Carluccio's
- the Empire grows...
Veni
Vidi Vici - Esher is conquered!
I
can't believe that it was back in
1991 that we reviewed the then new Carluccio's
Caffe in Kingston. We went back
several times with friends when we
wanted a little touch of Italy without
a wallet battering, but since 1993
we've had other places to go. Meanwhile
this little empire has continued
to grow, and now sedate Esher has
fallen to this chubby, genial Caesar.
In fact, thinking about it, what
the Roman Empire had was a brand,
which it promulgated all over its
fiefdom with great attention to detail.
That's what Antonio Carluccio and
his team of generals seem able to
do.
 From
Esher to Canary Wharf, from Tunbridge
Wells to Reading, you know with confidence
that there will be a bright
buzzy atmosphere, keen staff, imaginatively
sourced fresh antipasti, home made
pasta, modest but tasty main dishes
and some excellent puddings. I asked
our bubbly waitress at Esher what
training they had received before
the opening last month. She said
that they had had two weeks of intensive
training during which they had not
only learned how to wait at table,
but had sampled all the dishes and
many of the wines. I was impressed
- she could explain dishes to customers
with confidence and it showed. Incidentally
you can read about training opportunities
and the cook's school on their website.
On
this occasion we decided not to kick
off with the bread selection, served
warm in a baking tin, because it's
so more-ish that you simply have
to have a second, and then you've
no room for puds. Instead we had
the big antipasto plate for two (£9.95),
whose Milanese and Neapolitan salamis
vied with which other, contrasting
with two different hams and garnished
with al manner of beans, olives,
sundried tomatoes and more. My only
gripe was that for a dish made for
two, why have three pieces of everything?
Go on Antonio, be even more generous
and give two slices each!
We next shared a starter portion
of spinach and ricotta ravioli because
I was determined to try the freshly
made pasta. It was pretty good, the
pasta excellent in texture, and the
filling and buttery sauce delicately
flavoured and quite classical in its
restraint. I'd love to try a shellfish
version, or with autumn fast approaching,
a fungal variant, for which Carluccio
is justifiably famous.
A main course of fresh swordfish coated
in a parmesan and and parsley crumb
came with a delicious aubergine stew
and was heartily recommended. My grilled
lamb was good but unexceptional and
needed its extra side of potatoes.
Puddings, I imagine, are shipped in
from Carluccio's kitchens, but are
none the worse for that, better probably.
My lemon tart was stunning - creamy
and intensely citrus with lovely crunchy
pastry. The good news is that
you can buy just about everything that's
on the menu in the attractive front
of house shop that's a feature of the
brand.
Our three course meal for two including
wine and and an excellent cup of espresso
came to a little less than £50 for
the two of us. In my opinion Antonio
really is succeeding in bringing a
very affordable taste of Italy to the
South East of England. You can see
if there's a corner of Italy near you
by looking at Carluccio's
website where current menus are
viewable.
Clifford Mould, September 2005
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