A ray of sunshine: Carluccio’s place in the sun
| 8th April 2019
Sitting quite literally in the shadow of the glamorous, sprawling Ivy, Carluccio’s has long been established as a buzzing hub in Spinningfields, watching in the wings while others come and go.
It’s the perfect spot for a coffee and meeting, a quick bite or a lingering meal in, with its pretty blue décor and inviting deli that makes you want to dive in and eat all those Italian goodies.
It also has a lot of outside space and Mancs love to dine Alfresco, whenever we are released from the gun-metal grey overtones we’re renowned for – though not so much now as climate change bites.
It has a brilliant set-menu at £11.95 for two courses in the day and a slightly different version in the evening from under £15, which we took full advantage of.
Since my last visit the food was a revelation offering traditional plates with the full flavours of Italy, really, really, good and a surprise to me as I often dismiss this as a chain.
The set menus are not only priced well but also offer plenty of choice including veggie and vegan and is changed monthly.
We started with a chicken live pate that was delicious – full bodied with that dry catch to the throat, meaty and flavoursome. Named after Antonio, apparently, it’s always on the set menu and thank you Antonia. If you want a pate named after you, then this is the one.
But the real revelation was my chicken Milanese. A classic Italian dish often with veal instead of chuck, I can’t praise Carluccio’s version enough. A herby, bread crumby coating, crisply friend and crunching into tender, juicy meat. Just superb.
My friend, celebrating a well-deserved new job, enjoyed a beef ragu linguine, tasty and hearty. A peasant dish to send you back to the office in a pleasant, sated state. We were washing this down with a bottle of Prosecco and prices start from £16.50 for vino.
We celebrated her new role with a pud choosing a meringue mash up of passion fruit and cream which was a sugar injection that slipped down the throat and provided a light but sweet counterpoint to a lovely lazy catch up.
Viva verdict: A classic eatery that offers fantastic Italian dishes and a great deal too. Ciao Carluccios.
