*Hi Everyone! This year I want to blog more about food and give my thoughts/ reviews on different restaurants and cafes since I spend most of my £ on food. So get ready for an ad hoc instalment of #foodyfriday every couple of weeks!*
Last week, my first dining out experience of 2018 was to Carluccios restaurant in Glasgow with my mum. I’ve been here twice before but never really had time to properly enjoy the food. I arrived at the restaurant starving and as soon as I saw the lunch menu I literally felt that I had died and gone to heaven. Everything sounded amazing and so my mum and I decided to pick different dishes and we could share.
*Starter*
Although you’d think that Tomato Bruschetta aka toasted ciabatta with tomatoes and olive oil would be a fairly easy dish to get right, I’ve never tasted anything as good as Carluccio’s take on the classic. The colours alone excited me as they used both red and yellow tomatoes. The toasted ciabatta bread was still warm and the cherry tomatoes were so fresh and delicious. I’d highly recommend drizzling balsamic vinegar over the dish as it really adds a kick of flavour.
*Main*
There was a tomato pasta dish on the menu which sounded delicious but sticking to one of my aims of the new year, to be more adventurous with food, I decided to try the Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad. Again, this dish was an explosion of both colours on the plate and flavours. I was a tad apprehensive about turning down, a pasta dish, however, I was far from disappointed with the salad. The beetroot and roasted butternut squash tasted earthy and the goats cheese worked really well with the crushed walnuts. Its about the only time that I’ve ordered a salad in a restaurant and I would happily order this again! I also couldn’t believe how filling the salad was!
*Dessert*
Although stuffed, how could I not throw in the extra £3 on the lunch menu to have a dessert?! I’ve had the Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding before and it was delicious! It comes warm, layers of rich chocolate and raisons served with a side of Madagascar ice-cream topped with mint. Its become one of my most favourite desserts and I wish I could replicate it at home!
*For those wondering, my mum chose the Pasta e Fagioli for starters, which is a thick pasta soup with borlotti beans and tomato served with focaccia. She really enjoyed it and found it filing in itself because of the beans. I tried it and it was delicious and really harty. The home made focaccia is also super tasty. For main, she chose the Beef Ragu Linguine a Bolognese pasta dish!
Carluccios has fastly become one of my fav restaurants and I already can’t wait to go back to try different dishes off the menu! I should mention that the lunch menu is £11.99 for two courses and £13.99 for three courses. In my opinion its great value for money, the portion sizes are big, the ambience is nice and the food is authentic Italian!
Let me know your thought on this review in the comments and if your new please follow the blog!
Clare x
Maple Clouds 