REVIEW: San Carlo Cicchetti, Wellington Street, Covent Garden

I remember when I first started writing about food, the idea of writing up about a ‘chain‘ restaurant sounded like a sackable offense in food writing. Why? Well I guess it was mainly down to the fact that these so-called chains three years ago were very ordinary, predictable and the idea being that they’re accessible to a large majority of people. But in the three years that have passed things have changed. Foodie followed places such as Meat Liquor, Bone Daddies and Pizza Pilgrims are effectively – chains. They’ll probably argue with that (maybe not) but its true. Cicchetti’s also a chain – a small one. They’ve a restaurant in Manchester, Picadilly and now – Covent Garden.

This Covent Garden branch opened a few weeks back now and in a prime theatre going position. I’ve walked past the Piccadilly branch quite a few times now and have always been intrigued by the those mouth-watering window displays. Fresh seafood, pasta shells and meats hanging from the ceiling. The only thing that’s perhaps put me off is the words ‘small plates’ – as you know I’m still learning to love the idea, and I’m getting there – slowly. Owned by the San Carlo Group, and with the help of Celebrity chef, Aldo Zilli (who really does come to cook in the kitchens here) have created a surprisingly charming restaurant.

The menu if you wondered, is absolutely huge. Far too many dishes to churn out consistency, although they gave it their best. Along with a very nice wine list and a selection of specials we delved straight in as quickly as we could – after a glass of Prosecco, of course. The restaurant recommends 3-4 plates per person and four plates really will leave you having to undo that top button. Cicchetti do not skimp on size, or quality for that matter. We started with a tapa size pizza. It turned out to be a generous five slices of the pollo parmigiana topped with smoked chicken, mozzarella, parmesan and fresh basil. And you know what, it was really rather good. The chicken was nice and smokey – as promised. The dough was light and airy but had that all important crisp and the cheese topping arrived still bubbling to the touch.

Going to an Italian restaurant means always ordering the cheese and meats. I find it a great way to see exactly how good the restaurant is at sourcing quality ingredients, plus you can tell how fresh the food will be. Cicchetti didn’t let us down either. A wooden board topped with some incredibly fresh and sour burrata, some soft and moist parma ham, plus a good shaving of black truffle – and a little truffle oil. At £9.95 and for the quality they give you here it’s a very good plate of food. The truffle wasn’t of the most expensive kind but you wouldn’t expect it to be for these prices.

A plate of deep-fried zucchini was also demolished by us in about thirty seconds flat – a photo was virtually impossible. But trust me, it was very good. Gamberino piccante turned out to be two large prawns with chilli, lemon and garlic in a shellfish broth. I know prawns don’t come cheap but for two of them at £10.95 you could order a similar dish at Italian restaurant Bocca di Lupo. They charge only £3 per grilled, and very tasty wild tiger prawn. On the other hand flavour wise I couldn’t complain. They were good, and cooked very well. I’d have preferred a little more chilli heat to mine too, but that’s completely my own personal taste.

From all the dishes we ate here at Cicchetti this one looked the most simplest – but actually it couldn’t have been further from it. Small pellets of beautifully well made gnocchi, flaky sweet and juicy crab, rosemary, garlic, chilli – it was stunning. It was such a shock to the palette because to the eye it really didn’t look like much. Such a beautifully balanced dish will set you back £8.95 which was neither cheap, or expensive but instead very well priced. I loved this dish so much that paired with a nice glass of Vermentino, its worth coming back for alone.

And then there were the lamb chops – and yes they were just as good as they looked. Roasted in hay with rosemary and thyme that herby, meaty flavour oozed out with every single bite. Apart from the delicious lamb cutlets served at Augustine Kitchen in Battersea (some of the best I’ve eaten), you won’t find better than these without having to pay for them with an arm and leg. A delicate meaty flavour, tender to the bite and soft to the touch – the fat was also cooked perfectly with that nice thin and crispy layer. I’m not sure what the dipping sauce was but that was probably because the lamb did all the talking.

Like every meal, it’s never going to be perfect, although I have experienced perfection once and it’s a lot to live up to. But on such the high we were on our next dish was a real let down. It was one of their specials so perhaps not enough time went into creating it, I’m not entirely sure. This short rib of beef, slow cooked with spinach and whole grain mustard sauce was a disaster. Slow cooked, yes – but that must have been for days – it was as dry as a bone. It fell apart to the touch but only because none of the moist fat tissue was left to hold it together. Flavour wise it was too rich, too caramelised and too intense to enjoy much of. The mustard sauce only made for a more unpleasing taste to it all. My advice – stop serving this immediately.

Tiramisu was served with a glass of marsala and some fresh berries. A little gimmicky but at least quickly stripped away the taste of that short rib from our mouths. Well structured, good cream and the right amount of coffee – it was good. Tiramisu tastes completely different everywhere you have it and here its traditional charm was nicely done. The marsala didn’t taste good but I suspect it’s just a cheap bottle to please the punters before they leave – or leave them staggering down the road after. I’m enjoying the idea of the latter.

Coven Garden is such a strange area when it comes to restaurants. Three years ago everything was all about the tourists. But now this bustling area, know for the theatre has finally realised that it’s not only tourists who come here, but also us Londoners who actually live here. With the likes of the Opera Tavern and the newly opened modern Italian, Four to Eight – there’s some stiff competition in this part of town right now. But with good food and attentive service

Cicchetti has something to offer for every taste. One thing you can guarantee is you’ll never have a bad meal here, perhaps the odd bad dish but you can’t always expect everything to be perfect. Cicchetti certainly have me reeled in because all I left thinking about were those lamb chops, and wondering if I could still walk in a straight line – I blame that marsala.

7/10