all people to enjoy. However, there was something deliciously naughty about enjoying a boozy pudding at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The balance of coffee, chocolate, creamy mascarpone cheese and alcohol was perfect, and I felt like I had experienced a proper grown-up’s dessert rather than a child-friendly version of the classic.
Overall…
Although I didn’t stay too long, partly due to the extreme efficiency of staff and chefs, I really enjoyed my visit to Carluccio’s. I spent a grand total of £14.25 and was chuffed. For their first day, the staff did really well and apart from a little confusion regarding which section of the restaurant they were each manning, they were a well oiled machine with friendly attitudes. They provided quick, delicious food in one of Bath’s more luxurious settings, but at a bargain price. I’ll definitely be back.
Pros: Delicious pasta sauce, generous portion, incredible value for money, lovely service, nice atmosphere, fab location. Great pudding!
Cons: Have had better lattes, food came a bit too quickly. Also there were weird empty bottles of lemon-infused olive oil on every table. I would be more likely to have bought some from the deli had they actually contained some oil to try!
Our thanks to Lucy Plummer for this great review.