Carluccio's, London 12-2017

Antonio Carluccio has been a face of Italian cooking for me not because I've watched his TV shows or eaten at his restaurants, but moreso because I've looked through a few of his cookbooks when finding a smaller version of Marcella Hazan to use. After his death it had been on my list of places to try so luck had it that a friend suggested it for a Christmas meal after visiting NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.

There was a special menu for the festive season. With 2 courses for £17.95 or 3 for £20.95. 3 courses for lunch seemed excessive although I wanted to squeeze in the panettone but just couldn't do it...

- Plin in Brodo (traditional dish from Piedmont. Pinched pasta stuffed with beef & pork served in chicken broth);
- Crostini al Funghi (mushrooms & kale sauteed with garlic & chilli served on toasted ciabatta);
- Lobster & Crab Lasagna (lobster, crab, crayfish with layers of spinach, ricotta & tomato sauce, topped with garlic & herb breadcrumbs).

All dishes were very tasty and of good quality. To top things off, the staff gave us a buy 1 main, get 1 free card to use to jolly in 2018. I guess I'll be back soon!