FOOD&DRINK

Ciao bella! Alice Edwards tucks into some zesty, informal Italian food in Quakers Friars

Parked in a corner of Carluccio’s is a gleaming pink moped. Contrary to first impressions it hasn’t been left there by a flustered diner unable to find parking elsewhere but is, in fact, for sale. It doesn't really match the rest of the decor, but it stands as a testament to the free-and-easy atmosphere of the restaurant. The waiters like to call it “informal” – Carluccio’s is breezier that your average restaurant and certainly has better service than your average café.

On a good day, diners can eat outside underneath royal blue umbrellas. Inside, it is well-lit and airy and although the majority of the chairs bear a faint resemblance to those you’d find in a school canteen, the cosy booths with their leather seats are very luxurious (and consequently very in demand).

As a starter you are offered bread and olives which come in such large portions that they could easily fill you up should you be dining alone. For the “Secondi” meal, Venue goes for the Pollo Con Capperi. At £11.25 you get a generous serving of pan-fried chicken breast – nicely tender – in a tangy lemon sauce, beefed up with capers and crunchy green beans. A £3 side order of Zucchini (courgettes pan-fried in butter) was recommended to bring out the taste of lemon. It worked.

To finish, the Torta Di Frutta dessert (£5.50): a strawberry tart made with sweet pastry, mascarpone cream and fresh strawberries with a scoop of ice-cream. The tart came nicely decorated with plump red fruit although both it and the modest dollop of ice-cream swimming in an explosion of chocolate dust looked sadly marooned in the middle of their large white plate. That said, despite some gritty pastry, the strawberries were delicious and bursting with flavour while the ice-cream was ice cold with a very vanilla punch.

The service at Carluccio’s is friendly and attentive but never too pushy – no-one looks downhearted if you don’t accept one of their frequently offered recommendations. Top service and a filling three-course meal for less than 20 quid? Bellissimo.

CONTACT

CARLUCCIO’S QUAKERS FRIARS, BRISTOL, BS1 3BU. TEL: 0117 933 8538, WEB: WWW.CARLUCCIOS.COM

THE VERDICT

Easy and amicable Italian foodie R&R

Copyright Alice Edwards 2011