Calling all veggies!! And I mean veggies, not vegans (you’ll see why in a mo). For the next three weeks, the upstairs at Carluccio’s in Covent garden is serving a meat-free menu. Here’s what happened when three friends and I tested it out on opening night – Monday 23rd October.
I love trying new dishes. It’s just a rule I have when eating out because life is too short to eat the same thing repeatedly, especially when you’re presented with so many options. And sometimes (very rarely) this means choosing a dish that contains an ingredient I’m not too keen on. On Monday, that ingredient was cauliflower. I’m more of a broccoli kind of girl. So after some reassurance that cauliflower sauce doesn’t taste like sweaty socks, I stepped out of my comfort zone and chose the Orecchiette al Cavolfiore (pictured above).
Orecchiette tossed in cauliflower sauce, sautéed kale, chilli, turmeric and roasted cauliflower florets. Topped with capers and garlic & herb breadcrumbs.
Table tip: if the dish’s description doesn’t make your mouth water, don’t get it.
And despite the cauliflower, I really wanted to try it… well partly because I saw a picture of the dish on a cleverly-place piece of marketing on the table. Eating with my eyes as usual!
One thing I like about Carluccio’s is that they don’t skimp on portions, nor do they over fill the plate. Every mouthful was full of flavour – first garlic, then chilli and the sharpness of the capers. And those little discs of al dente pasta (pronounced oh-reck-ee-ET-tay) topped it off for me. They were just so fun to eat – once you actually got them in your mouth. Each forkful was a balancing act to get the three or four pieces (because that’s all that could fit) safely past your teeth. On the positive side, it forces you to eat slowly and savour the taste.
If I’d made it myself, (I’ll definitely attempt a version) I would have reduce the amount of salt. It was particularly noticeable towards the end of the meal when the sauce to pasta ratio increased. And silly me for trying to mop up the sauce with sea salt-topped focaccia! Thank God for table water.
Unfortunately for the two guys who are vegan (because the half way point of vegetarianism isn’t an option), the choice of mains were limited to a couple options and gelato was their only dessert option. Now for some of you who would rather a cheese board than a cheesecake for afters, this might not be a big deal. But when you’re the kind of person that scans the dessert menu before even considering your main (me!), this has the potential to make or break your whole evening. Ok slight exaggeration, but it’s still disappointing. Luckily, one of the guys stopped off at Naked Dough on his way to Carluccio’s to ensure our sugar cravings were fully satisfied by the end of the night.
The green oasis at Carluccio’s is open for the next three Mondays, so tuck in!
Seated at my Table 
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