Review: Cicchetti Piccadilly
I can never decide, when I go out for dinner, whether I prefer an enormous menu or a pared down version. If you’re really, really hungry, the thought of having to read through the former is often a nightmare. But then if you’re really, really hungry you usually want to eat just about everything, so the latter can be a bit of a disappointment.
See what a problem this is?
The newly-opened Cicchetti in Piccadilly has, it must be said, an incredibly comprehensive list of dishes, but - and here’s the genius part – they’re all small so you can order loads and share them. It’s essentially the Italian version of tapas. And if the Wednesday night crowds were anything to go by, it’s going down a storm.
Like tapas, the dishes are brought out as soon as they’re ready so there’s none of this waiting for courses nonsense. Speedy service when you’re hungry? Another tick. I must point out, however, that the opulent décor of this place ensures there’s no whiff of a fast food theme. There are lovely chandeliers and lovely marble tops and a lovely array of Italian waiters to keep you entertained during the (minimal) waiting time.
We opted to be guided by our waiter in our choices and the result can be summed up in one world: truffle. There was lots and lots of truffle flavour. It being in season, and it being a personal favourite of mine, happily meant it went down very nicely. The small dishes are still pretty sizeable – they recommend around six to share between two, and that would certainly keep you comfortably full. As it was we went rather overboard on the pasta: pappardelle con porcini, spaghetti cacao pepe con tartuffo nero, ravoli con tarftuffi and gnocchi gorgonzola all jostled for room on our table.
The pasta is fresh, the right side of al dente and the perfect vehicle for the simple yet decadant sauces. We also tried the tomato and burrata salad (exceptionally sweet tomatoes) and capesante picante, which were deliciously succulent scallops set off by the delicate bread topping. Outrageously full, we couldn’t stop until we tried the polpette. The simple meatball has been enjoying a renaissance in small plate venues across London and Cicchetti holds its own. These were rich, meaty and incredibly tender.
The puddings were probably the least impressive element of the meal – though it is probably our fault, as we opted for the decidedly un-Italian choices of cheesecake and chocolate cake. They were tasty, but you could tell that not quite as much enthusiasm had gone into their creation.
Having only scratched the surface of what is on offer, Chichetti is certainly the sort of place you’ll want to return to. It’s central location means it gets a lot of the walk-in crowd but I would walk there soon. It’s bound to be destination restaurant before long, and then you’ll have a huge menu and queues to contend with. That would be such a problem.
For more information visit www.sancarlocicchetti.co.uk
See what a problem this is?
The newly-opened Cicchetti in Piccadilly has, it must be said, an incredibly comprehensive list of dishes, but - and here’s the genius part – they’re all small so you can order loads and share them. It’s essentially the Italian version of tapas. And if the Wednesday night crowds were anything to go by, it’s going down a storm.
Like tapas, the dishes are brought out as soon as they’re ready so there’s none of this waiting for courses nonsense. Speedy service when you’re hungry? Another tick. I must point out, however, that the opulent décor of this place ensures there’s no whiff of a fast food theme. There are lovely chandeliers and lovely marble tops and a lovely array of Italian waiters to keep you entertained during the (minimal) waiting time.
We opted to be guided by our waiter in our choices and the result can be summed up in one world: truffle. There was lots and lots of truffle flavour. It being in season, and it being a personal favourite of mine, happily meant it went down very nicely. The small dishes are still pretty sizeable – they recommend around six to share between two, and that would certainly keep you comfortably full. As it was we went rather overboard on the pasta: pappardelle con porcini, spaghetti cacao pepe con tartuffo nero, ravoli con tarftuffi and gnocchi gorgonzola all jostled for room on our table.
The pasta is fresh, the right side of al dente and the perfect vehicle for the simple yet decadant sauces. We also tried the tomato and burrata salad (exceptionally sweet tomatoes) and capesante picante, which were deliciously succulent scallops set off by the delicate bread topping. Outrageously full, we couldn’t stop until we tried the polpette. The simple meatball has been enjoying a renaissance in small plate venues across London and Cicchetti holds its own. These were rich, meaty and incredibly tender.
The puddings were probably the least impressive element of the meal – though it is probably our fault, as we opted for the decidedly un-Italian choices of cheesecake and chocolate cake. They were tasty, but you could tell that not quite as much enthusiasm had gone into their creation.
Having only scratched the surface of what is on offer, Chichetti is certainly the sort of place you’ll want to return to. It’s central location means it gets a lot of the walk-in crowd but I would walk there soon. It’s bound to be destination restaurant before long, and then you’ll have a huge menu and queues to contend with. That would be such a problem.
For more information visit www.sancarlocicchetti.co.uk