Carluccio's has recently launched its new autumn menu including some new vegan and vegetarian options.
This is only a good thing as many people are looking to reduce their meat consumption and adopt a more plant based lifestyle.
I’d already visited the restaurant in West Bridgford's Central Avenue to try their new vegan croissant, which was very tasty, so I had high hopes for their main dishes.
We arrived one damp, cold evening with the restaurant looked bright and inviting, if a bit empty. Apparently during the school holidays it gets more busy at lunchtimes.
We were given the daytime set menu and the à la carte. The set menu at £11.95 for two courses represented really good value but the only vegan main course option was the Veganesca Spaghetti.
The dishes I was really keen to try were the Veganese or the Orecchiette Verde on the main menu.
We decided to share the new mushroom and kale bruschetta, which was more than adequate for two people. It was also rather delicious; the mushrooms had a wonderful earthiness to them and the kale added great texture and some bulk. All in all, a thumbs up.
The staff were also very attentive and cleared our table ready for the main event. My Veganese is a take on their Italian classic Chicken Milanese. The plant-based escalope was encased in rosemary breadcrumbs and came with a small portion of tender stem broccoli, sweet and sour peppers and some vegan mayo.
It was very tasty and had a lovely chewy texture and crunchy outside. But underneath was burnt, the portion was rather meagre and at £12.50 it wasn’t cheap.
My friend's Orecchiette Verde pasta dish, on the other hand was enormous.
It was very tasty indeed. The artichoke sauce was delicious and very creamy as was the tomato pesto. The other ingredients - peas, courgettes, edamame and spring onions - were a bit thin on the ground. Overall not too bad for £11.95
When our server came to clear the table and ask how the meals were he was very sorry when I mentioned that the Veganese was burnt. By way of an apology he gave us two teas on the house.
I’d definitely order the starter again, it was delicious and maybe try some other vegan main courses. On the whole not bad but it still needs some work.
