To think Carluccios is over-rated?

[Dancergirl]

We've been twice recently and both times I've been disappointed.

First time I had a pasta dish with spinach balls, sounded v nice on the menu. When it came, it was dripping with butter so much so it was really greasy and I couldn't eat much of it.

Second time I had a chicken salad that claimed to have hazelnuts in. It was a huge pile of green leaves with a few bits of chicken and microscopic bits of hazelnuts in it.

And their menu is very, very limited.

On the plus side though, the dds love it and they made a huge fuss over dd2 whose birthday it was yesterday! Service is v good but the food...? Not so much.

I like Carluccio's. I think it's quite a bit better than Pizza Express, as it happens.

I've never been before, didn't realise it was a chain. I have vouchers from Xmas to go with DP.

So far the antipasti and pannetone sound good. Any other recommendations?

(It does seem slightly more expensive than the Italian (run by Italians) that I usually go to which makes me a bit apprehensive!)

The shop bit looks amazing and there is a nice ambience. However I had the - expensive - seafood platter there at Christmas and it was yuk. Sour tasting and poorly battered. Couldn't even eat it all which was suprising for me.

Not rushing back although would go again if friends suggested it.

I really like the spinach ball thing that everyone else hates! But I am fond of a bit of grease. Also, all the sorbets are fabulous. The coffee ice cream is dark and bitter and generally very grown up if you like that kind of thing. The spinach and ricotta ravioli is marvellous if you happen to like something plain but perfect. You have to not be scared of butter, though.

The hot chocolate is v good. Also the cherry juice. Wine is very variable - some nice, some dreadful.

It is expensive for what it is but it has a really good gluten free menu and that makes it worth the cost in my book. There are so few restaurants who understand coeliacs.