Cicchetti by San Carlo – London Piccadilly
We recently popped up to Waterstones at Piccadilly to hear Matt Haig (author of The Midnight Library) talk about his new book (see more on page 20). When we came out, the rain was falling in sheets, the pavements were flooded and, as usual, we were very hungry.
A few steps from Waterstones, we noticed sparkling lights with a beautiful window display and dived into the busy restaurant. Luckily, we bagged the last free table and plopped down on the comfy seats, happily discarding our soaked rainwear.
The Italian waitress greeted us with a smile and ‘Buona Sera’ handing us the menu and explaining how everything works. Cicchetti serves what it calls ‘small plates’ and recommends 5 to 6 of these between two people. We chose 4 dishes and found that was plenty!
There’s much to choose from and it all sounded delicious – we opted for Arancini filled with a beef ragu, a Caesar salad with smoked chicken breast, porcini mushroom ravioli and a baked gnocchi dish with tomato and ricotta. We complemented it with a few glasses of Montepulciano. Not a bad way to spend a Monday evening
The food was outstandingly good – if I’d been able, I would have eaten it all again! Flavours were rich, robust and hearty. Looking around there were many lively tables, all sharing food and enjoying the warm atmosphere. We would recommend a visit if you’re in the area and you might find it helpful to book ahead.
Cicchetti by San Carlo – London Piccadilly
215 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HL
020 7494 9435
sancarlo.co.uk