Carluccio's — Restaurant in England

In a line - It positions itself as a good quality Italian, but doesn't deliver for its price point

Being fair, the service was okay, but there were a number of times we had to re-request things (water and drinks ordered) and there were two separate incidents in which a few things on the menu weren't available despite a very large Tesco available in walking distance. Specifically missing were cocktail ingredients (fair enough if its a bit specialist) And cream! - what Italian restaurant doesn't have/runs out of cream. It was a few nights ago and I still can't really fathom that.

My menu choices were: Arrancini, Beef Ragu and White Chocolate/Pistachio doughnuts.

The arrancini for the most part was tasty enough but was just three small balls with a tomato dip (size wise its a starter - fine - but it also didn't feel like it was made in the restaurant). The beef ragu, had the unfortunate position of being devoid of any slow roasted beef and the ragu itself being thin and lacklustre. There were three of us that had that and we all felt that the ghost of beef was all that was left behind by the time it came to us. I know the point of the dish is the ragu, but it needs some meat in there if you claim it - and the ragu itself just wasn't good enough. The doughnuts, oh so disappointing to see made real, I got three tiny dough balls filled with a little bit of filling. They had the terrible issue of being exactly what I wanted as it was written but being thoroughly underwhelming when delivered.

End of the day, had a good time, but that was due to the company I was in, not the meal. Coffee was really good though.

There are two other dishes to mention - the mushroom risotto from another diner was quite bland (from the mouthful I tasted) feel free to play with the seasoning a bit! And my partner ordered the assortment of breads which was an absolute mountain with the smallest amount of oil/balsamic. No negative points for that though - we would have asked for more oil/balsamic but I had some of the bread with the arrancini tomato sauce - it just seems a weird way to present the dish.

P.s. £7 for a pint of peroni is crazy - its a mediocre lager at best - at least get Birra Miretti if you're going to charge london...

I don't like writing scathing reviews, but this place has earned a corker. It was a complete waste of money. A literal rip-off. The pasta carbonara was downright awful. Completely bland and tasteless. No egg taste. No cheese taste. Oily as all heck. I don't know what school of thought doesn't salt the pasta water beforehand to add flavour to what is essentially either just flour and water/egg, but the chef today certainly belongs to it! Couldn't taste anything beyond the black pepper. Even the guanciale could only be tasted once actively chewing it! I have made worlds better carbonaras at home for cheaper. The post-serving "parmesan" certainly isn't actual parmigiano reggiano, considering there was no block grating, it seemed somewhat translucent and had no distinctive flavour to it. And if you're going to advertise a strawberry and banana smoothie at that price point, it could at least be made from scratch. £4.25 for what appears to be a store-bought smoothie that sells far cheaper for at least 3 times as much in a local store/supermarket is daylight robbery. I know the texture, aftertaste and look of an innocent smoothie well enough to recognise it and I highly doubt that it is just coincidence that the smoothie I tasted had the exact same taste. The only saving grace for me were the wait staff who actually seemed competent. Worked off their feet, sure, but competent, unlike the chef who clearly knew less than nothing about cooking pasta.

For a restaurant with a similar (and in some cases higher) price point and cuisine to ASK Italian, I would expect at least equal quality and yet the quality here was sorely lacking. A smaller menu, less drink options, less decoration, less service, less quality in food... it is quite sad how this restaurant lets you down. In my experience restaurants usually use a smaller menu to allow for chefs to gain a mastery in each of the dishes so none disappoint, but this one clearly uses it as a disguise for laziness and a lack of training. I would advise the staff, particularly the chef, to do better. And maybe to hire extra help for a substantial annual event like the Beverley Classic Car Show. I mean, the funds required for that clearly aren't going to better...

It’s a welcoming and attractive establishment. We were shown to our seats and the young man kindly pointed out that there were toilet facilities that we could use downstairs if we wished. This was a clean, spacious disable toilet. I do feel that this establishment has thought about provision carefully and it does cater well for the disabled. Carluccios is roomy, comfortable and with a modern, quirky ambience. I very much liked the feel of it. Our waitress was kind, helpful, efficient and friendly. The service offered was very good. As OAP’s, my wife and I wanted only two courses and my daughter agreed but requested a dessert rather than a starter. That is what we settle on. All the drinks, including wine were fine and arrived quickly. I ordered the pan-fried, sea bass in padella and can report that it was delicious. A younger person may have additionally need a side dish. I found I had quite enough. My wife chose, and enjoyed, the carbonara but felt it needed just a little bit more sauce. My daughter had the risotto al funghi and was delighted with her choice too. Our sweets were also delicious and I can certainly recommend the tiramisu. Everything was well presented and tasty. The total cost for the three of us was reasonable. Good food and service made for a very enjoyable evening. The menu was a new one and we thought the choice was good. I can certainly recommend this restaurant.

additional: Always a friendly, welcoming and relaxing establishment with both good service and tasty food. It is worth noting that quite a good deal is available until the end of January that allows you to buy a second main course for a pound. We like to go at about 6 pm when there is plenty of room and free parking is available very close. We particularly enjoy the Sea...